Chapter 290: Revenue Breaks 60 Million
The Foreign Ministry had already made a request to the Chilean government, informing them that the super battleship they had requested had been designed. The ministry invited the Chilean representatives to come to Australasia for an inspection and to sign the formal battleship purchase order. However, Chile was located on the east coast of the Pacific, far across the entire South Pacific from Australasia. The Chilean delegation's arrival would take some time, and before they could arrive, Arthur had already reached the end of 1910.
On December 31, 1910, the Cabinet's annual report meeting was officially held at the Sydney Palace. This year's annual meeting was more important than the previous year's, not only due to the worsening situation in Europe but also because the Cabinet was about to face a new round of elections next year. This would be the first election since the Cabinet's reorganization, and many senior ministers would face important decisions in their political careers.
The maximum term for a Cabinet minister's re-election was three terms, meaning that ministers who wanted to stay in the Cabinet would have to aim for different positions. Besides the Prime Minister and the Secretary of State, which were the highest offices in the Cabinet, there were also three other important positions: the Chief Justice, the Speaker of the House of Commons, and the Minister of Royal Affairs.
However, the competition for these positions was fierce, especially for the Secretary of State, the Chief Justice, and the Minister of Royal Affairs, which required nomination by Arthur before the election could take place. This meant that if Arthur didn't favor them, they would have to compete for the positions of Prime Minister or Speaker of the House of Commons.
In addition to other Cabinet ministers, current Prime Minister Walter, former Prime Minister Evan, and current Secretary of State Kent were also competitors. There were likely ten or more contenders for these two positions, all of whom had been top politicians and Cabinet members, which put a lot of pressure on the ministers.
As a result, the ministers took the annual report meeting at the end of the year very seriously. It was their last chance to demonstrate their political achievements and earn Arthur's trust. The atmosphere around the large meeting table in the palace had become very serious.
Prime Minister Walter stood solemnly before the meeting table and began the session, saying, "Your Majesty, esteemed colleagues, please allow me to present the annual report for 1910 for the government of Australasia. First, I will report on the overall domestic situation. Throughout 1910, our development has been good, and all sectors have been progressing in an orderly and efficient manner."
After the series of reports from the Cabinet officials, they finally presented the current situation of Australasia.
First was the population issue, which Arthur considered crucial. By the end of 1910, Australasia's total population had surpassed 9 million, with an exact figure of over 9.43 million. Compared to the previous year, the population had increased by 910,000, with more than 850,000 immigrants and over 100,000 newborns. The number of deaths was more than 40,000.
As the core of the nation, Australia's population had exceeded 7.54 million, and New Zealand's population had surpassed 1.81 million. The populations of the two colonies, New Guinea and Timor, had surpassed 60,000 and 20,000, respectively. Overall, the population growth had been quite good.
In terms of population structure, the proportion of Anglo-Australians had slightly decreased but remained at 68.1% of the total population. The Russian population had surpassed the German population for the first time, reaching 14.4%. The German population had dropped to third, occupying 13.9% of the total. With Russia's increasing immigration to Australasia, the proportion of Russian immigrants would likely continue to rise.
However, Arthur's baseline for the proportion of Anglo-Australians was 65%. If this proportion dropped below that, Arthur would consider reducing the number of immigrants from other countries, as the stability of the nation was far more important than population growth.
Currently, Melbourne's development was also progressing rapidly. By the end of this year, its population had exceeded 950,000. If all went well, Melbourne's population should surpass 1 million by 1911, becoming the second city in Australasia to reach this milestone.
Unfortunately, the bad news was that, in the short term, these two cities would be the only ones in Australasia to break the million mark. The third and fourth largest cities, Wellington and Newcastle, had populations of 470,000 and 450,000, respectively, and it would take a long time before these cities reached 1 million.
However, for a country like Australasia, with a population under 10 million, having too many cities with populations over 1 million could actually be a disadvantage for national development.
After all, Australasia had vast territories spanning millions of square kilometers. If most of the population was concentrated in a few cities, the development of other regions would inevitably be limited.
Due to the construction of the Leonora Industrial Base, Western Australia had also become a major area for the government to send immigrants. Currently, the population of Western Australia had surpassed 1 million, and its industrial development was no longer as restricted.
Speaking of industrial development, the completion of the Leonora Industrial Base and the establishment of factories for production had led to significant growth in Australasia's industries. The nation's steel production had greatly improved, with annual iron production reaching 2.11 million tons and steel production reaching 1.4 million tons.
In the chemical industry, the Leonora Industrial Base attracted more than a dozen chemical factories, two agricultural machinery factories, one ammonia factory, two small fertilizer factories, and 17 civilian factories. The agricultural machinery, fertilizers, and chemical products produced there contributed significantly to Australasia's development.
The Leonora Industrial Base had more than 50 factories, creating over 10,000 jobs and bringing substantial economic growth to Western Australia.
Currently, Australasia's per capita income had reached 48.7 Australian dollars, with some regions exceeding 50 Australian dollars per capita.
The development of the two colonies was also on track. New Guinea, with a population of 60,000, had a per capita annual income of 41 Australian dollars, and Timor, with a population of 20,000, had a per capita income of 40 Australian dollars.
By all accounts, the income in the colonies was not lower than the mainland, but the influx of immigrants in these colonies meant that their short-term income was low, which lowered the average income in these areas.
Of course, the government's total revenue had also seen a significant increase. Thanks to the disaster in East Asia in 1910, Australasia made considerable profits from grain exports. The large aid from Britain also added vitality to Australasia's finances.
The total government revenue for 1910 was 64.17 million Australian dollars, an increase of nearly 10 million compared to the previous year.
Without counting the extra profits from grain exports to East Asia, the increase in government revenue was actually quite similar to the previous year, around 8 million Australian dollars.
Of course, with the increase in revenue, the government's expenditure also rose significantly. In 1910, the total government expenditure reached 57 million Australian dollars, an increase of 8 million Australian dollars from the previous year.
Among this, military spending for the first time exceeded 20 million Australian dollars, reaching 21.35 million Australian dollars.
From this year onwards, Australasia's navy will have three battleships, two battlecruisers, more than ten escorts and destroyers, two submarines, and over 20 small patrol boats, among other vessels.
Although the navy had grown significantly, its expenses had also increased, leading to a steady rise in military costs.
The good news was that the government remained in surplus, with about 7 million Australian dollars in surplus, which was quite impressive given that the nation's population hadn't even reached 10 million, yet it had built a world-class navy.
The royal special funds also increased from 542,500 Australian dollars last year to 641,700 Australian dollars this year, steadily growing with the nation's economic development.
This was also part of Arthur's vision, ensuring that even if the royal family's business failed, the royal members could still maintain a luxurious life, supported by the annual funds from the government.
Arthur had spared no effort in training his successors, but if the future successor lacked the ability to control the country, Arthur would consider reducing royal power and pushing Australasia toward a constitutional monarchy.
This would alleviate tensions between the monarchy and the government. While the future monarch might not be able to expand the nation's territory, with the royal family's funds, maintaining a comfortable life should be no problem.
As the saying goes, "With great power comes great responsibility." An incapable absolute monarch could very well lead the royal family into the abyss.
Thanks to the surplus in the finances, the available funds for the government had reached 240 million Australian dollars, and the funds were being spent rapidly.
This was a great advantage for Australasia's future expansion in the navy or other areas. With ample funds, war-related expenses could be secured.
The agricultural sector continued to maintain the previous year's level, with a slight increase in per capita arable land. If the per capita arable land last year was around 2.28 acres, it had officially surpassed 2.3 acres this year, though it remained close to that figure.
(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