On Wednesday the. Prime Minister and Mr. Burns re- ceived
a deputation from the Association of Municipal Corporations. The purpose of the deputation was to explain the special scheme of the Association for the better planning of towns and suburbs. Mr. Nettlefold, of Birming- ham, attributed the present waste of money entirely to the absence of co-operation between landowners and local authorities, which was not the fault of either party, but of our inelastic by-law system. Local authorities were forced to harass landowners about details, yet bad no comprehensive control. Honest builders were hampered, but jerry-building was not checked. Ratepayers were taxed for what they did not want. Enormous sums were being spent all over England and Wales in widening streets which should never have been so narrow and in paying compensation which should never have become due. The Town Clerk of Leeds said that more than £13,000,000 might have been saved in the last thirty years. The proposal of the Association was that municipali- ties should be empowered to buy land, not only for statutory municipal purposes, but in order to sell it off in such a way as to develop the estate in accordance with sound plans of building. Of course, supervision would be expected and welcomed from the Local Government Board. The Prime Minister and Mr. Burns gave most sympathetic answers, both deploring the want of foresight that caused so much waste and produced so much ugliness. Mr. Burns announced that the Government had drafted a Bill on the subject which they hoped to introduce next year.
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