CANBERRA'S DIVIDEND

Hawke's Bay Herald-Tribune, Issue 165, 30 July 1937, Page 4

CANBERRA'S DIVIDEND

Oanberra, the Australian capital, has already paid 2 per cent on the capital outlay. The Commonwealth administrative centre has been in operation since 1927, and it is safe to say that its present development represents only a fraotion of its total possible development. The return represents revenues from lands, housing, business undertakings and servioes, but it does not taka into acoount enormous savings in rents and other fhotors assooiated with admmistration. Until the Australian Parliament came to Canberra in 1927 it did not own its own Parliament House. The building occupied in Melbourne was the property of the Victorian Government, which took it over immediately Canberra was opened. At Canberra the 44 acres of parliamentary grounds oost the taxpayers only £17 10s. A similar area in Melbourne or Sydney would have represented an expenditure of several hundred thousand pounds. The net expendifcure on Canberra up to June 30, 1936, was £8,409,095, which can be seen in its proper perspeetive if compared with the cost of other nation nl undertakings or with Commonwealth revenuH «r tfc# fliblic debt. The grosg cpst of Canhen-a is £13,000,000.