Chapter 229: Chapter 214: Summary of the Year 1906

The welcoming fleet of Australasia set off early, finally reaching the timeline of the wedding day, escorting Grand Duchess Mary to the outer Sydney Harbour.

Escorting Grand Duchess Mary were not only the fleets of both parties but also a guard infantry group from Australasia and two divisions from Russia Nation.

These two Russian divisions were elite troops drawn from the European Region, and although their combat power was not as strong as the Australasian Guards, their weapons and equipment were relatively well-organized and uniform, making for an impressive sight.

A total of more than thirty thousand troops were dispatched by both parties simply to escort a wedding ceremony.

This was a rather rare sight, adding a touch of luxury and prestige to the grand wedding.

For the soldiers of the Guards, this round trip journey also served as a form of training.

They spent almost two months on the ships, gradually getting used to the sway of the warships at sea.

After reaching the harbor, the infantry group was finally able to return to their base and rest, handing over the task of escorting Queen Mary to the long-awaiting Guard Cavalry Group at the harbor.

Above the harbor, journalists and media from various countries were feverishly taking photos of these armies.

The performance of the Australasian Army caught their attention since the neat and uniform lines and disciplined demeanor indicated a formidable fighting force.

Of course, the crucial factor for the affirmation from these foreign media reporters was the comparison with the Russian army.

Although the two divisions from Russia Nation were mostly elite troops, the overall training level of their forces was worrisome, and they naturally couldn’t compare to Arthur’s heavily funded and painstakingly trained Guards.

In short, with the contrast to the Russian army, Arthur’s Guards made everyone believe that they were a powerful military force.

After escorting Grand Duchess Mary to Sydney Palace, the wedding ceremony took place in the church within the palace.

Not presiding over this wedding was the Archbishop of Canterbury, but another bishop from the Church of England.

The cumbersome process of inviting bishops from the Church of England for important events led Arthur to decide on promoting the establishment of Australasia’s own church and archbishop.

Having a church and archbishop under his control would be more convenient – or at least that’s how Arthur saw it.

After the sacred wedding ceremony in the church, it signified that Mary officially became the Queen of Australasia, and Arthur’s lawful wife.

This also declared the grand wedding to be officially concluded, and Australasia returned to a relatively peaceful life.

This wedding resulted in considerable costs for both Russia Nation and Australasia, with the combined expenditure of both countries exceeding 7 million Australian dollars.

Of course, the benefits brought to both nations by the wedding were by no means small, with Russia Nation demonstrating its strength and sending a message to the world that it remained a powerful nation and a strong power.

For Australasia, the benefits were even more numerous, almost too many to count.

Firstly, Queen Mary’s dowry alone amounted to millions of Australian dollars, including a wealth of jewels, resources, food, and population.

Indeed, it was this straightforward. Queen Mary brought tens of thousands of Russian peasants with her, who would become formal citizens of Australasia.

After the wedding, the immigration treaty between Australasia and Russia Nation would be vigorously implemented, with the number of Russian immigrants to Australasia rising further each year.

Having Queen Mary as his wife gave Arthur the most crucial factor: the legitimacy and legal basis to rule over these Russian commoners.

By virtue of his marriage alliance with the Russian Monarchy, Arthur could ensure that these Russian commoners would better submit to his rule.

These Russian immigrants would become as valuable as the British immigrants, with their recognition of Arthur’s rule and the Kingdom much higher than that of other immigrants.

A few days after the wedding, Arthur stepped back into his busy political affairs.

Due to the approaching end of the year and the establishment of the Kingdom of Australasia, it was imperative for him to attend and hold formal year-end reports and meetings.

More importantly, the following year would be 1907, marking the fourth term of the current Cabinet Government.

This meant that the next Cabinet Government election would be held, and as a majority of the cabinet members had already served two terms, there might be significant changes in the Cabinet Government.

Of course, they still have the opportunity to continue their terms, after all, Australasia has adopted Australia’s policy, allowing cabinet ministers to serve up to three consecutive terms.

Nevertheless, this year may be the last annual report conference they attend, which holds profound significance for many cabinet members and is also an important way for them to strive for re-election next year.

On December 31, 1906, the last day of 1906, the 1906 annual report of the Kingdom of Australasia Government was held smoothly in the Administrative Court.

In the meeting room, all the officials were waiting for Arthur’s arrival.

As Arthur entered the conference room, the conference room immediately erupted in applause and greetings: “Your Majesty!”

Arthur nodded slightly, signaling everyone to sit down, then said with a smile, “It’s hard to believe that it’s been nearly a year since the establishment of the Kingdom of Australasia. Now it’s time to test your work, let us listen to the achievements of the government together.”

As usual, Prime Minister Evan took the lead in summarizing the government’s annual report.

“Your Majesty, throughout 1906, the various developments and constructions of the kingdom have reached new heights. We can proudly announce that developments such as education, medical care, and other infrastructures have caught up with the steps of ordinary European countries and are catching up with those of powerful nations. Our industry has also stepped up to a new level, striving to become a stronger industrial power.” Prime Minister Evan reported.

“Both the income of the people and the income of the country have seen relatively obvious growth. Conservatively estimated, the kingdom government will achieve a balanced revenue and expenditure next year and will achieve a surplus in revenue and expenditure in the second year. Our agriculture and animal husbandry have also seen considerable growth, and all aspects of the country are growing steadily. I believe that under Your Majesty’s wise leadership, the rise of the kingdom is within sight and not a distant future.”

Prime Minister Evan’s flattery earned a round of applause from the audience, and Arthur also nodded his approval.

After the general summary of the government, it was time for the various department heads to report on the details of their respective departments.

Minister of Industry Pierre stood up, handed Arthur a report from the Ministry of Industry, then said to the audience, “Your Majesty, my lords, we have seen a significant change in our industrial growth this year, not only in the high-end steel industry, but also in various low-end industries.”

“By the end of this year, our total steel output has exceeded two million tons, reaching 2,113,760 tons. Of these, our iron production reached 1,332,100 tons, and steel production reached 805,500 tons, officially entering the level of industrial powers.” Minister Pierre said with a smile.

“Meanwhile, with the help of the Germans, the kingdom’s basic industries have also seen substantial growth. Factories of various types have been established in our major industrial zones, filling the gaps in various types of industries in the kingdom. I propose expanding our skilled worker schools and opening more majors to meet the recruitment needs of these different types of factories,” Minister Pierre proposed.

As the industry of Australasia developed, the demand for different types of workers became more and more diverse.

In this situation, expanding the scale of skilled worker schools and increasing the number of majors was a very good choice.

Arthur nodded and decisively said, “Of course, the Ministry of Industry can immediately expand our skilled worker schools. Not only do we need to develop our industries, but we also need to keep up with the supply of talent in order to better align with the mainstream of our development.”

“Currently, we have over seven industrial zones with a total of more than 100,000 Australasian workers. At the same time, we also have over 100,000 indigenous people working in the industrial zones, which is one of the reasons why our industrial development has been so rapid,” Minister Pierre said with a smile.

Arthur nodded.

In order to boost the development of Australasia, the government has invested at least six hundred thousand indigenous people, and that number is still increasing steadily.

Of course, a certain amount of casualties was inevitable for the rapid development of Australasia.

According to the government’s incomplete statistics, more than sixty thousand indigenous people have died in Australasia so far, but their vacancies are quickly filled by new indigenous people.

Although it seems cruel, it is the mainstream of this era. If Australasia does not commit to development, those who may be oppressed and enslaved may well become the people of Australasia themselves.

“Your Majesty, in addition to the growth of industry, our various mineral resources reserves have seen a large-scale increase. We have discovered a large amount of coal mines, iron mines, silver mines, bauxite mines, petroleum, and copper mines, as well as various other mineral resources. At present, our mineral resources have been exported to many neighboring countries and regions, which has also brought us many additional sources of funds,” Minister Pierre said.

Australasia is an absolute powerhouse of mineral resources, even with the immature exploration technology of the early 20th century.

The development of neighboring countries and regions requires a large amount of mineral resources, and Australasia just fills this gap.

Especially with the previous mineral resources trade with the Island Nation, that could bring more than 200,000 Australian dollars in profits each year for Australasia.

Of course, after ending the mineral resources trade with the Island Nation, this income is naturally gone too.

However, a mere 200,000 Australian dollars really isn’t much to the Australasian government’s budget.

After the report of the Ministry of Industry, Minister Walter of the Ministry of Civil Affairs stood up and submitted a similar report before introducing, “Your Majesty, my lords, by the end of this year, the kingdom’s total population has exceeded six million five hundred and fifty thousand. Among them, the total population of Australia is five million two hundred and ten thousand, the total population of New Zealand is one million three hundred thousand, and the total population of the New Guinea Colony is less than forty thousand.”

“Compared to the previous year, our population has seen a significant growth, and much of the credit goes to the immigrants from the European Region.” Minister Walter explained.