Manawatu Daily Times A Costly Capital

Manawatu Times, Volume LV, Issue 7413, 22 December 1930, Page 6

Manawatu Daily Times A Costly Capital

We were informed by cable last week that there was a strong move in the Federal House to make a live issue once again of Canberra. It is rather late in the day to discover that this costly city suffers all the disadvantages claimed for it. From 1925 to 1929 a sum of over £5,000,000 was spent on the seat of Government, and it would be safe to add at least another £2,000,000 for this year and the years prior to 1925, so that supporters of the idea to remove the capital must face the difficulty of a dead loss of the enormous sum already expended, and the cost of establishing it in some other centre. The policy of building the Federal capital so far from the main centres of population was dictated in the first place by State jealousy, and the only compromise that was acceptable was that it should be in New South Wales and not less than 100 miles from Sydney. Other factors that weighed were the remote possibility of it being attacked, the improbability of it becoming an industrial or distributing centre, and its separation from the political influences of the chief centres. No doubt the building of' a Federal capital would have remained a prospect of the future had it not been for the Avar, which for the first time brought to Australians the realisation that they were a nation. The creation of a Federal capital at Canberra was one expression of the new unity, and while there was no widespread enthusiasm for the scheme it did not, at least, resuscitate old feelings of State jealousy nor excite the popular derision with which the somewhat grandiose plans were received when first proposed. This indifference, when it was decided to begin operations in connection with the establishment of a. scat of Government, is now plainly seen from the fact that advantages claimed for Canberra at the. time, and that were never challenged. arc now urged as the very reasons for the removal of the Federal capital.