This correspondence series documents public works projects in or associated with the Federal Capital Territory.
It consists of files of registered correspondence, plans, reports and maps assembled in subject groupings. Some files have linen file covers but most are unjacketed. Each incoming paper has been stamped with the Departmental stamp and numbered in a sequence commencing with number 1 on 1 July 1913. Thereafter papers are allocated a reference number from a sequence re-commencing at number 1 in January each year. All papers are cross-referenced to show previous paper and subsequent paper in the number registers for this series.
The early FCW files contain blocks of correspondence taken from A110, Correspondence Files, FCH/FC Federal Capital series, 1910-1917; these papers have been top-numbered into this series.
The files cover such topics as the provision of essential services such as:
- road and bridge building
- railway links
- water supply and sewerage
as well as plans, maps and designs for such major public works as Duntroon, Parliament House, Hotel Canberra, and the Mt Stromlo Observatory.
At the end of 1916, the Department of Home Affairs [I] was abolished and the public works function was taken over by the Department of Works and Railways (CA 14). As a consequence, the FCW (Federal Capital Works) prefix ceased and the FC (Federal Capital) prefix was used for all files from the beginning of 1917, although the FC files continue the same function as the FCW files.
Although the Department of Home and Territories was responsible for the administration of the Federal Capital Territory, a substantial component of these Department of Works and Railwys FCW and FC files contain information on administrative matters. For example, on matters such as:
- the hiring of labour for public works
- employment of returned soldiers in the Federal Capital
- debates on the expenditure for public works in the Federal Capital
- discussions and modifications of the Burley Griffin plan for Canberra.