Chapter 249: Prioritize Quality, Then Seek Speed
The large integrated industrial base planned by the Ministry of Industry is located west of the junction between Western Australia and South Australia, around the small town of Leonora and the northeast of Perth.
This area is rich in mineral resources, with large coal mines, iron ore mines, oil fields, two large gold mines, and a nickel mine nearby. A bit further to the north, there are massive iron ore and gold mines, manganese mines, and further northeast, there are aluminum and copper mines, among others.
Such abundant mineral resources make this area an ideal location for developing a large integrated industrial base.
In fact, later on, Australia would also develop non-ferrous metal and steel industries in this area, ensuring that the mineral resources of this land were not wasted.
Of course, the current plan for the industrial base is not so grand. Initially, the scale is similar to the conventional industrial base in the southeastern region.
According to the plan, the first phase of the construction of the integrated large industrial base is expected to cover at least 1,000 acres of land, with a budget of around 6 million Australian dollars.
If successfully completed, this industrial area will have at least 50 standardized factories and 10 large storage areas.
The factories will cover an area of approximately 900 acres, with the remaining less than 100 acres allocated for roads, some green spaces, and the initial solution to the factory's waste disposal issues.
Due to the nature of the integrated industrial base, the industrial development here will not be limited to steel and basic chemical industries but will also include coal, machinery, textiles, and other traditional industries.
Arthur's ultimate goal is to develop this industrial base into a concentrated industrial hub, with large enterprises at its core, similar to the Ruhr Industrial Area in Germany, the Central Industrial Area in the UK, and the Northeastern Industrial Area in the United States.
If the first two phases of this industrial base are completed smoothly and begin production, and if Australasia's population exceeds 10 million, the country will have a preliminary qualification to compete with major powers.
Of course, even then, Australasia will still be at the bottom of the rankings among the great powers, with limited influence.
To truly become a major power with significant influence, in addition to industrial and economic development, a strong military is also a key condition.
Until Australasia's army reaches 500,000 soldiers and its navy ranks among the top five in the world, becoming a highly recognized major power will be nearly impossible.
The first phase of the integrated industrial base is located near the small town of Leonora in Western Australia, so the base has been named the Leonora Large Industrial Base.
The idea of constructing such an integrated industrial base had already been approved by the cabinet months ago. Therefore, after the beginning of 1908, the construction of the integrated industrial base officially commenced.
For the residents of Leonora, things started to change from the second half of 1907.
The number of people coming and going near the town increased, with various survey teams and officials everywhere, all there to choose the best location for the industrial area.
At first, it was just officials from the Western Australian state government coming to inspect, but soon, the Minister of Industry, Pierre, was directly overseeing the project.
Not long after Pierre's arrival, news broke that the King Himself was going to visit in person.
This caused quite a stir among all members of the Western Australian state government. After a period of frantic preparation, the Governor of Western Australia, Alessandro Mastali, along with several state officials, the mayor of Leonora, and all the members of the Western Australian legislature, stood outside Leonora town, awaiting with great respect.
It wasn't long before, around 1 p.m., Arthur's convoy arrived in Leonora.
It was no easy feat—this trip had taken Arthur through cities like Melbourne, Adelaide, and Augusta Port, with a train ride nearing the Western Australian region, followed by a car ride.
More than two days of train travel and over an hour of car travel left Arthur feeling sore all over. If it weren't for the public setting, Arthur would have stretched and relaxed his stiff muscles.
"Your Majesty!"
As soon as Arthur stepped out of the car, Governor Alessandro Mastali quickly approached and respectfully greeted him.
"No need for such formality, Governor Alessandro," Arthur said with a smile.
Although Arthur was only 25 years old at this point, his seven-year reign as a sovereign monarch had given him great prestige and authority.
Even political veterans like former Prime Minister Evan would not dare to act out of line in front of Arthur.
After all, everyone knew who truly held the power in this country and who controlled life and death.
"Let's go, and take a look at the location for our industrial base," Arthur said with a smile.
This integrated industrial base was a prerequisite for Australasia's industrial advancement, which is why Arthur placed so much importance on it.
Hearing Arthur's request, Governor Alessandro quickly nodded and led the group to the site.
Accompanying Arthur was not only the Minister of Industry, Pierre, but also the Ministers of Transportation, Finance, Public Security, Education, and Healthcare.
Only Prime Minister Walter and a few other ministers remained in Sydney to handle state affairs. The majority of the cabinet ministers had come with Arthur to Western Australia.
Building an integrated industrial zone was no small task. The education and healthcare environment in Leonora was not ideal, but since this would be Australasia's largest industrial zone in the future, proper education and healthcare facilities would need to be established here.
After all, if workers were to come to work here, their basic living conditions would need to be taken care of.
In addition, the security of the industrial zone, transportation, and other infrastructure issues required the involvement of all the ministers, which is why most of them had joined the inspection.
Luckily, the selected site for the first phase of the industrial zone was not far from Leonora. After just 20 minutes by car, they arrived at the southwest of Leonora where the site was located.
By this time, some people had already started planning the specific locations of the industrial zone. The area was being divided in detail based on the maps provided by the Ministry of Industry, preparing for future construction.
As Arthur walked through the area, he could already feel both the advantages and disadvantages of the location.
The advantages were obvious—nearby mineral resources were abundant, providing the necessary foundation for the establishment of the industrial base.
However, the current transportation environment in this area was not ideal. Leonora had a road leading to the industrial site, but it had only been temporarily widened and would not be suitable for regular use in the future.
This meant that the most urgent issue for the industrial base was to build a transport railway connecting to the southern industrial railway and a major road to allow trains and trucks to transport goods efficiently.
Thinking of this, Arthur turned to the Minister of Transportation and asked, "Minister Lauren, when do you think the transportation issues for the industrial zone will be solved?"
Minister Lauren immediately replied, "Your Majesty, the specific design plans for the industrial zone are ready, and road construction can begin at any time. With the introduction of over 10,000 natives, we expect to complete the railway connection to the industrial railway within a year, and the road will take about six months."
Arthur nodded in satisfaction and instructed, "The construction of the industrial zone must be taken seriously. There must be no shortcuts. This industrial zone and its supporting facilities are crucial to the nation's future industrial development. I don't want to hear any complaints or issues about it in the future. Understood?"
Arthur's words carried weight. For a monarch with absolute power, such statements were not just warnings but also a sword hanging over the heads of these officials.
"I understand, Your Majesty. Please rest assured, I will personally supervise the construction of the roads in the industrial zone and ensure there will be no shortcuts," Minister Lauren quickly assured.
Minister Pierre, the Minister of Industry, also spoke up, since Arthur's words concerned the entire industrial zone, and the Ministry of Industry had the most responsibility.
Arthur nodded approvingly, then relaxed his tone and said with a smile, "The industrial zone is a national priority. If you come across any problems during construction, make sure to report them promptly. No hiding anything. Of course, if there are any financial issues, the cabinet government can discuss and resolve them. As long as the budget is used for the right purposes, it's fine even if it exceeds the budget."
Although the Ministry of Finance had already prepared a preliminary budget for the industrial zone, this was only an estimate, and there would inevitably be some overages during construction.
Arthur understood the possibility of exceeding the budget, as long as the funds were used for the right purposes. Even if the budget doubled, he would accept it.
After all, Australasia's needs weren't just to establish an industrial zone, but to create an industrial zone that could stand the test of time and be of quality.
On such a key national project, Arthur would not tolerate any accidents or mistakes.
If these officials disregarded Arthur's instructions, they would experience firsthand the power of an absolute monarch. The power over life and death was no joke.
The decisions regarding the establishment of education and healthcare systems were not fully set yet.
After all, the large integrated industrial base would be built in stages, and the layout of education and healthcare facilities would be determined based on the final structure of the industrial base.
The good news was that the construction of the industrial zone would take at least a year and a half, and with foreign factories and domestic capital involved, the industrial zone would likely be fully operational in about two and a half years.
This time would also be enough for the departments to establish the necessary education, healthcare, security, and transportation infrastructure, providing a complete living environment for the industrial base.
To facilitate paying workers' salaries in the future, it would also be very necessary to set up a royal bank near the industrial zone.
But that was a matter for the steward, Kent. Arthur was confident that Kent would not disappoint him.
Even for the first phase of the industrial zone construction, tens of thousands of natives would be employed, aiming to build quickly and efficiently while maintaining high quality.
At present, the natives were being prepared, and once the construction teams and native workers were ready, the industrial zone would begin construction in earnest.
Arthur knew this moment was not far off. He could already see a large number of natives in the area, and it seemed the number was almost sufficient, with only the construction teams from home and abroad still being assembled.
After touring the industrial base with the ministers, Arthur stayed in Leonora for a few more days.
There wasn't really any reason to stay, but after hearing that the construction was about to begin, Arthur decided to stay, so he wouldn't have to rush around once the construction was in full swing.
After all, for such an important national project, Arthur wanted to be involved when construction officially began.
After waiting for a few days, on January 7, 1908, the construction of the Leonora Industrial Base officially began.
Arthur attended the groundbreaking ceremony and encouraged all the construction teams and officials there.
Arthur also stressed several times the importance of construction quality, ensuring that the work must be done properly before speed was considered.
To ensure the industrial zone's construction proceeded without issues, Arthur had the Ministry of Finance allocate an additional 2 million Australian dollars to the departments.
Together with the preliminary budget, the first phase of the industrial zone construction would cost a total of 8 million Australian dollars, comparable to the cost of four dreadnoughts.
However, once the industrial zone was completed, Australasia's return would be substantial.
(End of Chapter)
Thank you for the support, friends. If you want to read more chapters in advance, go to my Patreon.
Read 30 Chapters In Advance: patreon.com/Kira1997