Chapter 103 New South Wales Big Gold Mine (please support!)
Although the new relief policy of the Royal Relief Committee is somewhat less attractive than the previous free donation of materials, it has still received responses from many poor Australians.
According to a survey by the People's Livelihood Department, more than one million of Australia's nearly four million people have an annual income far lower than Australia's current per capita annual income, and many of them are low-educated people.
Many of these people are gold diggers attracted by the gold rush from surrounding areas and Asia. They were attracted by the wealth and came to distant foreign lands.
I originally thought that I could get a lot of wealth through gold mining, but who would have thought that it would be all in vain?
Although some people did make a fortune from gold hunting, most people still looked poor.
What's even worse is that compared to European immigrants, these people not only cannot culturally integrate, but their knowledge level is far below that.
This is also the reason why they have become the bottom population in Australia. In the face of cultural differences, the gap caused by knowledge is extremely huge.
Although after decades of living together, they have grudgingly assimilated culturally.
However, the gap with European immigrants cannot be bridged in a short time. When faced with a choice, most Australian factories tend to choose European immigrants who are well-established.
This has also resulted in these people always being at the bottom of Australia. Not to mention the chance to make a comeback, it is not easy to keep all their families fed.
Fortunately, after his coronation, Arthur immediately established the Royal Relief Committee to help all poor people in Australia.
This also allowed them to temporarily obtain food and clothing, and live the few happy lives they had after coming to Australia.
These people still support the new round of relief policies of the Royal Rescue Committee. After all, if they really want to go out to find a job, they may not be able to find a job better than the one assigned to them by the rescue committee.
By completing the tasks assigned to them by the relief committee on time, they not only receive food to fill their stomachs, but also receive a handsome salary.
Although the amount of salary can reach the passing line of per capita income, it is still a good income for these low-income people.
It is precisely because of the support of these people that the new round of work-for-relief policy of the Royal Rescue Committee will achieve good results.
In the twenty days after the National Day alone, more than 50,000 people signed up to participate in the work-for-relief program.
Most of these people were assigned to work in local cities, either cleaning streets or doing other odd jobs.
Although the income is not high, he can still earn eight or nine pounds a year, so supporting himself is not a problem.
Some young and able-bodied people were assigned to work in factories. Although factory work is more tiring, you can earn more money.
Factory wages generally exceed the per capita income level. Even the lowest-paid intern workers earn an annual income of ten pounds.
The joining of these people can also speed up the construction of industrial zones and major factories, and they can also earn the funds they want. It can be said to be a win-win situation.
At the same time, the royal family can save the high annual relief costs and use them in places of greater need, such as building nursing homes and orphanages.
The cost of relieving these people last year exceeded two million pounds, but the results achieved were also very good, and the vast majority of Australians did not have to suffer from hunger.
February 3, 1902, Arthur's estate.
Not long after Arthur entered his leisure time, Prime Minister Evan hurriedly asked for a meeting and brought absolutely good news. As one of the first areas where gold mines were discovered, a gold mine was discovered in southern New South Wales, south of Sydney, and the estimated reserves are quite large.
This is good news for Australia. Since the discovery of the Ballarat gold mine in Victoria more than 50 years ago, the second world gold rush has attracted a large number of immigrants and gold prospectors to Australia. Australia's gold mining industry also reached its first peak during this time.
However, with the development of time, fewer and fewer gold reserves have been discovered, and gold mining has entered a relatively gentle stage.
Not only has it become less attractive to settlers, gold mines have also become very scarce.
More importantly, most of the gold mines before this were transported to the British mainland.
A lot of wealth has flowed into the pockets of British gentlemen, but Australians can actually get not much.
Although Australians do not need to be oppressed and exploited by the British Empire after Arthur's coronation, the output of gold mines has become very small. Even after more than two years of accumulation, it is still very scarce at the national level.
This is why Arthur did not issue his own currency for two years after his coronation.
In addition to the deep-rooted status of the pound, it is unlikely that any currency will replace the pound's status in Australia in the short term. Australia does not have enough gold to produce banknotes. Another important factor is that Australia does not have enough gold to produce banknotes.
Most currencies in this era were on the gold standard and could be directly exchanged for gold.
Take the pound as an example. One pound is equal to 7.33 grams of gold. This is why the pound is valuable.
If Australia wants to issue its own currency, even if it is only used on a small scale in Australia, it must have enough gold for equivalent exchange.
After all, although the credibility of currency can be temporarily maintained by the prestige of the government and the royal family, what really determines the value and lifespan of currency is the gold reserves owned by the country.
At present, this large-scale gold mine plays a vital role in Australia's issuance of its own currency.
Even if it is not used to issue currency, this gold mine alone can trigger another wave of gold rush and attract more immigrants to Australia.
After learning the good news, Arthur immediately took Prime Minister Evan and a team of guards to the place where the gold mine was discovered in southern Sydney.
In fact, newly discovered gold deposits are not just in New South Wales. This is a canyon at the junction of New South Wales and Victoria, but the larger mining area is within the boundaries of New South Wales.
This canyon is about two to three kilometers long and wide, and there is a creek next to it.
Judging from the scenery, it is a nice place. But after the discovery of gold mines, the scenery in this area was destined to be destroyed.
By the time Arthur arrived, most of the preliminary exploration work had been carried out.
According to reports from explorers, almost the entire canyon contains gold deposits, and the deepest depth has been detected to tens of meters underground.
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(End of chapter)