The Rise Of Australasia

Chapter 457: Chapter 363: The Necessity of Language Unification

In terms of fiscal revenue, Australasia's annual fiscal revenue broke through 100 million Australian dollars for the first time, reaching 101.5 million Australian dollars, an increase of about 5% compared to the previous year.

Growth this year has slowed down compared to the previous year, but the growth rate is not slow.

If it weren't for the official start of production at the Leonora Industrial Base, perhaps the fiscal revenue this year would still struggle to break through 100 million.

Of course, the high fiscal growth rate also means a high fiscal expenditure. The Australasian Government has never been thrifty when it comes to spending for national construction and development.

Throughout 1913, the Australasian Government's total fiscal expenditure reached 100.1 million Australian dollars, with the expenditure growth rate much faster than the income growth rate.

This resulted in a fiscal surplus of only 1.4 million Australian dollars in 1913, which compared to the previous years, fiscal surplus in the tens of millions, made Australasia look like one of the two main military blocs.

Of course, a large part of the high fiscal expenditure growth is due to military growth.

In 1913, Australasia's military expenditure reached 47.06 million Australian dollars, almost half of the government's annual fiscal revenue.

Although a major reason for this is the 300,000 colonial troops, it cannot be denied that, due to Australasia joining the Allies, the military spending of Australasia will only continue to rise in the coming years.

In fact, Australasia's fiscal situation is already considered good, as it can at least maintain a surplus situation.

Currently, the fiscal situation of the major powers of Europe is not very good, with many countries falling into debt crises, and some even facing bankruptcy.

The current situation of the European arms race has become unbearable for the major powers of Europe.

If the arms race cannot be alleviated by certain events, then the only foreseeable outcome would be to forcibly end the arms race by launching a war.

In industrial aspects, Australasia has made rapid progress.

At present, the growth rate of steel production has gradually slowed down, as the government's focus has shifted from steel production to other industrial sectors, such as the chemical and mechanical industries.

However, due to Australasia's unique advantage in mineral resources, the steel production of Australasia is still growing.

By the end of 1913, Australasia's total steel and iron production had reached 1.8639 million tons and 3.0762 million tons, ranking seventh in the world.

In addition to total production of steel, the iron ore and coal mining volumes of Australasia are also among the world's top eight.

Australasia's current industrial output now accounts for 3.8% of the world's total industry, with a goal to catch up with the traditional European industrial powerhouse of the Austro-Hungarian Empire.

Australia is currently overtaking one of Europe's great powers, Italy.

To be blunt, the only clear advantage Italy has over Australasia is perhaps Italy's population.

This advantage is also being furiously chased by Australasia. If Australasia's population continues to grow rapidly, it is expected that within no more than five years, Australasia will greatly surpass Italy in all aspects and be promoted to the seventh great power in the world.

Of course, if the Austro-Hungarian Empire is dismantled in World War I as it was in history, Australasia might leapfrog directly into the sixth great power position.

With the benefit of 300,000 colonial troops, Australasia's total army strength has reached 522,000, ranking seventh among all countries involved in European conflicts.

If Australasia's naval size can be enhanced, it can shed the title of the eighth great power and seek opportunities to surpass Italy and the Austro-Hungarian Empire.

In terms of the more critical food production, Australasia has also seen significant growth.

In 1913, Australasia's total cultivated land area reached 27.41 million acres, and the per capita cultivated land area was reduced to 1.98 acres.

This is actually quite normal, as a large number of infrastructure and industrial base constructions have attracted a large number of immigrants and rural populations to become workers, so the agricultural population has naturally declined.

However, due to the large-scale population growth, the overall land area in Australasia is still increasing.

Currently, Australasia's annual food production has reached 12.79 million tons, making it a truly large food-producing country.

Of course, most of the food that Australasia produces is currently being shipped to major domestic granaries for strategic reserves.

Of the 12.79 million tons of food, only about one-tenth is exported, with the exports still going to allies like Britain, France, and Russia.

How exaggerated is Australasia's food production volume? If you eat frugally, 12.79 million tons of food can feed 50 million people for one year.

Plus, with Australasia's highly developed animal husbandry industry, Australasia's annual food production can feed the whole population for three years, and it's rich in both vegetables and meat.

Just the agriculture within Australasia alone is enough to support the entire population of the region.

If the black land rented from Argentina this time is fully exploited for agriculture, the food production of Australasia will increase even more.

Taking into account the total territory of Australasia, Arthur is confident that even with the current agricultural level, they can support a population of 50 million.

Not to mention that with the development of population and technology, agriculture will also undergo earth-shattering changes.

After listening to the Prime Minister and various ministers' reports on the current state of the nation, Arthur is quite satisfied with the overall situation.

According to this development trend, as long as they are victorious in World War I, Australasia can become one of the world's top five powers after the war.

Even if Russia experiences a mishap during the war, Australasia will directly become the world's fourth power after Britain, France, and the United States.

At that time, the responsibility of competing with the United States will fall on Australasia, as Britain and France recover from their colonies.

Although it is a challenge, there are benefits to be gained from the assistance of Britain and France for the development of Australasia.

After all, Britain and France are not willing to see the United States provoke conflicts at this time. A weakened Britain and France may not be a match for the United States, so whether Australasia can withstand the U.S. will become the most important topic after the war.

After a brief annual report, Arthur shifted the topic to the newly acquired colonies and asked the Cabinet Government about the policies for these new colonies.

"Your Majesty, to control these colonies and territories in the long run, besides military control, some changes in education are also needed. I think that within the entire Australasian region, English should be made the official language, with compulsory education.

Moreover, the supervision and restrictions on non-English schools should be increased, so that the people can be unified in speaking English and can be brought together more effectively." Minister of Education Stefan took the lead in standing up and suggesting.

It's true that to better unify a region, a common language and a common system are necessary.

"Hmm, Minister Stefan's proposal is very good. Do any of you have other opinions?" Arthur nodded and said with a smile.

"Your Majesty, in addition to education, we should also send a large number of missionaries in the field of religion and change the faith of the entire Australasian region to Protestantism, or at least Christianity. Only by being loyal to God can one become a loyal Australasian." Archbishop Steed suggested.

The official religion of Australasia is Protestantism, more specifically, Australian Protestantism.

Australian Protestantism has its own Archbishop, who is loyal to the King of Australasia.

Apart from some minor differences, Australian Protestantism is virtually indistinguishable from British Protestantism, but Arthur made a more precise division just to make his rule more convenient.

While the official religion of Australasia is Protestantism, different beliefs are held by immigrants from various parts of Europe, so the religion of the Australasian people varies.

The largest number of believers belong to the same Christian faith, including Protestantism, Catholicism, and Eastern Orthodox Christianity.

English immigrants and German immigrants believe in Protestantism, while Russian immigrants believe in Eastern Orthodox Christianity. As for other European immigrants, some believe in Protestantism, others in Eastern Orthodox Christianity, and some in Catholicism.

In any case, these three religions belong to Christianity, and are within the acceptable range of the Australasian government.

Other religions besides Christianity are not welcomed in Australasia and are mostly believed in by indigenous peoples and their descendants with immigrant backgrounds.

A united country must have a unified language and belief. Archbishop Steed is right in saying that at least a majority of the people in Australasia should believe in Christianity.

The gap between beliefs can be immense, and even in the modern age when religion has lost its power, there are still many who are obsessed with religious beliefs.

The rulers of Australasia all believe in Protestantism, which means that the people of Australasia should believe in Protestantism, or at least the closely related Catholicism and Eastern Orthodox Christianity.

When conflicts arise between the upper echelons and the common people, it is usually the common people who have to change, not the upper echelons.

Of course, the current situation in Australasia is not bad, and it is only in a small number of colonies and areas that missionaries need to be sent to spread the gospel.

As for the issue of religion, Arthur also attaches great importance. After Archbishop Steed's suggestion, Arthur nodded and said, "It is very necessary to send missionaries. Archbishop Steed, this matter is left to you.

The task of the Ministry of Education is to establish a large number of English-only schools in the new colonies, while the task of the Church is to dispatch a large number of missionaries to these areas."

Upon hearing Arthur's command, Archbishop Steed solemnly nodded and said, "Your Majesty, rest assured, the Church's missionaries will advance into the new colonies within a few days to complete Your Majesty's task."

Although Archbishop Steed came from the Church of England, he had already understood who he was truly loyal to in the political environment of Australasia.

When the religious mystique fades away, religion has no choice but to bow before secular power.

Clearly, Archbishop Steed is a wise man. He knows that although his power comes from the Church, it is Arthur who grants the Church's power.

If Arthur is dissatisfied, he can be replaced at any time. Therefore, after coming to Australasia, Archbishop Steed regarded himself as the Archbishop of the Australasian Church, not the Archbishop of the previous English Church.