96 Australian Life 



causes which have contributed to the growth of 

 these cities, so huge when compared to the popu- 

 lation of the country behind them, lie in a variety 

 of circumstances, the most important being the 

 great trading activity of the Australian people. 

 Each capital is the sole trade outlet of a vast and 

 productive state, and also the channel through 

 which the imports for the use of a prosperous and 

 free-spending people must flow. Every railway 

 constructed leads directly to the capital, and the 

 capitals monopolise the trade which flows from 

 one Australian state to another. They provide 

 facilities that exist nowhere else in the state, and 

 have therefore attracted to themselves the bulk 

 of the manufactures fostered by the protective 

 tariffs adopted by most of the Australian States. 

 L,ike a snowball, they have grown by growing. 



The business and the home life of the people 

 who live in these cities can better be described 

 when some of the leading characteristics which 

 distinguish them have been outlined. They were 

 all designed to be big cities, with broad straight 

 streets and spacious public parks. All the incon- 

 veniences of older cities have been avoided; room 

 for expansion on all sides has been provided; 

 everything has been planned on the grand scale. 

 Melbourne is a typical Australian city. The city 

 proper is a mile square, every corner is an exact 

 right angle, and every street is exactly one mile 

 in length. From the great central railway station, 

 any part of the city can be reached in a few 



