THE New Zealand Herald AND DAILY SOUTHERN CROSS. SATURDAY, MARCH 19, 1932. SYDNEY'S GREAT DAY.

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXIX, Issue 21136, 19 March 1932, Page 10

THE New Zealand Herald AND DAILY SOUTHERN CROSS. SATURDAY, MARCH 19, 1932. SYDNEY'S GREAT DAY.

After more than a century of cogitation, Sydney at last has a bridge connecting the northern and southern shores of its harbour. Its story, as told elsewhere in this issue, embodies the progress of an offshoot of the British family tree, and this aspect of it makes to-day's c-erc- ■ monial opening an event of interest throughout the Empire and beyond. Viewed merely as an engineering achievement, the bridge is notable. It is the largest arch-type bridge in 1 the world, the widest of any kind, and Avith one exception—the George Washington suspension bridge re--1 cently built in New \ ork —the highest in clearance. Nearly three miles in length, when its approaches are reckoned, and with accommodation for four lines of railway, six lines of vehicular traffic and two footways, it is a monument of human skill. But it is more. The project, dating from a proposal made in 1815, has assumed growing proportions with the corning and going of the years since then. At that time, it must have seemed a very visionary scheme, an idea not worth practical pursuit. Since then, favoured and disregarded alternately as times changed and political circumstances varied, it has experienced al! the vicissitudes that are the natural fate of projects ahead of urgent requirements. ' Nevertheless, conditions have played their part in making a dream come true. The remarkable growth of Australia's largest State has produced its largest city, in accordance with the centralising urban tendency that New South Wales has shared with ether parts of the civilised world, and given Sydney a metropolitan area approximating 700 square miles and a population of about 1,250,000. More than half the people of the State are in that area. Moreover, the seagoing trade' centred there has made Sydney easily the largest port in Australia and one of the foremost in the world. It; is impossible to think of this colossal project, involving an expenditure of £10,000,000, without seeing in it the splendid progress ol the city. By the bridge a way is as inevitably taken, on this-momentous day, across the years into the time, late in the eighteenth century, when Port Jackson first drew British attention. Cook saw possibilities there, as he | did afterwards in this country, of an oversea expansion of the British race. In the fact that the iron for this structure has been taken from under the hill where the great navigator was born' is a suggestive link between that time and this. His vision has been justified. To-day, from many another British land beyond the sea, congratulations go to all Australia on the completion of this significant work, and New Zealand joins in that chorus of compliment arid felicitation. Here it cannot be forgotten that New South Wales was our parent State and Sydney in particular the place of immediate origin of our earliest settlement and law. Thence came our first touch x of commerce, our first magisterial appointments, our first missionary enterprise. From it James Busby, precursor as British Resident of the initial exercise of national oversight, was sent on his pathfinding task. There Hobson entrusted with epoch-making commissions, got his final and detailed instructions to enter arid possess this land in the name of the Crown. For a while New Zealand was a vaguely held dependency of New South Wales, then included within its territorial borders, having a Lieu-tenant-Governor under its titular head, until the time came for independent status as another unit of the spreading British commonwraith. The Tasman was wide then, and intercourse was hampered. It is wide still, ;yid we take our own road in many things. But those nursing days are not so far away that, they mean nothing, and in (he advance instanced by this landmark of British development in the antipodes we rejoice as those who share, not as those who envy, what has been done and will yet be. So vision of the future, even more (han retrospect, is prompted by this event. The times have their warning, it is true, about projects that may prejudicially pledge resources. When Sydney's harbour bridge was at length sanctioned by Parliament, about ten years ago, there was no thought of economic straitness. Had the worldwide depression been foreseen, its building might have been postponed. Perhaps it is as well that it was not foreseen, although the difficulties and doubts that have

gathered embarrassingly in the intervening years are not all obscured by the celebrations of this memorable fete. The project has been hindered by untoward and unforeseen circumstances, but commitment to it has had some salutary results: it has meant more than work—a spirit of enterprise has been kept alive and alert, and that is much in days abounding with temptation to slackness. Thus by the bridge thought, moves on to general revival. Hard by this significant structure there is confidently expected a local gain in the further development of North Sydney. The forecast is not to be scouted because of difficult times. And the bridge has relation to many days beyond a near to-morrow. It, has been built to last,, to serve years far in the offing. There was an age when people lived on bridges ; London, no loss than other ancient towns, had houses on them. But the custom has died. Now intercourse alone is betokened by them, the knitting of human interests into a closer mesh as well as a wider sweep. Around this causeway Sydney will grow greater still, and by such means, as the road is driven and the bridge built here and there in the earth, civilisation will move to increasing triumph over the waste. The day has meaning for all the world.