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EVIDENCE BEFORE SELECT
| . COMMITTEE.
Evidence in regard to the Town Planning Bill
was taken on Thursday by the Select Committee
appointed by the Legislative Council. There were
present the Hons. J. H. Cooke (chairman), T
Bascoe, J. Carr, W. Morrow, and F. S. Wallis.
The Government Town Planner (Mr., C. C.
iReade) said the problem to be overcome was thai
of link ins «P the administrative and technical
side. It had been represented that the Bill par
took too much of the English practice, whereas it
should Rive preccdence to American methods.
The reply to thai; was that South Australia did
not want too much English or American practice,
but should secure the legislation best suited to
local conditions. In order to have that there
must be a certain amount of necessary adaptation,
irrespective of what was taking place in other
countries. In America the endeavor bad 'been
made to arrive at town planning practice from
a point of view totally different from the Eng
lish. The power in England started from the
local council, only it was subject to very drastic
control by what was formerly the Local Govern
ment Board, and was now the Ministry of Healch.
An examination of the English Act of 1909 and
the amending Act of 1919 would show that in
some respects the English legislation was more
drastic and arbitrary than what was proposed in
South Australia. It would, for instance, be com
pulsory, after January 1, 1923, upon all councils
with a population of more than 20,000. In France
the population 'basis was 10,000. America had a
commission composed of vari.TUs experts operating
only within each individual city. That system
did not work satisfactorily, and if developed in,
South Australia would give very few practical
results. It was defective in that it did not pro
vide enough opportunity for bringing in the ad
ministrative functions as represented by the local
government bodies and the technical, as repre
sented by the town planning or professional body.'
In South Australia everything possible should be
done to saleguard and develop the sphere of local
government, and, as a starting point, to give the
local government bodies the opportunity of de-j
monstratmg what they could do, and how pro
fessional bodies could assist them.
The Chairman—That is a very good datum
point. _____—
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