Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1913-09-25
AUSTRALIANS new CAPITAL
By Frederic ]. Haskin.

Il By Frederic j. HasK1n. HI,
On the other side Of the world mighty
nation is In the making, and IT Is just
now laying the foundations OF capital
whose magnif1cence will be worthy OF
its hopes, and aspirations. The COM
monwealth of Australia, with q CONT
nent and it's attendant islands for its
DOMAIN Is that nation and Canberra Is
its capital to be- 1t IS a fascinating
story this re-enactment in our own day
Of the history of Washington. Here we
may see a country as new as the united
States was when Washington was found
ed, and as full Of possibilities. going FAR
out into the country and founding there
a capital which will some day vie with
London, Washington, Paris, Berlin and
ma
And this capital will have a history
almost like that of Washington It was
chosen after a long contest, and after
some forty places had offered themselves
as sites. 1t was planned by foreigner,
just as Washington was, only French
American laid out Canberra 1t was
designed primarily and essentially as
capital just as Washington was. 1t Is
situated in federal district, just as
" dSUlIlS tOll IL.
Australia has two rival cities. Mel
bourne and Sydney, just as the new
America had in Philadelphia and New
York. Melbourne once was the metrop-
oils, just as Philadelphia was once the
metropolis. But latterly j has been out
grown by Sydney. just as Philadelphia
vas forced to yield the place Of pr.macy
20 New York. Each aspired to be the
kept the other from realizing its aspira-
tons.
The result was that Canberra was
eventually chosen a site nearly midway
between n G
Located Midway two rival cities
80. There is q rail-
Between Big Cities. road connecting
the capitals OF Victoria and New south
Wales = Melbourne and Sydney. Inc
part OF the road lying in New South
Wales is of one gauge and that
in Victoria Of another gauge, 50 that
it is impossible to run through trains
between the two cities. Canberra Is about
a days journey by stage from iass' Oh
the New South Wales section. This stage
trip is across a country not unlike the
prairies OF western Kansas. When the
tourney ends the pilgrim finds himself at
a little village made up of a church, q
school, q post office, a few houses anu
an embryonic military school THAT IS des-
tined to be the West Point OF Austraild-
There Is little river called the Molonsio'
which is entitled to be called a river only
by courtesy AS for the rest. 1t Is simply
a sweepingly rolling country, little IN
clined to aridity, but yet susceptible OF
much establishment at the hands or the
landscape gardener
y>In r-j nv
landscape gardener and architect, Walter
Burley Griffin After the site had been
chosen the Australian authorities called
Tor the submission of plans. There were
innumerable entries, but the plan SUD
/, mitted by Griffin easily won the first
prize. The architectural institutes of Eng
but that did not prevent tine submission
of many excellent plans. That of Griffin
provides for a series of poygonai groups
with capitol mill as the hub. There
arc a number of avenues divergng from
!, the capitol hill, but the general street
effect is that of series of isolated
groups rather than checkerboard.
! The federal buildings will be located in
triangle. of which the capitol will con
/ stitute the apex.
Federal Buildings If the triangle
Will Be in Triangle. land and Penn
sylvania avenues in Washington. extend
!, ing to the Potomac river, were the sit.
of all the federal buildings, the effect
would be much like that proposed fos
Canberra, only the nolongle will be beau
titled in the scheme. 1t is proposed IL
| construct two great ponds, one at each
of the other two corners of the fedora.
buildings triangle and to connect these
with a crescent shaped river channel.
One section of the city will be set aside
for a residential district, another section
| for markets and shops, and another Tor
| the hab,tations Of the working classes.
one part of the suburbs will be for
manufacturing district and another part
Tor truck gardening and intensive farm
| ing, while there will be plentful sup
ply Of parks. both within the city and
| IN the suburbs.
The city is surrounded by Federal
district thirteen times as large as our
own District of Columbia, and which
comprises the basins of two other rivers
| with a water supply great enough for
a city of 10000 The British parliament
provided that the new capital should be
far enough inland to be immune from
sea attack, and yet near enough to the
sea to afford ready communication with
ENGLAND JerviS Bay has been chosen
as the port of the capital.
Tho site of tho new capital was chosen
in 1909, and II was not until March Il,
1918, that it was formally dedicated. For
four years it was a place without q
name There was great speculation as
to what name would be chosen. The ma
tional government named it. put the
name in u gold casket, and it was not I'M
til this casket was opened by Lady
Denman, in the dedicatory ceremonies,
that the name was made known. One Of
the three men who stood on the pedestal
which marks the site Of the proposed
capitol, on that occaAon, was King
O'Malley, who boasts of the fact that he
missed being President of the United
States By only 500 feet. He was born
just that far across the line In Canada,
and at the tender age Of two INDUCED
his pioneer spirit by going to California.
He grew up there and then went to Tas-
mania, and is now the minister OF home
affairs Of the Australian commonwealth
-
There was as much trouble in choosing