Australia’s Federal Capital.

Hokitika Guardian, 28 September 1921, Page 3

Australia’s Federal Capital.

SYDNEY, September 20. There are few public questions on which there call he said to lie such remarkable unanimity of expressed opinion amongst representative persons in Sidney as there i. on that of tin- Eedoia| capital. On all sides the demand for the immediate development of a (cnstructioii policy which will enable the Federal Uaili.imcut to meet at Canberra next year is receiving vociferous support. Not a voii e lias been raised ag-.iili|Sl it. and the Federal Capital League lias undoubtedly lieen tile means of '-'Sing keen public intend in the matt r. Yet it must not be concluded that because ol tlii' 'fist preponderance of representative opinion in favour of Canberra there are not any who have some misgivings on tin* subject. One will meet ill private conversation some who take a very broad minded view ot the question, lull all sin-li appear to think that the mass mind is so well made up no the subject that nu gnud purpose t -an ire served by wrangling tibont it. Still there are those who believe that even at this advanced hour it should not be ton late to review a decision which nobody disputes was tin 1 outcome of iiitor-State jealousies. There are those who point to great Imlro-clectric schemes, watei conservation projects and other tilings which arc vital to the future of Commonwealth in maintaining itself in industrial competition with the rest of the world, and declare that so urgently necessary art* tlu*v that all available capital and energy should is* thrown into them, and that they should have preference even to the building of a beautiful city in the hush. There uneven those who still eonlide the view that Sydney’s enormous natural advantages will always make her the commercial capital of the Commonwealth, and that a more worthy attitude than clamuuring like a pettish child lor lb removal of tile capital from Melbourne would I><* to declare that Melbourne, as far as Sydney was concerned, con 111 remain tin* capital so long'as Australia as a whole desired it. and at any rate .until pressing develo-'mentnl works hud been accomplished.