The Rise Of Australasia

Chapter 459: Chapter 365: The Drawbacks of Urban City Population

On National Day speech, Arthur also adhered to the previous plan, which was to give all Australasians a vaccination that war might not be far for Australasia.

While it was a speech, it also had a bit of a mobilization meaning. After all, geographically speaking, this European war could be completely ignored by Australasia, maintaining a neutral position and even taking the opportunity to sell large amounts of food and weapons resources to both sides.

However, if Australasia wants to rise and become a truly strong country in the world, it has to participate in this war.

Not participating in this war would mean not being able to have a share of the benefits after the war. Without the distribution of benefits, Australasia would forever be just the eighth power.

More importantly, this would cause the gap between Australasia and the United States to widen further and further.

When Europe gradually loses its leading position due to internal consumption, no one would be able to stop the rise of the United States.

As for the other country that will be born in Russia in the future, judging from its national system, this country could never become an ally of Australasia.

The real reason why European countries generally besieged this country after its birth was precisely because the terrible system and ideas it brought were enough to subvert most of the monarchical countries in Europe.

The good news is that Australasia has always been well managed by Arthur. The royal family and the government have put a lot of effort into the civil affairs, and the living standards of the Australasian people have also risen steadily.

True ordinary civilians seeking for a satisfactory life has already been somewhat achieved in Australasia.

This has led to a very high support for the government among Australasian civilians, and with Arthur's prestige, the stability of the country is well ensured.

At least in Australasia, revolutionary parties like this have no way out. The stable and powerful country and the happy life of the people make it hard to see why anyone would risk their lives to oppose such a country.

Those with ulterior motives have mostly been captured by the Royal Security Intelligence Agency, either being sent to minefields for labor or secretly executed.

Even if there were fish that escaped the net, in the politically stable environment of Australasia, they would either choose to flee or hide and wait for opportunities.

But would there really be opportunities for these people? As long as the happiness of the people of Australasia does not decline, there will be no opportunities for these revolutionaries.

The good news is that following Arthur's speech, the reaction of the Australasian people was supportive of the decision made by Arthur and the government.

Even many fanatical loyalists of Arthur are already clamoring for active war preparations and eager to join the army.

The people's support for the country to participate in this potentially avoidable war is good news for both the government and Arthur.

Seizing this opportunity, Arthur also announced a donation of 5 million Australian dollars to the Royal Relief Committee, which caused the audience to cheer even more.

Currently, the Royal Relief Committee receives 2 million Australian dollars in funds provided by the royal family each year, plus various donations from the outside world.

But even combining the two would not exceed 3 million Australian dollars. The 5 million Australian dollars Arthur donated is equivalent to the relief funds needed by the Royal Relief Committee for two years.

All these funds are used for the low-income population in Australasia, which is why the audience cheers.

In addition to donating to the Royal Relief Committee, Arthur also announced lifting restrictions on residents buying food.

Previously, each household was not allowed to purchase more than 500 catties of grain at a time, which has now been increased to one ton, that is, 2000 catties.

According to the average of 6.3 people per household in Australasia, if each household purchases the maximum allowable grain quota, about 2.21 million tons of grain is needed.

It should be noted that the total annual grain consumption in Australasia is less than 3 million tons.

This means that one ton of grain per household can basically meet the food needs of the family for half a year.

And the 2.21 million tons of grain is actually only about one-tenth of Australasia's strategic grain reserves.

To sell it to the people not only alleviates the public's food anxiety due to the impending war, but also sends a message to the public that the country has sufficient food supply and there is no need to worry about famine.

In order to ensure the stability of food supply for the people, Arthur also specifically stipulated that at this stage of selling food, the price of grain must remain the same as last year's selling price and does not allow any significant increase.

Australasia is a major food-producing country. Arthur will not tolerate any low-priced purchase and high-priced sale of food.

Anyone who takes advantage of the national crisis is a betrayal to the country and a disgrace to the nation.

Australasia's meat and grain production has always been well-developed, and it is also a famous major exporter of meat and cattle and sheep.

In addition, currently developed agriculture allows Arthur to confidently say that even during the entire World War I, the people of Australasia do not have to worry about food shortages.

Of course, the rise in grain prices was inevitable, and Arthur and the Australasian Government would control the grain prices within a reasonable range.

For Arthur, exporting grain to foreign countries to earn foreign money is much more profitable than making money from domestic people.

Arthur doesn't care how high the grain prices rise abroad, but the two main cities in Australasia must not experience significant price increases at any given time.

Following the customary flag-raising ceremony, this National Day celebration can be considered as a successful event.

The crowd gathered at Sydney Palace Square did not disperse in a hurry. Due to the fact that the military parades in previous years were held at Sydney Palace, a prosperous economic chain has already formed outside the palace.

Even the shops and vendors around the main road from Sydney City to Sydney Palace show the current prosperity of Sydney.

As the city with the largest population in Australasia, Sydney's development is beyond doubt.

Also, because a majority of Australasia's population is immigrants, this has led to an unbalanced distribution of population.

Although various policies have improved the situation, Sydney and Melbourne remain the two strongest cities in Australasia without any opponents.

Currently, the combined population of Sydney and Melbourne is close to 3 million, which is over one-fifth of the total population of Australasia.

The government's policies have had a certain effect, allowing for significant population growth in the states surrounding the two major cities and West Australia, where the construction of industrial bases is prioritized.

However, immigrants still have a large say in choosing the places they want to go. Everyone wants to settle in larger cities, which results in at least one-third of the 1 million-plus immigrants per year choosing to stay in Sydney and Melbourne.

According to statistics from the Department of Civil Affairs, Sydney is expected to reach a population of 2 million this year, becoming one of the largest cities in the world.

A population of 2 million is not a small number, and a city with such a population has a significant global standing.

Looking at current capitals and developed cities of major powers, cities with a population of over 2 million include London in the United Kingdom, New York in the United States, Berlin in Germany, Paris in France, Saint Petersburg in Russia, and Vienna in the Austro-Hungarian Empire.

Among them, the populations of Berlin, Saint Petersburg, and Vienna are just above 2 million, while Paris has a population of around 3 million. This shows that cities with a population of 2 million are indeed considered massive.

Of course, there is still a considerable distance from London, the most populous and developed city in Europe at present.

London currently has a population of nearly 8 million, which is more than that of many small and medium-sized countries, demonstrating the strength of the British Empire.

As one of the European powers, Italy's capital Rome has a population of just over 600,000, which is about a third of Sydney's population.

Keep in mind that Italy's population is more than twice that of Australasia.

However, the capital of Italy only accounts for one-third of Australasia's capital population, which shows the imbalanced population distribution in Australasia.

Add to that Melbourne, another major city in Australasia, and the severity of the situation becomes more evident, even hindering the development of other states in Australasia.

Every year, one-third of the immigrants stay in Sydney and Melbourne, and many others remain in New South Wales and Victoria.

This results in only about half of the total number of immigrants going to other states, who are then further divided among New Zealand and the colonies.

Aside from Victoria, New South Wales, and the Capital Territory, other states receive approximately 100,000 immigrants per year.

For regions like West Australian State, focused on industrial development, the number of immigrants each year is only about 200,000 to 300,000, which is far from sufficient to meet the needs of urban and regional development.

Meanwhile, the scale of both Sydney and Melbourne is getting larger, and the population of either city is more than that of some states, making management quite troublesome.

If necessary, reducing the functions of these two cities, especially Sydney, would allow other cities and regions in Australasia to develop better.

Sydney is currently Australasia's administrative, religious, cultural, economic, and military center.

If it weren't for the construction of the Leonora Industrial Base, Sydney might have taken on the title of the industrial center as well.

Although this makes Sydney the largest city in Australasia and one of the top six cities in the world in terms of population, it poses a problem for Australasia, which has a population of just under 14 million.

Leaving other issues aside, even the early modification of Sydney's urban planning has not been enough. Up to now, Sydney's population has tripled in just over a decade, and some urban areas have already become quite chaotic and congested.

To properly solve such problems, in addition to spending a great deal of time and money to re-plan the urban area, finding a new location for the capital is also an effective solution.