RURAL PLANNING AND DEVELOPMENT 233 



on more comprehensive lines than hitherto. In this connection 

 regulations should provide for dealing with matters connected with 

 the adjustment and alteration of boundaries of land and the cancel- 

 lation or modifications of plans of subdivisions. Approval of plan- 

 ning the development of unorganized territory should be centralized 

 in, and co-ordinated by, the director of planning of the province. 



3. MAIN THOROUGHFARES. The lines of main thoroughfares 

 should be determined by the provincial government and a map pre- 

 pared showing the main thoroughfares with which local planning 

 schemes should be linked up and tributary means of communication 

 by road arranged. 



4. Co-OPERATiON.-The Act should provide for effective co-opera- 

 tion between the adjacent municipalities in regard to the control of 

 highways, sanitation and general planning. Provision should also be 

 made for securing co-operation with owners of land at every stage. 

 These should be requirements of the procedure regulations of the 

 provincial government. 



5. SPECULATION ON PUBLIC IMPROVEMENTS. The Act should 

 provide that when an authority desires to prepare a scheme and sends 

 in its application to the government, no owner or other party can, 

 after the date of application, do anything to contravene the scheme; 

 and power should be given to remove and pull down any buildings 

 erected in contravention to the provisions of the scheme. 



6. COMPENSATION. In addition to the arbitrary demands for 

 compensation for injury, provision should be made that the local auth- 

 ority can claim half of any increased value which is given to property 

 by the making or operation of the scheme. More important still, 

 it is necessary to include a provision that no claim for compensation 

 can be made against a local authority on the ground that property 

 has been injured as a result of reasonable restrictions applied for the 

 purpose of securing healthy development. In that connection the 

 following subsection is, perhaps, the most important in the Act and 

 without it an Act would be of comparatively little value : 



Property shall not be deemed to be injuriously affected 

 by reason of the making of any provisions inserted in a scheme, 

 which, with a view to securing the amenity of the area affected 

 by the scheme, or any part thereof, or proper hygienic conditions 

 in connection with the buildings to be erected thereon, prescribe 

 the space about buildings, or the percentage of any lot which 

 may be covered with buildings, or limit the number of buildings 

 to be erected, or prescribe the height, character or use of build' 



