The Rise Of Australasia

Chapter 439: Chapter 353: Receiving the Solomon Islands Archipelago

According to the agreement between Australasia and the Allied Nations, when the standing army of Australasia reaches 400,000, it will be the time for Britain and France to transfer the Pacific colonies to Australasia.

It should be noted that although there are only several archipelagos and islands in the Pacific colonies, their total area is not very large.

However, this does not mean that the transfer of the colony is a simple process. Even if Australasia is relatively close to the colonies, it would take at least half a year to fully receive them.

It also involves the acceptance and repatriation of the colonial population, the reconstruction of the colonial order and government, and the takeover of the colonial garrison, etc.

More importantly, this region covers almost half of the Pacific Ocean, which means that the Australasian navy must patrol this area to ensure the maritime security of these colonies.

However, the good news is that Australasia currently has no rivals in this region and is supported by the Allied Nations, so it is not worried about the security of these colonies being threatened.

Of course, if one must consider a potential danger, it would be the United States at the present time.

Due to the current South American war, the powers behind Argentina and Chile are actually competing secretly.

However, it is presumed that the United States would not have the guts to get directly involved. Without the help of the Allied Nations, the comprehensive military power of the United States is currently not on par with either Britain or France.

Nevertheless, for the sake of security, Australasia will first take over the nearby islands, such as the British Solomon Islands Protectorate, which is very close to Australian New Guinea.

The total land area of the Solomon Islands is about 28,400 square kilometers and has a total population of nearly 220,000.

However, at present, the Solomon Islands are divided and governed by Britain and Germany, with Germany occupying the two northern islands and Britain occupying the remaining Solomon Islands.

After communicating with the British ambassador in Australasia, the official colonial transfer began on September 1, 1913.

The population of the British Solomon Islands Protectorate is about 150,000, of which less than 20,000 are British and European immigrants, with the rest being local indigenous peoples.

The issue to be addressed is the fate of these 20,000 people. As for the remaining nearly 130,000 indigenous peoples, the problem is relatively simple.

Either they sacrifice their lives for the future construction of the Solomon Islands, or they are repatriated to Southeast Asia or other regions.

There is also a thorny issue regarding the settlement or political divisions of the Solomon Islands.

At present, there are generally two ideas and methods: one is to make the Solomon Islands independent and establish the Solomon Islands Colony.

The other idea is that, due to the proximity of the Solomon Islands to New Guinea, some officials suggest incorporating the Solomon Islands into the Australian New Guinea Colony without establishing a separate administrative division.

For Arthur, the impact of these two proposals is not that significant.

After all, the colonial governors are appointed by Arthur himself, which means that the colonial governors will be more loyal to Arthur compared to elected governors.

Regardless of whether the Solomon Islands are incorporated into Australian New Guinea or established as an independent colony, either choice falls within the scope of colonial influence, so the differences are not too significant.

After comprehensive consideration, under the advice of Prime Minister Kent, Arthur decided to designate the Solomon Islands as a separate colony, named the Solomon Islands Colony.

After all, the Solomon Islands are several hundred kilometers away from Australian New Guinea, making it inconvenient to manage them in a unified manner.

Having more state-level administrative units is also conducive to Arthur's rewarding of subordinates. At the same time, these colonial governors, to some extent, can also support Arthur's position as loyal followers.

On September 2, a force of 1,000 colonial garrison troops, accompanied by the first governor of the Solomon Islands Colony, Mark McOsland, set out for the Solomon Islands. This marked the expansion of Australasian power throughout Oceania and the Pacific.

Before Mark McOsland's departure, Arthur personally met with him and tested his abilities.

There are currently three tasks for the Solomon Islands: first, to retain the colonial population as much as possible to ensure the development of the colony.

Second, to stabilize the colonial order as soon as possible and prevent the Solomon Islands from descending into chaos.

Third, to establish a perfect defense system in the Solomon Islands as much as possible, as maritime defense is essential, given that this is currently Australasia's actual northeast border.

Of course, carrying out these tasks is not difficult in practice. At least, from Mark McOsland's ability, completing these tasks would not be a challenge.

After all, more than 130,000 indigenous people in the Solomon Islands can be used as expendable labor resources, laying a solid foundation for various construction projects in the Solomon Islands.

Seizing this opportunity with the Solomon Islands, Arthur also revised the defenses of all colonies.

The Solomon Islands and Australian Timor will each have around 1,000 garrison troops stationed there.

Australian New Guinea and the Royal Territory will have 3,000 garrison troops stationed in each.

These garrison troops will be independently formed and directly subordinate to the Ministry of Defense. The colonies have the right to apply for troop transfers, but the salaries, weapons, equipment, and other expenses of the garrison will be provided entirely by the Ministry of Defense.