Chapter 214: The Wedding Begins
Apart from the aircraft, various industries in Australasia also began to experience some significant changes.
First, as previously mentioned by Arthur, the tractors. The Benz car factory had already produced a prototype, and its current operation was very stable. In terms of agriculture alone, it could accelerate the growth of Australasia's agricultural sector and greatly reduce the manpower required for agriculture.
Of course, for Arthur, the most important aspect of these tractors was their military performance. Arthur specially selected a team from the Benz factory, along with experts from the military industry, to form another important research lab in Australasia—the Australasia Mechanical Research Lab.
Arthur's goal was very clear: to begin research and development in the military machinery field, including armored vehicles like tanks and armored cars.
To avoid drawing attention from the great powers and not letting them discover or take notice, the Mechanical Research Lab still publicly presented itself as a civil research lab focused on tractor development.
Since the tractors had already gone through testing, they could not be neglected. Arthur ordered the lab to begin production of several tractors, partly to conduct field trials and ensure their positive impact on agriculture. Additionally, this would help improve the mechanical lab staff's capabilities and proficiency in producing such machinery, laying a solid foundation for the eventual creation of armored vehicles and tanks.
Another noteworthy development was the successful upgrade of the M1897 75mm artillery piece, after years of research by German and military industry experts. This new version was a 105mm semi-automatic cannon, one of the largest-caliber semi-automatic cannons available.
The new artillery piece was named the GA1906 105mm Semi-Automatic Cannon, capable of firing twelve rounds per minute. The earlier French 75mm cannon had also received improvements, with its firing rate increasing from 15 rounds per minute to 20.
With the creation of the GA1906 105mm semi-automatic cannon, Australasia now had three types of semi-automatic cannons: 37mm, 75mm, and 105mm. These three types of cannons were capable of adapting to a variety of situations the Australasian army might face and were the most commonly equipped artillery in the Australasian army.
Since the army had grown to over 60,000 soldiers, the military expenditure had also increased significantly. The salaries for the 60,000 soldiers alone amounted to nearly 2.4 million Australian dollars. Added to the costs of training soldiers and maintaining the navy, Australasia's annual military expenditure was now close to 3 million Australian dollars.
Of course, all the expenses for the Royal Guard were paid for by the monarchy, which is why Australasia's military expenditure had not yet surpassed 3 million Australian dollars.
The growth in per capita income had brought not only increased military expenditure but also a rise in government revenue. Before New Zealand joined Australia, the annual fiscal income of Australia and New Zealand was around 10 million and 4 million Australian dollars, respectively.
After the formation of the Australian-New Zealand Federation, the combined annual fiscal income of the Federation was about 18 million Australian dollars. Now, with the establishment of the Kingdom of Australasia, the fiscal revenue had already surpassed 19 million Australian dollars, and it was expected that the total fiscal income for 1906 would exceed 21 million Australian dollars.
From this data, it was clear that Australasia's economic growth was accelerating. After New Zealand joined Australia, like Australia before, it had removed complicated taxes and only retained simple single-item taxes. Despite the reduction in taxes, the two regions had managed to generate far more revenue than in the heavy-tax period, which highlighted the rapid economic development in Australasia over the past few years.
Whereas the government had previously experienced large deficits, it had now moved into a balanced range for its income and expenditure. Given the current rate of economic growth, it was just a matter of time before total fiscal revenue would exceed total expenditure.
If not for the massive domestic construction projects, this goal might have already been achieved.
However, the Australasian government was not in a rush. The government's loans came from the monarchy and the German government, with flexible repayment dates. The government had ample time to prepare.
Although Arthur had lent the government 100 million pounds in funds and 50 million pounds in equipment, his current wealth had far exceeded these amounts, so there was no reason to press the government for repayment.
The German loan was even more relaxed, with a repayment period of twenty years, meaning by the time the loan was due, World War I would have already been concluded.
As October passed, the wedding date between Arthur and Princess Mary, which had been discussed by Princess Louise and Grand Duke Sergey, was drawing nearer.
The Australasian government began preparations in earnest for this important day, which was significant to all the people of Australasia.
The government's efforts were lavish. Apart from the fact that the government was not lacking funds, Arthur's role as an absolute monarch played a crucial part.
Arthur did not, however, participate in the details of the wedding costs or give any opinions. The specifics of the process and arrangements were all discussed and decided by the Cabinet, with strong support from the Royal House and the House of Representatives.
Australasia would use at least 2 million Australian dollars to host what would truly be a grand wedding. Just the various jewels and expensive dresses for Queen Mary were worth over 400,000 Australian dollars.
The wedding procession would involve nearly half of the Australasian fleet, with the fleet escorting Princess Mary from St. Petersburg, Russia, and traveling south through the Suez Canal, across the Indian Ocean, and finally arriving at the capital, Sydney.
Arthur did not need to worry about the specific preparations for the wedding. Government officials and Princess Louise would handle everything. Arthur's role was simply to participate as the protagonist on the big day.
In fact, Tsar Nicholas II had also made significant preparations. Although Russia's finances were not very strong, it was after all the wedding of a direct heir of the great Romanov family, and the union's partner was a king from a noble European family.
Because of the government and Princess Louise's attention to the wedding, Arthur had little to do during the preparation period.
However, to express his importance for this wedding, Arthur decided to deploy the Royal Guard. The First Infantry Regiment of the Royal Guard would escort Grand Duchess Mary from Russia to Sydney Harbor, while the cavalry would handle the welcoming from the harbor to Sydney Palace.
When Tsar Nicholas II heard this, he decided to increase the scale of the wedding. He would dispatch half of the Russian fleet, with at least two battleships and over ten small to medium-sized warships as escorts.
Australia's preparations went far beyond these. Benz and Diesel rushed to develop a more luxurious and elegant car, which would be used for Arthur and Grand Duchess Mary on their wedding day.
The cost of this luxury car had exceeded 3,000 Australian dollars, significantly reducing the engine noise and enhancing both its appearance and design.
Another reason Tsar Nicholas II wanted to increase the scale of the wedding was to use the opportunity to showcase Russia's remaining strength. After the defeat in the Russo-Japanese War, some nations had begun to doubt Russia's power, viewing it as a declining empire with military strength no longer as glorious as it once had been.
Such skepticism was unacceptable to Tsar Nicholas II, so he decided to use the wedding as a chance to show the world Russia's current military strength.
The preparations for this wedding lasted over a month, and during this time, Sydney Palace had been transformed with celebratory decorations.
To show national unity, Arthur announced through the Royal Relief Committee that on the wedding day, all citizens of Australasia would receive a bag of flour, ten kilograms of mutton, a liter of milk, and other provisions from the local government.
Of course, the specific regulations for each region varied, but they were essentially the same, ensuring that all people received something.
This welfare policy was exactly what the people of Australasia had hoped for. While the value of these items wasn't high, the fact that everyone had a share highlighted the fairness and equality of the policy.
On December 27, 1906, after more than a month of expedited preparations, Australasia finally welcomed Arthur's wedding.
This wedding had been the focus of Europe for over a month and had successfully become one of the major topics among European civilians.
The cost of the wedding was one of the highest royal wedding expenditures, with the protagonists being Arthur, from the British royal family, and Princess Mary, from the Russian royal family. Additionally, the friendly relations between Arthur and Germany made this wedding a focal point for nations like the British Empire and the German Empire.
Over the month, Mary became the object of envy among European noblewomen. This was a wedding costing millions of Australian dollars, equivalent to over a million British pounds.
Combined with various other expenses, the cost could almost equate to the price of a battleship.
Furthermore, the wedding had generated global attention, with even some women who were already engaged regretting that Arthur's bride wasn't them.
(End of Chapter)
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