Chapter 266: Chapter 242: Expansion of Assets

The Australasian military is set to expand with one regular division and two colonial divisions, and their division commanders can only be drawn from the existing forces.

Fortunately, the two deputy division commanders of the first and second divisions had made significant contributions in the war and were just right for being promoted to Brigadier General to command the newly established divisions.

Then transfer the Third Division’s deputy division commander to the remaining colonial division, and candidates for the new division commanders will be in place.

As for the newly formed artillery regiment and infantry regiment of the Guard Division, their regimental commanders are likely to be held concurrently by the two deputy division commanders of the Guard Division.

In fact, compared to the colonial division commanders, the deputy division commanders of the first, second, and third divisions found the regimental commanders of the Guard Division more attractive.

Not to mention, the Guard Division is Arthur’s own force, not only enjoying far superior weapons and equipment and ammunition but also having a much better welfare system than regular divisions.

To give a simple example, the current per capita income in Australasia is around 41 Australian dollars. According to regulations, the salary of regular division soldiers will barely exceed this level, usually reaching around 43 to 45 Australian dollars. Even with some holiday benefits and subsidies, the final annual income will not exceed 50 Australian dollars.

However, the ordinary soldiers’ salary in the Guard Division has reached 48 Australian dollars, almost equal to the total sum of the salaries, benefits, and subsidies of regular division soldiers.

Moreover, the status of Guard Division soldiers is much higher than that of regular division soldiers. Almost every soldier from the Guard Division has been selected from the regular divisions.

This time, the award ceremony added two Brigadier Generals, two Brigadier Generals, three Colonels, two Lieutenant Colonels, and four Majors to the Australasian military, along with many other non-commissioned officers, further enriching the reserve of middle and lower-ranking officers in the military.

More importantly, during this award ceremony, Australasia officially gave birth to three new nobles.

First is the tirelessly serving Prime Minister Evan from the previous government. After working for the Australasian Government for seven years, Arthur rewarded Evan with the title of Sir.

From now on, the former Prime Minister Evan can also be called Sir Evan, a genuine noble recognized by the Australasian Kingdom Government and the royal family.

Of course, the title of Sir does not come with territories, and it is not inheritable. It is only a noble title in honor.

Nevertheless, this is a step into the threshold of the aristocracy. In Australasia, which has no aristocrats other than the royal family, a Sir is currently considered a genuine noble.

Although there are no real territories, a Sir title can still receive a certain annual income, at least three times the average annual income in Australasia (ten times for the medal).

Accompanying former Prime Minister Evan, the division commanders of the first and second divisions were also awarded Sir titles. Of course, the reason why Division Commanders Silvio Lonnie Rodlin and Fritz Leiner were awarded the title of Sir was that Arthur wanted to promote the recognition of military merit in Australasia more quickly, making it clear to the people of Australasia that Arthur would never treat meritorious officials unfairly.

In this way, after the next war, for the sake of title, honor, medals, rewards, military rank, and countless other rewards, the Australasian military would be unstoppable.

This is also one of the benefits of monarchism. Monarchs can grant recognized nobility, which is the ladder for ordinary people to reach the upper echelons, naturally attracting the vast majority of people’s attention and enthusiasm.

However, Arthur is still very strict in controlling the rewards of titles. Australasia has been developing for more than seven years, but this is the first time the nobility has been enfeoffed, and it is still a Sir title that leans more towards an honorary title.

In the future, the nobility of Australasia will inevitably become a major force in the country, but Arthur is also strict in selecting future nobles.

Apart from those who have made significant contributions to the country, aspiring nobles will have to rely on their vast military achievements.

As for the inheritable real nobility, such as Baron or Earl, apart from participating in a war of national significance, one can only touch the edge by accumulating seniority and contributions.

On November 7, 1907, accompanied by government officials, Arthur went to inspect the newly built reservoir in New South Wales State.

Due to the unique climate of Australasia, many parts of the Australian continent are in a water-scarce state.

Fortunately, the current population of Australasia is not too large, and even though the demand for industrial water consumption is increasing rapidly, there is no significant water problem at present.

However, this is still a potential issue, and several years ago, Arthur ordered the construction of large-scale water storage facilities in suitable areas throughout Australasia to meet the future water needs of the population.

These water storage facilities, depending on their location and size, are also divided into industrial water storage facilities and domestic water storage facilities.

Industrial water storage facilities supply water to major factories and industrial areas, meeting the water needs of those areas.

The purpose of domestic water storage facilities is diverse, in addition to meeting people’s daily water needs, they also support the cultivation of crops, animal husbandry, and even the thriving electrical power industry at present, requiring a large amount of water resources.

Of course, the electrical power industry does not actually use water but takes advantage of the difference in water levels between reservoirs, cooperating with waterwheel generators to generate electricity.