Chapter 177
On January 2, 1904, the German Empire, the Austro-Hungarian Empire, and the Russian Empire each issued statements expressing sorrow and regret over the typhoon event in New Zealand and announcing their support for a referendum, allowing the people of New Zealand to decide their own fate.
Following that, on January 3, the British Empire—one of the key players—also made a statement, declaring its willingness to honor Queen Victoria's will and allow the people of New Zealand to determine their destiny.
For the New Zealanders, this was a great victory. It seemed that New Zealand was heading toward a bright future.
Arthur made no public comment on the matter. To everyone, it appeared that from the beginning of the protests to New Zealand gaining the right to hold a referendum, Arthur had never appeared.
But in reality, only a few people knew that Arthur's actions had played a decisive role in securing New Zealand's right to hold the referendum.
The referendum encompassed the entire territory of New Zealand, including all overseas islands under New Zealand sovereignty.
According to the referendum's regulations, any permanent resident of New Zealand aged twenty or above, who had lived in any region of New Zealand for at least ten years, would be eligible to vote.
At the time, New Zealand's total population reached 1,073,400 people. Just over 430,000 met the criteria.
The age and residency requirements significantly reduced the number of eligible voters.
The good news was that New Zealand had granted women the right to vote quite early on—although they still could not run for office, they were allowed to cast ballots.
Although Arthur did not participate in the referendum itself, that did not mean he had nothing to do during this period.
On the contrary, as the new year began, the Australian Cabinet's 1903 annual report arrived for Arthur's review.
Australia's most prominent achievement in 1903 was in population growth. At the beginning of 1903, Australia's population was about 4,263,900.
By January 1904, Australia's population had surpassed 4,566,600—an impressive growth rate of 7.1%.
This brought the number of Australian cities with populations exceeding 500,000 to two: Sydney and Melbourne, which had become the country's two brightest jewels.
Industrial development in 1903 was not as rapid as in 1902, but steel production still reached 390,000 and 670,000 tons, respectively.
Australia's total steel production had now exceeded one million tons—earning it a rightful place among industrial nations.
That year, Australia also discovered large new mineral deposits, especially coal and iron ore.
Proven iron ore reserves had reached 1.5 billion tons, and total reserves of bituminous and lignite coal had reached an astonishing 13 billion tons.
These rich iron ore and coal resources would strongly support Australia's industrial development, positioning it as one of the major resource-rich nations in the world.
Notably, Australia had also discovered over ten million tons of oil, primarily located along the southeastern coast and the western shoreline.
With Benz One being sold worldwide, global demand for oil products was rising steadily.
This drove up the price of what was once cheap oil—gasoline, diesel, and other petroleum-based goods—and presented lucrative opportunities for countries and regions with oil reserves.
In stark contrast to New Zealand, whose livestock industry suffered severe losses, Australia's livestock industry was flourishing.
Rough estimates indicated that Australia now had over 120 million sheep, tens of millions of cattle and other animals, and more than one million people employed in livestock-related work—making it a true powerhouse in the field.
Australia's livestock products—such as wool, milk, lamb milk, and meat—had already established distribution channels across Europe, the Americas, and parts of Asia, generating over two million pounds in annual revenue.
Australia had not neglected agriculture either. Although much of its land was desert or otherwise unsuitable for farming, its massive land area meant it still had vast cultivable zones.
With the government encouraging large-scale farming, many landowners were expanding their farmland.
Furthermore, industrial development created large urban populations and job opportunities, making large-scale agriculture increasingly viable.
This was good news for Australia, as its agricultural sector could eventually shift to a large-estate model.
By using machinery extensively, Australia could save a great deal on labor, needing only a small workforce alongside machines to manage large-scale farming operations.
Australia also made notable progress in transportation infrastructure.
First was the road system, built around state capitals and extending to towns and cities—these roads were usually funded by state governments with support from the federal government.
By January 1904, except for the vast regions of Western and South Australia, the other four states had essentially connected all their towns via highways, forming road networks centered around each state capital.
Based on these networks, the federal government also constructed roads connecting state capitals and major cities.
This created a highly developed highway system across Australia, greatly improving travel and commerce.
Especially the federally funded roads—most were large-scale, with three lanes in each direction.
Although this significantly increased government investment in transportation, it also greatly enhanced travel convenience for Australians.
Next came the railroads.
By now, Australia's industrial railway had been under construction for over two years, achieving solid results.
Most of the construction was concentrated in the southeast—Australia's most populous and economically advanced region.
The railway had already completed its main section from Brisbane, the capital of Queensland, to Adelaide, the capital of South Australia—successfully connecting Queensland, New South Wales, Victoria, and South Australia.
The number of cities connected was too many to count. Major cities along the route included Brisbane, Newcastle, Sydney, Albury, Melbourne, Geelong, Adelaide, and Port Augusta.
This portion of the railway already covered nearly half of the total industrial railway plan. The rapid progress was due to the region's already well-established railway networks.
In the sparsely populated Western and South Australia, progress was slower.
South Australia was doing relatively well—the line had already reached from Port Augusta to Adelaide and connected to the southeastern industrial railway.
But Western Australia's railway lines currently only ran from Perth to Geraldton and Albany—two port towns. The main reason for connecting these towns was to facilitate shipping.
The segment connecting Western and South Australia—linking Perth to Port Augusta—would be the most difficult part of the entire industrial railway, as the region had very few existing lines and would require completely new construction.
If things went smoothly, this segment could be completed in four years. If not, it might take five or even six years.
Still, this was faster than the original plan, which had projected ten years for full completion. Now it looked like it might take only six to eight years.
The only region excluded from the industrial railway plan was Tasmania—the smallest and least populated Australian state.
To address this, Arthur launched a coastal ring-road construction project in Tasmania, primarily connecting Smithton in the north to Hobart in the south, as well as some smaller towns in the east and west.
Compared to the nationwide road building effort, Tasmania's roads, while connecting smaller villages and some farms, represented only a small portion of the total scale.
That was one reason Tasmania's road network had developed so smoothly. As of now, the ring-road project was complete, linking Hobart and Smithton, and incorporating all villages and towns into the road network.
This made Tasmania the most developed region in Australia in terms of highway transport, easing the disappointment felt by locals who couldn't have a railway.
One other notable change in Australia was the significant increase in average income.
As of January 1904, the average income in every Australian state had surpassed fifteen pounds. In more developed states like Victoria and New South Wales, average annual income had reached sixteen pounds.
Compared to the early days of the Principality of Australia, this figure had nearly doubled—proof of the rapid development in Australia's economy and industry.
Though this income level was still less than half that of the major world powers, it was already comparable to that of many regular European nations.
Moreover, Australia's income level had not yet stabilized and was still rising.
(End of Chapter)
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