Chapter 204 Two major events happened in the Kingdom of Australasia at the end of 1905. First, Norway became an independent country and chose the then Danish Prince Karl as its king, King Haakon VII of Norway .
This also represents the official dissolution of the Swedish-Norwegian Union, and a sub-powerful country in the northern part of the European continent has officially become two third-rate countries.
The second incident occurred on October 2 at the Portsmouth Naval Shipyard in the United Kingdom.
On this day, the construction of the historically famous HMS Dreadnaught battleship officially started, and it was successfully launched into the water and began testing in just four months.
Although the subsequent testing phase lasted for more than a year, it cannot be denied that this battleship, which was built in just four months, will have an impact on the future world naval structure and warship system.
At the end of 1905, the federal governments of Australia and New Zealand held a summary meeting to report to Arthur on the federal government's achievements and actions over the past year.
The first is the demographic situation of the federation. After the merger of Australia and New Zealand, the total population of the Federation at that time had exceeded more than five million, very close to six million.
At the end of 1905, the total population of the Commonwealth of Australia and New Zealand exceeded 6.2 million. Among them, the total population of Australia was as high as 5.03 million, the total population of New Zealand was about 1.14 million, and the total population of the colony of New Guinea was just over 30,000. .
From an industrial perspective, the industrial development of the Commonwealth of Australia and New Zealand is also very rapid, with total steel production even exceeding 1.5 million tons.
Among them, the federal steel output officially exceeded 500,000 tons, reaching a gratifying figure of about 513,200 tons.
The iron output is also close to one million tons, which has been able to meet the various steel needs within the Commonwealth of Australia and New Zealand, and has even been exported to Southeast Asia in small quantities.
It is worth mentioning that Australia’s plan to introduce the indigenous population in the Dutch East Indies and its plan to force indigenous people to work across the country were very successful.
This is also due to the widespread racism of European immigrants and the White Australia policy and philosophy formed in Europe. All federal citizens support the oppression of these indigenous people, and no one expresses cruelty towards the oppression of indigenous people.
Of course, Australians would never say that. The development of a country often creates some more dangerous jobs. These jobs in Australia are basically performed by indigenous people, which greatly reduces the casualties of Australian workers.
Australians are now able to enjoy an increasingly better life, isn’t it partly because these indigenous people sacrificed their lives to create it?
So far, the Australian National University has successfully graduated three classes of students, creating nearly 2,000 outstanding college students for Australia.
There is no doubt about the value of a university degree in this era. These two thousand people will also become the backbone of the development of various industries in Australia, and may even become the top force.
Australia's transportation industry has also made rapid progress in the past few years. The first is the roads needed for daily transportation. Australia has completed the connections between all cities and has connected roads to smaller villages and facilities.
In terms of railways, after two years of development, Australia has completed a single-line railway connection from Perth, the capital of Western Australia, to Adelaide, the capital of South Australia.
This also means that the industrial railway across the entire Australia has completed the construction of a single line. Australians can travel from Perth, the capital of Western Australia, to any capital of the five states and the capital territory of mainland Australia, such as Adelaide, Melbourne, and Sydney. , Newcastle and Brisbane.
Although Tasmania does not enjoy railway treatment, Tasmania's road system is the most developed of all Australian states.
In order to take care of the sentiments of the newly joined New Zealand, the federal government also planned a railway in the South Island and North Island of New Zealand.
However, New Zealand's previous railways were very developed. These two railways are said to be construction, but in fact they are more about maintenance and reactivation.
Another area that is growing rapidly is the per capita income of the Commonwealth of Australia and New Zealand. By the end of 1905, the per capita annual income in the Commonwealth of Australia and New Zealand was approximately A$39, equivalent to 19.5 pounds in pounds sterling.
This income level has more than doubled compared to Australia five years ago, which is enough to show how rapidly Australia has developed in the past five years.
At this meeting, Arthur also proposed the idea of forming a new kingdom to observe the attitudes of the cabinet members.
Judging from the reactions of the cabinet members, Arthur was still very satisfied. All cabinet members support the creation of a united kingdom to better unite Australia and New Zealand.
In fact, the establishment of a new kingdom has also won the support of the German Empire and the Tsarist Russian Empire, and the Austria-Hungary Empire, as a die-hard ally of the German Empire, will never object.
Under the premise that Arthur has the handle, Edward VII will never object, but will make a decision based on the reaction of the international community.
France was not a monarchy, and Arthur didn't care about their attitude. Most of the other European monarchies have good relations with Britain, Germany and Russia. If these three most powerful monarchies do not stand up to oppose it, the European monarchies will not object either.
Now that the problems have been resolved, Arthur decided not to hesitate and officially started discussions on establishing a new kingdom.
Western countries attach great importance to legal principles. Even Napoleon, who was once arrogant, had to say that he would become the emperor of the French when he proclaimed himself emperor.
There are only two orthodox emperors in Europe, the Holy Roman Empire and the Eastern Roman Empire, which were inherited from the Western Roman Empire.
But since the two great empires have declined, there have been many European monarchs who have used various titles to claim emperors.
For example, Queen Victoria, who was known as the Emperor of India, the Czar who claimed to have inherited the legal principles of Eastern Rome, the Austrian Empire that was created from the former Holy Roman Emperor, and the German Empire that came to power by stepping on the French.
It can be seen that for the current European system, legal principles are important, but strength can also override legal principles.
But despite saying this, there still has to be some explanation. After all, the establishment of a new kingdom must be announced to the outside world, and there must be a reasonable explanation.
First of all, to establish a unified kingdom, there must be legal principles that include all regions.
In fact, the name Australia has a certain legal basis, because the previous New Zealand was an Australian colony, and it seems reasonable to establish an Australian kingdom to rule the current Australia and New Zealand.
But it cannot be denied that New Zealand has been independent for decades, and New Zealanders have gradually shown their differences from Australians.
At this time, it is a bit difficult to integrate New Zealanders into Australians and make them Australians again.
However, there is no solution to the problem. As early as 1756, French scholar Brosset published a book called "Histoire des navigations aux terres australes", which divided Australia, New Zealand and neighboring Pacific islands in Oceania into a region, named Australasia.
Topographically speaking, Australasia includes the Australian mainland, the island of Tasmania, New Zealand and Melanesia, and even New Guinea and the neighboring islands of northeastern Australia.
The scope of Australasia perfectly includes Australia's current jurisdiction, and there are basically no countries in this area that conflict with Australasia's legal principles.
This also means that it is legal and reasonable to establish a Kingdom of Australasia to rule all areas within Australasia.
It just so happens that a new name can also avoid disputes between Australia and New Zealand, allowing Australians and New Zealanders to integrate into the new country and mix into a new nation, Australasians.
In fact, after the independence of Australia and New Zealand in history, they also used the name Australasia for a period of time.
For example, in the tennis competitions from 1905 to 1913, Australia and New Zealand merged and used the name Australasia to compete together, including the two subsequent Olympic Games in 1908 and 1912.
From this point, we can also see the attitude of people in Australia and New Zealand towards mutual union.
Because the ethnic composition is similar, and they are basically immigrants from Britain and Europe, the gap between ethnic groups is actually not that big.
Coupled with Arthur's current high support and huge popularity in Australia and New Zealand, it is not an illusion for this newly formed country to receive widespread support.
The meeting continued into the evening, with cabinet members still having heated discussions.
In fact, this is normal. After the establishment of a new kingdom, it means that the federal government that was originally maintained for a short period of time will be replaced, thereby forming a unified kingdom government. This also has to take into account the survival of the Government of the Principality of Australia and the Government of the Principality of New Zealand, as well as the future system of the Royal Government.
These are closely related to the interests of these officials, and they are also the reason why they can continue to negotiate until night without any results.
But there are still many more important things that have been determined. For example, the name of the newly established kingdom will be Australasia, the capital of the kingdom will still be Sydney in the Capital Territory, and the current administrative regions of Australia will not experience much change.
If a unified royal government is established, the fate of the governments of the Principality of Australia and the Principality of New Zealand will also be a serious problem.
In the end, Arthur made the decision and decided to abolish the governments of the Principality of Australia and the Principality of New Zealand after establishing the Government of the Kingdom of Australasia.
In the future, the six states of Australia, the Capital Territory, and the two states of North New Zealand and South New Zealand will all be directly under the unified management of the Royal Government.
The original Federal House of Representatives and the Royal House of Representatives will also be renamed the House of Representatives and the Royal House of Representatives of the Kingdom of Australasia.
Doing so will greatly strengthen the degree of unity between Australia and New Zealand and completely transform Australia and New Zealand into a unified kingdom.
The reason why Arthur dared to do this was precisely because he controlled the government of the Principality of Australia and the Government of the Principality of New Zealand, and had good reputation and support in both countries.
As long as Australians and New Zealanders do not object, even if some officials have objections to this, it will definitely not cause any trouble.
In the next few days, Arthur convened cabinet officials from the Government of the Principality of Australia and important officials from the Government of the Principality of New Zealand to discuss the retention of officials from the two principality governments after the establishment of the Kingdom.
Australia is the foundation of the new kingdom, and Australia's current cabinet government will also become the kingdom's first cabinet government.
The current issue is whether to stay or leave the government officials of the Principality of New Zealand. Some of them were transferred to the state governments of the two states of New Zealand, and other officials were hired by the Royal Government.
It just so happens that cabinet ministers often complain about the lack of manpower in various departments, so we can take this opportunity to expand the number of people in each department and enhance the administrative efficiency of the government.
As government officials discussed the future of the royal government, time quickly came to 1906.
January 10, 1906, Federation of Australia and New Zealand, Capital Territory, Sydney, in front of Sydney Palace.
Although the main body of Sydney Palace behind it has not yet been completed, the gardens and squares in front have been put into use.
As the largest square in Australia, Arthur immediately decided to hold the New Year’s National Day activities in this square.
The previous square in front of the Government Building could only accommodate less than 20,000 people, but now the Sydney Palace Square can accommodate more than three times the number of people.
As early as a few weeks ago, there were rumors that something big was going to happen on this National Day, which also made many people outside the Capital Territory determined to attend this National Day event.
Although the venue was much larger than before, people were still so crowded that it was even difficult to walk.
This newly built square, hosting an important national event for the first time, has already withstood the maximum capacity it was expected to accommodate, and even more.
Fortunately, the construction of Sydney Palace is a key project in Australia, and various supervision and supervision are also very strict. Naturally, no shoddy projects will be born.
Even the various building materials required for the construction of Sydney Palace were carefully selected and even purchased from major countries and regions around the world, and their sturdiness is trustworthy.
At about eight o'clock in the morning, Arthur's motorcade came slowly under the protection of a group of guards, and then stopped in front of the parade platform.
Arthur stepped out of the car, followed by important officials from the cabinet government and the governments of the two principalities.
Walking onto the parade stage smoothly, the normal National Day flag-raising and speeches did not begin.
Arthur walked to the loudspeaker, first inspected everyone in the audience, and then slowly spoke, saying: "All my Australians and New Zealanders, I am very happy to be able to speak in such a solemn manner. See you all the time."
"The union of Australians and New Zealanders has lasted for more than a year, and our federation has also achieved good development. I believe all Australians and New Zealanders can discover this, and the lives of all people have also Everything has become better."
At this point, bursts of cheers and applause erupted from the audience, indicating that what Arthur said was true.
After waiting for a while, Arthur continued: "Now, I have decided that it is time to unite us even more closely! Australians and New Zealanders will not distinguish each other, and we will live together in a new country. "
As he said that, Arthur also looked at the reaction of the crowd in the audience, and then continued: "I decided to merge Australia and New Zealand to form a new kingdom called Australasia! From now on, we will all be Australasia. The citizens of Rassia are all great Australasians. Long live Australasia!"
"Long live Australasia!"
"Long live His Royal Highness the Duke!"
The crowd shouted for a while, and then some people gradually came to their senses. What Arthur said.
If a kingdom has been established, then wouldn't Arthur also change from His Royal Highness the Duke to His Majesty the King?
As a result, the cheers and shouts on the field gradually turned into "Long live Australasia!" and "Long live His Majesty the King!"
Although people were a little surprised at the establishment of the kingdom at first, it soon evolved into joy and excitement.
The cheering lasted for a long time and even affected the progress of the following activities.
But no one cares about this, not even Arthur and government officials.
After the sky in the square gradually became quiet, Arthur continued: "As your king, I will continue to uphold my original intention and protect all my people, that is, Australasia composed of all Australians and New Zealanders. West Asians. It is the dream of the country, the government, the royal family and all Australasians to bring the country to rise and prosper, and for all Australasians to be on top of the world. I hope all Australians and New Zealanders can come together, Fight hard for our new kingdom, for our new nation, and realize our great dream of rising and prospering together. Long live Australasia!" To make the newly
formed kingdom more stable, unite all Australians and New Zealanders It is very necessary to get into the new Australasian range.
This is also the reason why Arthur stated the concept of Australasia many times at this time. The concept of Australasia through Arthur's mouth is more easily accepted by Australians and New Zealanders.
Amid the cheers and shouts of the crowd, the following National Day activities also went on successfully.
Because the Kingdom's flag has not yet been determined, the flags currently flying above the square are the flags of the Commonwealth of Australia and New Zealand, as well as the flag of the Royal Family.
I believe that after the government releases a call for national flags from the public, the Kingdom of Australasia’s flag design will soon have an answer.
The Victoria Newspaper and the Australian Daily also acted quickly. Shortly after the National Day activities ended, the two newspapers published all of Arthur's speeches on the National Day, and also attached an announcement on the establishment of the Kingdom of Australasia.
Of course, Arthur's actions went far beyond that. On the international front, Arthur officially notified all countries and invited major powers and important countries to send diplomatic ambassadors to each other.
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(End of chapter)