SHIFTING THE CAPITAL.

Auckland Star, Volume XLIII, Issue 215, 7 September 1912, Page 9

SHIFTING THE CAPITAL.

OLD CONTROVERSY R£VlV£'i>. (By Telegraph.— Parilamantary Kemorter.) W3ELLIXGTOX, Friday. The. building of a new capital city for the Dominion, a. project -Übat 'has been thrashed threadbare every recurring session since the d«structian of the Parliajneuuiry BuiUdng*, a little over four years aero, was brought up again this afternoon by the member tor Ivv-ttelton. "This is no hara-'braiiied sebetne." explained Mr. La-irrenson. who is an ardent exponent of t,!io proposal. In bhis early strig-B of the. coujvLr\'s history. h« urged, it would be wii~e for tlw new Govern--1 IWJI-t to coneider the removal <if the •capital site to a more suitable locality before erecting more departmental buildings in We-llington. When th'C matter "■a« discussed previously, he added, many members of th-e piT-sent government , , including tlvc now Minister of Finance, had favoured the -che-me.

I Hon. Mr. Al!«n: What about the I £11>3.0n0 already spew* j .Mr. LTurpn&oii admitted that thereI had l>eeji a larjro t'.\,pcnjJiture, but it was mo more tba'n a. llpii-bite. ' Proceeding, I the member for Lyttelton went on to I oirtltii»e hie project, which, he empUasised, J was based on sound comro'ercial lines, for tlve acr|ui*iition of an area of 10,000j acres in a siiita-bl<? locality at a cost i of £200.000. The cost of'laying out a city fair a population of 10.006 Would ho £."j50,000, and a further £150.000 for depa rtm-ewinl buildings would brim; t-ha total .scheme up to £000.000. '.The interest on this outlay would be. £36,000, to meet which they would derive a revenue of £4500 intra rrwts in tih-e new capital, and £11.000 from the site of the pov-Aent buildines in Wellington, thus providing moce than half the intere-st on t.h-e scheme. I

Mr. La-tiirvu-oii also pointed out that the. present Mimister of 'Finance had formerly offered to get a. syndicate to undertake the proposal, on a capital of £2,000.000. and it was nearly carrred. Weilkiwtou, he iiTjred. was the most un=Uita.ble locality in t'.lw Dominion for a; capital city. The proposal was ebarwietecrsed as a Utopian scheme by Mr. Anderson (M.P. for Mala ura). He saad i;. m.ifrbt 'have be<-in ra.rried out forty years* ago, but it was now too late, and tlw House ehould devote its attention to something more fira'citicaJ. In the course of the subsequent diecussion, Mr. Laurpnson .moved for the reduction of tho vote, by £], as an indicaition. that the. Uovernmemt sihould' 1 make inquiries a* to \vh*>fh«r it would be wLse .to shift the. eea-t of government. Incidentally, ihe rf>m<s.rkf>d that it '-was a rem-a.rkab'.e calaniity th,,i)t. there were some m-emtmrs in the Hmtee -who could not. get beyond ttlw parish pump. Tlh« proposal met with a mixed reception.

The member for nuin-viin North having suggested, as a better method, a motion for the settling up of a committee to iaives-fcig-ate th-e pros and <-oras of the proposition. a:nd fhe Bnime .Minister ha.vinpr further sugpested 'that the member for J-,ytteito.n should seize an opportunity to 'b-ratr up 'his proposal wihe-n frciing- into ('-oinTO'ittee of Supply, Mr. Laurrason agreed .to withdraw liis'ain«?nd' m-ent. - - - ■ — -