The Rise Of Australasia-Chapter 1072 - 800: Broken Hill Industrial Base

The industrial situation was not far off from Arthur's expectations, and this level of industry was sufficient to deal with future wars.

Even though the total production of steel showed minor disparities, the industrial condition in Australasia could be expanded at any time, which was not a significant problem.

After Minister Joey from the Ministry of Industry finished his report, Arthur turned his gaze towards Machey, the Minister of Agriculture.

Strategic grain reserves were very important, an aspect Arthur had clearly understood for quite some time now.

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"Your Majesty, as of the end of last year, our strategic grain reserves stood at 20.25 million tons, roughly enough to supply 55 million people for two years," said Minister Machey with evident pride:

Considering our relatively developed animal husbandry, our grain reserves can last for two to three years, and we are producing fresh food every year."

While grain reserves are extremely important, having too many is not necessarily better. After all, with a current population of only 40 million in Australasia, too large a strategic grain reserve is actually an economic cost.

"What is our annual food production currently?" Arthur asked.

"Your Majesty, as of last year, our total cultivated land area has exceeded 48 million acres, roughly equivalent to 194,000 square kilometers of land.

With such a vast area of cultivated land, our annual grain production has already surpassed 28.25 million tons, with an average annual food export exceeding 13 million tons." Minister Machey spoke excitedly when it came to the news from the Ministry of Agriculture.

Not only do these figures look impressive, but they are also a part of Minister Machey's political achievements.

This year is undoubtedly the most critical year in the political careers of these cabinet members.

That's because, this summer, in a few months' time, the eighth Cabinet Government election of Australasia will take place.

At that time, whether these cabinet members will remain in their positions or make further progress within the Cabinet will depend on the results of their work over the years.

The data from the Ministry of Agriculture is rather good, which also means that Machey has a great chance of being re-elected.

As an officer who entered the Cabinet for the first time, the likelihood of Minister Machey climbing higher was slim. This fate meant that from the start, Minister Machey's plan was to be re-elected and then to strive for even greater possibilities in the next term.

Hearing Minister Machey's report, Arthur's expression did not change much, but inwardly he was quite satisfied.

The impressive data from the Ministry of Agriculture was largely due to the successful development of the Murray River Basin.

Speaking of it, the development of the Murray River Basin had been going on for a long time, and the acreage of cultivated land developed was countless.

Thanks to these superior lands, Australasia's food production indeed experienced significant growth.

Moreover, apart from the native lands, considerable areas of cultivated land have also been opened up in Southeast Asia across all states.

After all, compared to the Australasian continent, the Southeast Asian Region has its advantages: crops can be harvested three times a year.

The most advanced Java State in the food industry has already contributed one-tenth of Australasia's total food production, which is enough to demonstrate just how extraordinary the agricultural situation is in the fertile Java State.

But for Arthur, these figures were not outlandish. After all, in later generations, Java Island supported a population of over one hundred million.

Currently, the population of Java Island has just barely surpassed one million, which for Java Island, is easily manageable in terms of sustaining such a population.

"The next step for the Ministry of Agriculture is to develop Java Island's agricultural potential to the fullest," Arthur thought for a moment before instructing, "Now that our scale of cultivated land and food production are basically sufficient, the next step is to develop food production as much as possible with minimal costs, in preparation for a possible future war.

The food in Java Island can be harvested three times a year and is presently the best food-producing area nationwide.

The Ministry of Agriculture quickly draft a development plan for Java Island's agriculture; I hope to make Java Island one of the most important food-producing regions in Australasia, contributing at least one-fifth of Australasia's food."

The annual total food production of Australasia could approximately sustain a population of 85 million people. If Java Island were to contribute one-fifth, that would be nearly enough to support 17 million people.

Honestly, this is a tall order for Java Island. After all, its population has just surpassed one million, and to produce enough food for 17 million people with a population of 1 million is only achievable on lands like Java Island, where crops can be harvested three times a year.

If it were on the Australasian mainland, relying on current agricultural technology, it would be very difficult to achieve a food supply for 17 million people with only a million people working the land.

Even with various types of mechanical equipment at their disposal, this plan is certainly not easy to accomplish.

Of course, for Minister Machey right now, Arthur's requirement is a crucial test.

Keep in mind, this year is the term change for the Cabinet Government. If Minister Machey brings forth a rather perfect plan, might Arthur let Minister Machey stay in his position as Minister of Agriculture to execute this flawless plan?

Compared to someone unfamiliar with the plan, it's undoubtedly more suitable for Minister Machey, who personally proposed the plan, to carry it out.

"Yes, Your Majesty. Please rest assured, I will present the most perfect plan in the shortest possible time," Minister Machey quickly stood up, excitedly assuring Arthur upon hearing his request.

The other members knew that this was Minister Machey's best opportunity for reappointment. If he could perfectly complete Arthur's task, his reappointment would be a sure thing.

Unfortunately, Arthur definitely wouldn't assign tasks to everyone. This meant that, for most cabinet members to continue their tenure, they needed to produce their own accomplishments.

"Since the country's finances are currently in good shape, it's also time to increase our annual military budget proportion," Arthur said, looking at everyone towards the end of the meeting.

"Your Majesty, by how much should we increase the military budget proportion?" The mention of increasing military expenses immediately had Minister of Defence Thomas on his feet, asking.

For Minister Thomas, an increase in military funds was certainly good news. More importantly, Arthur's statement seemed to imply an annual increase in the military budget proportion, which also meant that the Ministry of Defense would have sufficient funds to re-equip all military forces.

"How much is the Ministry of Defense's military budget for this year?" Arthur inquired.

Arthur didn't have a specific plan in mind for how much to increase the military budget, but with the year already 1932, and the global situation vastly different from history, it was necessary to increase the military budget proportion as soon as possible to prevent war.

"Your Majesty, this year the Ministry of Defense's budget accounts for 29.1% of the Total Fiscal Expenditure, approximately 124.25 million Australian dollars," Defense Minister Thomas replied.

"Let's temporarily raise it to 31%," Arthur instructed. "This 1.9% increase will be deducted from other departments. Our current goal is to make our military as strong as possible."

Although it seemed to be only a 1.9% increase, the actual funds amounted to 8.11 million Australian dollars, a significant expenditure.

Watching the other ministers wince, Arthur said irritably, "The total fiscal budget will be increased by 10 million this year. Compared to last year, I believe our financial situation will be even better."

Although each department still had to scrape together some funds despite the increase of 10 million in the budget, it was much better than no increase at all.

Upon hearing Arthur say this, the departments ceased their intended complaints about poverty and sat down solemnly.

Even though Arthur had increased this year's fiscal budget with just a few words, Minister Hunter had no intentions of opposing it.

After all, this year's original fiscal budget was 427.5 million Australian dollars, and an additional 10 million would only bring it to 437.5 million Australian dollars.

Last year's fiscal revenue already reached 437 million Australian dollars, and with even the slightest growth this year, it would exceed that figure.

As long as balance was maintained in revenue and expenditure on top of the increase in military spending, Minister Hunter would have completed his mission.

Other countries, because of the naval arms race, were continually increasing their military expenditures. If Australasia didn't keep pace, it would inevitably suffer in a war.

"How is the construction of our Broken Hill Industrial Base progressing?" At the end of the meeting, Arthur suddenly remembered Australasia's second major industrial base under key development, located in the Capital Region.

"Currently, Broken Hill Industrial Base's second phase of construction has been completed smoothly and has started production, with the expectation of reaching maximum production by the end of this year," Minister of Industry Joey reported:

"So far, the construction and production at Broken Hill Industrial Base are proceeding without issues, and there is hope that by this year it will become the nation's second-largest industrial base, second only to Leonora Industrial Base."

Arthur nodded, understanding the reason Minister Joey mentioned they could expand industrial scale and steel production capacity at any time.

Though Broken Hill Industrial Base was planned to be smaller in scale than Leonora Industrial Base, it was still definitely a large industrial base.

Originally laid out as one to the east and one to the west with the Leonora Industrial Base, and with it also being in the Capital Region, Broken Hill Industrial Base would attract even more workers.

For this industrial base, the Industrial Sector had invested as much as 72 million Australian dollars.

Of course, the returns on this investment were also substantial. When in full production, Broken Hill Industrial Base could accommodate thousands of factories and provide over 500,000 jobs.

Once war broke out, with just one command from the government, Broken Hill Industrial Base could be transformed into a military production base.

Whether it was producing all kinds of weapons and equipment, firearms and ammunition, or any war-related scarce materials, Broken Hill Industrial Base would be up to the task.

Both the Leonora Industrial Base and Broken Hill Industrial Base were located inland on the Australian continent and didn't have to worry about enemy airplanes bombing them.

In the event of war, these two regions would be like the two beating hearts of Australasia, producing volumes of industrial goods continuously and creating an endless stream of wealth for Australasia.

"Ensure that Broken Hill Industrial Base enters full production as soon as possible and rapidly increases our stockpile of war reserve materials," Arthur instructed: "

Additionally, resolve the issues surrounding the transportation of materials in the vicinity of the two industrial bases. In the event of war, these bases will produce a large amount of industrial goods, and we need an excellent transportation infrastructure to distribute these products domestically and internationally."