CANBERRA.

Auckland Star, Volume LVIII, Issue 103, 4 May 1927, Page 7

CANBERRA.

ITS HISTORY.

Capital Sixteen Tears in

Making.

PAST, PRESENT AND FUTURE.

SYDNEY, May 3.

On Monday the Dnke of York will formally open Canberra, the new Federal capital of Australia and the seat of Government.

Canberra is 150 miles direct from Sydney, 240 miles from Melbourne, and approximately 500 miles from Brisbane, Adelaide, and Hobart; and as a seat of Government it is quite centrally situated in relation to the distribution of Australia's population.

It is 1700 miles in a direct line from Perth, and 75 miles from the east coast of the continent. It is about 2000 ft above pea-level.

The locality was first settled in 1823, when Lieut. J. J. Moore and Robert Campbell established stock stations; but it was visited some three years earlier by Dr. Charles Throsby, who gave it the name of "Limestone Plains." The origin of the name "Canberra" is uncertain, but it is possibly a corruption of the placename used by the aboriginals.

The district was accepted as the site of the future capital in 1909, when, after the Commonwealth Parliament had selected it, the New South Wales Government agreed to cede to the Commonwealth an area of 900 square miles as the territory for the seat of Government, in accordance with the Commonwealth Constitution.

In 1910 Parliament decided that the land thus obtained should not be sold or disposed of for any estate in freehold. Land outside the city area is therefore leased for agricultural and grazing purposes for a term not exceeding 25 years.

Land within the city area is leased for a term not exceeding 99 years at an annual rental of 5 per cent of the capital value of the kind as bid at auction or assessed by the governmental authority. Buildings must be in accordance with plans approved by the governmental authority.

How to Pronounce it The Commonwealth ownership became operative in 1911, and an international competition was then held to secure the best possible city design. Constitutional activity officially commenced at a ceremony on March 12, 1913, when Her Excellency, Lady Denman, named the city "Canberra," incidentally deciding the pronunciation by placing the main accent on the first syllable. Engineering works, and a small measure of architectural construction, proceeded until 1916, when, as a result of the World War, there was a virtual cessation of activities, which were not renewed until 1921, when the Government appointed the Federal Capital Advieory Committee. In 1023, the sitting Parliament decided that its successor should meet at Canberra, and a year later—to place the construction and management of the territory on a more satisfactory basis— the Federal Capital Commission, consisting of J. H. Butters, C.M.G., M.B.E. (chairman), Sir John Harrison, K.8.E., and Mr. C. H. Gorman, was appointed. The Site and the Building*. Canberra is now an established city, growing gradually according to the accepted design, and has excited the admiration of visitors, with the prospect of becoming not only a city of political and commercial importance, but a city also—by reason of ite climatic conditions and its scenic beauty—particularly attractive to tourists. The city area lies between two parallel ridges of thickly-wooded hills, each culminating in an extremity about 700 feet higher than the surrounding country. It covers twelve square miles, but present activities are confined to a rectangular district of four square miles. The Governmental area lies around the major central elevation, on the slope of which Parliament House has been erected—a massive white structure fitly dominating the surrounding landscape. * The intervening areas between the sites of the various buildings are -for gardens, in accordance with the general "garden city" conception. The main commercial area surrounds the second central elevation on the opposite side of the river, the focal point of which is a large hexagon containing the Civic Centre. This will be occupied around its circumference by more important buildings of a public or semi-public character, and its centre will form a parked hill, the summit of which will probably be the site of the Town Hall. Certain shopping blocks have been leased in this area, and I development is being undertaken.

CiTic Matters. By the conditions of the first sale of land leases, held in December, 1924, each lessee is required to erect buildings on all blocks sold, and to commence the erection within two years of purchase. The conditions of a second sale—May. 1926—required the commencement of construction within twelve months. The leases of all shopping and business sites offered were sold at, or subsequent to, the sales, together with those of 255 residential blocks. Another feature of activity is that designed to make Canberra a* "Garden City." Tree plantations have, been extensively established; each settlement is surrounded by a plantation; and each house has allocated to it a generous space for gardening purposes.

The official buildings erected are surrounded by gardens, and those to be completed will be similarly treated. Trees have been planted along the approach and arterial roads, and are the principal feature of the main avenues, which are two hundred feet in width.

The complete scheme for city ornamentation includes the formation of artificial lakes in the centre, the flood area of the Molonglo being the basin.