The Rise of Australasia

Even if the naval limitation treaty is about to be reached, battleships built before the treaty is reached are not considered violations, and this is the last chance for the British Empire and Australasia.

"Regardless of whether it can be installed on a battleship or not, the 18-inch main gun technology is essential for naval development. We may not use it on battleships, but we must use it," Arthur instructed Minister Raul.

"Yes, Your Majesty. I will urge the artillery research department to strengthen cooperation with the British and develop the 18-inch main gun as soon as possible," Minister Raul nodded and promised.

"The construction of the warships must be strictly confidential. I don’t want any data of the R108 battleship to leak before the treaty is signed," Arthur continued.

"Yes, Your Majesty. Please rest assured that all technicians and workers involved in the construction of the R108 battleship have signed a confidentiality agreement and will reside near the shipyard during the entire construction period to ensure that information will not be leaked.

In addition, comprehensive security upgrades have been carried out around the Royal Shipyard, and no outsiders are allowed to enter the interior of the Royal Shipyard, eliminating the possibility of warship information leakage," Minister Raul explained without any negligence of his work arrangement.

"Hmm, we mustn’t neglect the confidentiality work. Before the construction of the warships is completed, all personnel involved in the construction cannot leave Sydney. For the sake of the nation, restricting personal freedom is a necessary choice. After the construction of the warships is completed, there will be a reward for everyone and a record of their merits.

I hope everyone will strictly comply with the confidentiality agreement. On behalf of the nation and the royal family, I thank you all for your efforts!" After making sure of the confidentiality measures, Arthur sincerely addressed the surrounding workers and technical experts.

"Don’t worry, Your Majesty. We will not leak any news, and we will absolutely not leave before the warship’s construction is completed," the construction workers and experts around him said.

They were willing to contribute to the country in the first place, and with Arthur’s personal explanation and rewards, they were even more willing to eat, drink, and live in the shipyard.

Seeing no one opposed, Arthur nodded in satisfaction and said, "You are all heroes of the nation! I’m looking forward to the completion of the warships, and I’ll personally celebrate your achievements."

Arthur’s inspection of the shipyard ended with everyone’s laughter.

To cater to the mood of the technical experts and workers in the shipyard, the food provided in the shipyard became very abundant, with more than enough supply of various meats and limited daily fruits.

Every once in a while, there would be small banquets to help the technical workers relieve their boredom and not feel agitated from staying in one place for a long time.

Under these various policies, technical workers and experts would not feel bored staying in the shipyard for a long time. They even felt more energetic and believed that they were contributing to the nation. Discover stories at empire

In fact, it is true. With their long-term dedication and strict confidentiality, Australasia gained the opportunity to obtain a powerful battleship before the naval limitation treaty went into effect.

February 1, 1921, Sydney.

Twenty days have passed since National Day, and various industries in Australasia have once again resumed stable growth.

Arthur was quite bored in recent days, so he decided to take a walk around the farms on the outskirts of Sydney to learn about agricultural production.

The outskirts of Sydney now were not the same as the suburbs of Sydney 20 years ago. After 20 years of development, Sydney’s scale had expanded several times. The suburbs of 20 years ago had become new urban areas, and today’s suburbs were several dozen miles away from the city center.

In addition to security personnel, Minister of Agriculture Robert Swifte accompanied Arthur.

Looking at the farms all over the outskirts of Sydney, Arthur was quite satisfied. This represented Australasia’s agricultural production, and food was the most important thing in a country’s strategic reserve.

"How many agricultural population do we have at present?" Walking, Arthur suddenly asked an interesting question.

An agricultural population is a basic division of a country’s population, with varying proportions, but it always exists.

The agricultural population refers to the population engaged in agriculture, an indispensable group for a country and an important guarantee for the nation’s food reserve.

Arthur asked this question without any discrimination or prejudice, just simply wanting to know the number of people engaged in agriculture in Australasia in order to arrange corresponding policies and plans.

"Based on the recent years, our agricultural population accounts for about one-seventh of the total population, totaling 3.21 million," Minister Robert recalled the data he memorized, and only answered after confirming it was correct.

"3.21 million? Do we have so many agricultural population?" Arthur frowned slightly and asked surprisingly.

With the acceleration of industrialization, agricultural populations in developed European and American countries are significantly decreasing.

The British agricultural population accounted for 22% of the total population in 1840, and by 1900, the proportion of the agricultural population had dropped to 8.5%.

Although there is no exact intelligence on the British agricultural population at present, it must be lower than 8.5%.

Australasia’s one-seventh ratio is 14.3%, which is equivalent to the level of Britain forty or fifty years ago.

Based on the 8.5% agricultural population of the British in 1900, Australasia would have wasted at least 1.3 million people.

If all these agricultural populations were utilized in other industries, it would bring vitality to other industries in Australasia.

Considering that Australasia’s total population is only 22.57 million, saving 1.3 million people is like having several hundred thousand more reserve soldiers.

Minister Robert quickly explained, "Currently, some areas have not yet been popularized with agricultural machinery for various reasons such as terrain. One reason is that agricultural machinery is too expensive; another is that people’s agricultural land has become somewhat scattered due to urban development."

Australasia’s territory is much larger than that of Britain, and the land suitable for cultivation is larger than the total area of Britain. This also makes Australasia’s agricultural environment much superior to that of Britain.

However, it is precisely because of the vast territory that Australasia’s arable land environment is too complex. Some areas are not suitable for mechanization, or the cost of mechanization is too high.

"We need to continue promoting the mechanization of agriculture and further reduce our agricultural population," Arthur thought for a while and said.

"Australasia has vast land areas, and as a new immigrant country, agricultural mechanization should be easier. The current development of the Murrumbidgee River Basin Plain is an opportunity. I hope we can use this to reduce Australasia’s agricultural population and save at least a million people for other industries. Wherever machinery can be used, it should be used.

It’s not worth wasting manpower in such places. Minister Robert, I hope the Ministry of Agriculture can come up with a plan for further mechanization of agriculture as soon as possible, encouraging people to buy machinery for agricultural production and freeing up manpower," Arthur instructed.

"For agricultural producers who lack funds, subsidies can be provided, or agricultural machinery can be borrowed to the people through interest-free loans and mortgages. The "first-use, later-pay" method can be used to promote the mechanization of agricultural production as a whole. Although we have caught up with the major powers in some aspects, we still have a lot to do, including mechanization.

After the plan is formulated, submit it to the cabinet for discussion. I will ask the Ministry of Finance to support your plan and hasten the further mechanization of Australasia,"

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