RURAL PLANNING AND DEVELOPMENT 189 



The regulations respecting the sub-division of land in Saskatche- 

 wan indicate the kind of powers already being exercised outside of 

 comprehensive planning and development legislation. The regula- 

 tions are issued under Section 7 (a) of the Public Works Act, and not 

 only apply to new towns and cities, but to the sub-division of all 

 land outside the corporate limits of towns and cities. It is required 

 that a preliminary plan shall be made of the sub-division and pre- 

 sented to the Director of Surveys for his approval. Such plan shall 

 show the location and dimensions of all streets, lanes, public reserva- 

 tions, etc., and contour lines showing every difference of five feet in 

 the elevation of the land. The Director of Surveys has power to 

 approve or disapprove of the plan. As a condition of his approval 

 the plan must show a part of land, which must be at least five per 

 cent of the total area being registered, and in no case less than two 

 acres, for the purpose of dedication to the public for schools or other 

 purposes. An extravagant rule is laid down that no street shall 

 be less than 66 feet wide and no lane less than 20 feet wide, and every 

 lot having a frontage of 55 feet must be provided with a lane. The 

 Director of Surveys may draw up a street plan for any area to be 

 sub-divided and when the preliminary plan of the owner is submitted 

 ior approval the Director may require the plan of sub-division to 

 conform to the plan so prepared by him. He may also alter the 

 street plan from time to time where the acquisition of public land 

 in parks, railways, etc., makes a change desirable, or may make 

 amendments on consideration of requests from the owners. While 

 these regulations are satisfactory in general principle, they are de- 

 fective in detail, since they insist upon too high a standard of width 

 of streets and a waste of space in laying out the towns, which would 

 involve any ordinary community in more expenditure for local im- 

 provements than it is possible for them to meet. 



For purposes of provincial government territory may be consid- 

 ered under the two main heads of unorganized and organized territory. 



UNORGANIZED TERRITORY 



In unorganized territory the control of local administration is 

 yested directly in the Provincial Government. This being so, the 

 successful development of such territory should be an easy matter, 

 since there is supreme power in the hands of one authority. 



In such territory classification of land, the direction of settlers 

 to the most fertile and accessible districts, the adequate planning of 

 the land for economic use, the construction of the necessary drain- 

 age and roads before settlement in accordance with topographical 



