Chapter 175: Stable Reconstruction, Turbulent Situation
On December 1, 1903, through Arthur's mediation, New Zealand received a loan of two million pounds from Australia to help restore its post-disaster economy and infrastructure.
To demonstrate the strong relationship between Australia and New Zealand, this loan was interest-free, with a repayment period set for twenty years.
This news was widely publicized in New Zealand's newspapers, presented as a testament to the further strengthening of the bond between the two nations.
Thanks to this substantial loan, New Zealand's reconstruction efforts made significant progress, with the rebuilding of towns and livestock areas proceeding in an orderly manner.
On December 3, Arthur decided to designate November 8, the day the typhoon struck New Zealand, as the National Disaster Memorial Day. He also established a memorial in Opunake, the first location hit by the typhoon.
The memorial clearly etched the exact date and location of the typhoon's landfall, as well as all the losses and damages it caused to New Zealand.
On the day of the memorial's establishment, Arthur attended the ceremony and personally led the New Zealand people in a moment of silence.
This act won the admiration of the entire nation, especially since Arthur had immediately provided aid during the disaster and had quickly arrived in New Zealand. Furthermore, he had donated funds both in his capacity as the Prince of Australia and as the Governor of New Zealand, and had mobilized substantial human and material resources to help the affected New Zealanders.
Arthur's focus on New Zealand made the people realize how fortunate they were to have an outstanding leader. The idea began to spread among the people that it would be ideal if Arthur were their monarch.
Although Arthur was currently the Governor of New Zealand, his term would only last for twenty years, and New Zealand still nominally belonged to the British Empire.
Australia, with Arthur at its helm, was experiencing unstoppable development, with achievements that had already surpassed New Zealand's historical best. Moreover, the different approaches of Australia and the British Empire toward New Zealand during this disaster led many New Zealanders to gradually reconsider their position.
On December 13, 1903, Arthur merged the political corps with the Lower House of New Zealand's Parliament, renaming it the House of Commons. He also appointed Grant and Joshua as lifelong members of the Upper House.
The Legal Committee was New Zealand's Upper House, directly appointed by the Governor of New Zealand, with a lifelong term. From its name, it was clear that the Legal Committee's role was to formulate and amend existing New Zealand laws and supervise the powers of New Zealand officials.
Since Arthur's appointment as New Zealand's Governor, there had been no changes made to the Legal Committee.
Currently, the Legal Committee consisted of six members, including Pierce, Grant, and Joshua. The other three members were lifelong appointees from the previous Governor.
Fortunately, these three members had shown great deference to Arthur, understanding that the position of lifelong member was subject to Arthur's will. Even though Arthur was only the Governor of New Zealand, he held the power of life and death over them.
This was, in fact, a balancing mechanism used by the British Empire for colonies like New Zealand, which had self-governing powers.
In colonies like New Zealand, the Governor's position and authority were essentially equivalent to that of a head of state, representing the British monarchy and the King. Governors were directly appointed by the British monarch, not elected by the people of the colony. This meant that the measures implemented by the Governor would naturally lean toward the interests of the British Empire, as everyone knew who their ultimate superior was.
This worked in Arthur's favor. As the irreplaceable Governor of New Zealand, Arthur wielded immense power in the country, and no force or individual in New Zealand could challenge his authority.
Pierce, the military commander, might have been an exception, but Pierce was very aware of his own abilities and had not yet had any conflict with Arthur.
In a government of intelligent officials like New Zealand's, no one opposed Arthur's decision to merge the political corps with the Lower House, allowing him to install many loyalists in the House of Commons.
As New Zealand's reconstruction entered a stable phase, the political situation began to grow increasingly turbulent.
On December 17, a member of the Union Party gave a sensational speech in his hometown, spreading across New Zealand. He extolled Arthur's greatness, claiming that New Zealand should join Australia, just like it did sixty years ago.
This wasn't just idle talk; the speaker presented a very detailed report on the development of each of Australia's states, spanning from the time Australia was not yet independent to the most recent third-quarter summary of the year. The data supported a clear reality: Australia's six states had all experienced high-level, rapid development, and the achievements Australia had made were far beyond those of New Zealand.
Of course, New Zealanders didn't focus solely on this. What caught their attention most was the fact that Australia had achieved the joint development of all six states, and even the least populous state, Tasmania, had seen a significant improvement in living standards.
Despite Tasmania's low population, its rapid economic improvement meant that living standards and incomes had grown explosively, with the per capita annual income already reaching fifteen pounds, surpassing New Zealand's level.
Not to mention the other states in Australia, where the abundance of mineral resources had allowed for rapid development, with South Australia, even the lowest in terms of per capita income, now reaching over fourteen pounds.
This income level made New Zealanders envious. Since New Zealand split from Australia, the highest per capita income had only been sixteen pounds, and it had been gradually decreasing due to the country's sluggish economy.
Especially after the typhoon, which dealt a severe blow to New Zealand's economy, the per capita income in New Zealand was expected to take a sharp decline.
According to bold predictions by some of New Zealand's newspapers, the per capita income for the end of 1903 would fall to eleven pounds.
The situation wasn't much better for 1904. It was predicted that the per capita income in 1904 would not exceed eleven pounds, and even maintaining ten pounds would be considered a good outcome.
(End of Chapter)
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