Deseret evening news. [volume] (Great Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1867-1920, 1908-05-30
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AJOVSrnTnSn MT
rucclal CORRESPONDENCE.

f7hNNi1+ WI tAsAbllhIlANNs
r )NDON, May f2.-This month III,
Rlg!d Hon. John Burns. former
4 pot-boy in public house Il. g.
hired bog i'm a saloon) and nov
onc OF the principal members Of tn,
British cabinet is going TO introduce
bill that win be of almost as much
Interest across the Atlantic ana ON the
continent rs 1t win be in England. II il
passes and works as well ns the keen
wiited and practical Right Hon. John
thinks 1t win, 1t is going to make u bic
"iii'''h'o to Tho next generation. and
quite a lot Of difference right away.
Ihe iGea is to make "A science of
town planning. and to put the gov.
ernment in charge OF the job. 1t oc.
CURED TO broad-minded Americans long
ago that you can make better. ami
healthier. and more attractive town IL
you Jay out the scheme for II before
hahd thar you can II you leave 1t to
grow Up anyhow guided only by land
speculation Various American efforts
We're made in this line. and some of
therl highly successful. too. but it was
over in Germany that town planning
first became kind Of science. Lately
England caught the craze. and now the
writer Is Informed that MI Bryce
unofilctally. OF course and not as AK
British ambassador To tho United
States--is deeply interested and wishes
To see tho latest system introduced i'm
10 the United states. He has even
sent representative to England-al-
SO Inuffig la li1F--t.
projects with view To interesting pro-
mlnent Americans in the great idea.
GOVERNMENT TAKES A HAND.
But the most significant fact is that
the British government proposes to
take hand in the game 1t is Burns
pet hobby. He looks to It as practical
solution of many of the toughest
economic problems of the dav. His new
bill on the subject. which win soon be
the topic of discussion throughout Eng
land; is calculated to put stop to all
III considered. ramshackle building and
land operations. The heavy hand of
government authority Is to be laid up
on all property management, which
heneeforth must be conducted with a
view to the public veal. and not to in
dividual interests Local authorities
are to be authorized to conduct town
planning operations. and the local
government board, as a central court
OF final appeal, is to decide as to how
all these measures are to be carried
out. Local councils in every city are
to be empowered to acquire land for
town planning purposes. and even to
take over compulsorly any land or
buildings which they may require. II
private interest is injured. II is to be
compensated, but only in accordance
with government ideas. For instance.
should one property owner be benefited
at the expense of another the injured
party is to be Unidentified. not by the
government. but out of the benefit
which accrues to- the lucky owner Thus
viii the government borrow from Peter
TO pay Paul, and in some cases, per-
haps, even forget to pay Paul
The writer recently has had long
talk with the Right Hon John Burns
over HIS new scheme for which he an
ticipates so much. In England cabinet
ministers must not talk for publication:
but 1t is very evident from Burns's en-
tire attitude that he looks to town
planning to do wonders. II IL accom-
pliShes only half OF what the president
OF the local government board expects
tho millennium Is not so distant as the
professional pessimist would have us
believe.
LOCAL CONTROL OF HOUSING.
One OF the principal features of the
bill relates to local control of housing.
Under existing conditions local author
tiles can exert no authority either as To
the number OF houses per acre or the
style of architecture. Up to now the
housing problem has been attacked on