52 COMMISSION OF CONSERVATION 



At the same time, the German cities are trying to sift out their 

 dwellings from the chaotic mass of shops, factories, hovels, mansions 

 and barracks, and send them to the suburbs, thus leaving the indus- 

 trial buildings grouped in the centre. This is sometimes known as 

 the "Zone System." The farther a zone is distant from the centre 

 of a town, the smaller the number of houses to each acre of land and 

 the smaller the number of storeys permitted each house. The zone 

 does not follow any particular lines it may simply be a particular 

 area. 



Certain municipal authorities may note with advantage that 

 Cologne limits the height of buildings in the centre of the city to five 

 storeys with a mansard; while, in the outer portions of the munici- 

 pality, no buildings can be over three storeys in height or occupy 

 more than forty per cent, of its lot. In Saxony in 1900, such a 

 scheme as that outlined in Cologne was made compulsory for all 

 towns. How much better our Canadian cities would be fifty years 

 hence if they adopted and enforced such wise provisions now! 



The German municipalities have endeavoured to secure the 

 placing of houses so as to obtain the maximum amount of sunshine, 

 and so as to make sure that space be left for parks, playgrounds and 

 garden plots. These regulations generally tend to do away with 

 speculation, they control the builder building for investment, while 

 giving the greatest possible freedom to the individual who desires to 

 build for himself, thus encouraging individuality and resource- 

 fulness. 



The community is safeguarded when buildings are to be erected 

 en masse; dividends on municipal loaned money are limited; lands 

 are leased for periods of years with the proviso that the buildings 

 erected thereon shall become town property at the expiration of the 

 lease, and the right is reserved to purchase the property or cancel 

 the lease in case of necessity. 



Before passing from this portion of the subject, refer- 

 ence must be made to the method adopted in Belgium 

 where, by the development of a complete system of inexpensive 

 workmen's trains, it has been demonstrated that by means of cheap 

 and rapid transit a countryside may be built up and the town worker 

 be made a suburban dweller. In that country, a workingman's 

 round-trip weekly ticket (twelve rides) for a six-mile ride can be 

 purchased for less than twenty-five cents per week; while for twelvo 

 miles, the cost is thirty cents. Fifty cents per week will carry him 

 out thirty miles from the city. As showing the effect of these cheap 

 transportation rates, it may be stated that the annual sales of tickets 

 increased from 1,200,000 to 4,400,000 in a single decade. 



