CANBERRA BLUNDERS.

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXVII, Issue 20713, 5 November 1930, Page 13

CANBERRA BLUNDERS.

UNPROFITABLE HOTELS. TOTAL LOSS OF £220,000. CLOSING OF THREE HOUSES. [FROM OUR OWN CORRESPONDENT. ] SYDNEY. Oct. 30. It seems a great pity that so many Australians liave come to regard their capital city of Canberra as ' a joke place," and not as 2 slmw place. Of course, there have been many blunders there—millions have been sunk to a depth beyond recovery—so that Governments of the past must take the blame if a certain amount of pride is lacking Canberra city seeins to bo a place with more Gilberlian situations to its credit than any other city in the world. Just now it is in the queer position of having 100 many hotels but insufficient accommodation. In ordei to cut costs the Government recently decided lo close three of the five hotels which grace the new city—fine big buildings all of them, and costing in the aggregate a fortune in money. The Federal Parliament will be meeting again soon, and tho rush to Canberra has already set in. Both the remaining hotels arc fully booked by members of Parliament and their families, and by Government officials who have not yet been transferred to the city, but who must be thereabouts when the session opens. People who will have business in Canberra—and quite a number are drawn thither when the House is silting—are faced with the hazard of securing accommodation with a private family, and since boarding houses are, theoretically, prohibited within the confines of tho capital, the position is all the more farcical. Among the hotels that were closed was the Wellington, and strange lo say this was the only hostel that was showing a reasonable return on the investment. Now efforts arc being made to secure its reopening, but the Government seems to bo unwilling to agree. Still, something will have to be done to remove the anomaly of too many hotels and too little accommodation. Tho following table shows how the or«v of hotel building ran its course in Canberra and the losses- that had accumulated to the end of last year:— , Total cost. Losses. Hotel C anberra . . .£154.981 £80,764 Hotel Kurrajong . . 78,163 ".'i'o.il Hotel Acton . .. 70,730 Motel Ainslin . . 31,407 7,991 Hotel Wellington . . 29,876 8136 Bea ticliamp House . . 27,027 gjsvo Brassey Hou6e . . 27,328 4.599 Gorman House .. 46,011 24.564 Bachelors' quarters . 39,673 21,038 Printers' quarters . . 29,978 19^56 Totals . . . . £535,170 £'220,030 Of course, Australia does not worry over such » (rifling matter as the loss of £220,000.