Australian Town Planning Conference

Progress, Volume XIII, Issue 10, 1 June 1918, Page 230

Australian Town Planning Conference

Not much encouragement was offered the Wellington Deputation which waited upon the Hon. G. W. Russell with reference to sending a man from this country to attend the forthcoming Town Planning Conference in Brisbane. The deputation came from the Wellington Town Planning Association, and was represented by Mr. T. Ballinger and. Mr. T. Leigh Hunt.

The Minister replied that the matter had already been considered by the Government, and the decision had been that at the present time it was not necessary for the Government to incur expense in sending one of its experts to attend the conference, seeing that conditions in Australia were so dissimilar from those in this country. Another consideration was that on account of the shortage of staffs in all. Departments it would be impossible to spare a man who would adequately represent New Zealand at so large a conference. The reports of the conference would be carefully scrutinised after it was over in order to see whether there was anything that New Zealand could learn from Australian friends. The Town Planning Bill circulated at the end of last session of Parliament was under the consideration of town planning associations in New Zealand. The Bill had been specially devised to meet New Zealand conditions, for in this country town planning was probably more necessary in connection with growingtowns rather than in cities already built. Here we were fortunate in having no slum population, and consequently it was the future rather than the present that had to be borne in mind. If, however, the Town Planning Associations would recommend a suitable man to go on their behalf, he would be prepared to consider the advisability of recommending to Cabinet that the Government should pay part of his expenses.