Chapter 550: Further Mechanization of Agriculture
After all the people involved in the fight were taken to the police station, the Asians who were watching also came to the vicinity of the police station.
They wanted to see what the official attitude of Australasia was towards this matter, which actually determined Australasia's attitude towards the island country.
In less than two hours, all the Australians who participated in the fight walked out of the police station with a smile on their faces, which also surprised the Asians who were watching on the side.
Being able to walk out of the police station so happily means that these Australians will not be punished.
The two islanders have not walked out of the police station to receive treatment so far. Such a huge difference in attitude also determines that Australasia's attitude towards the island country will definitely not be too good.
Several people looked at each other and saw ecstasy in it. It is equivalent to determining that Australasia will never unite with the island country, and may even become the enemy of the island country.
As the saying goes, the enemy of the enemy is the ally, which also means that they may get some support from Australasia, although it will also pay a huge price. (There are only interests between countries, there is no such thing as free support.)
Afterwards, several guards from the palace also conveyed Arthur's attitude to the police station: "No matter who it is, trampling on the national flag is a provocation to the country and the royal family. Those who trample on the national flag repeatedly and do not change should be sentenced to severe punishment to serve as a warning to others."
Arthur's attitude is the highest order in Australasia. After sending the guards away, the police station immediately decided on the sentence for the two island students: for the crime of repeatedly trampling on the national flag, they were sentenced to 20 years in prison in the well, plus 15 years of labor reform; for the accessory crime of repeatedly trampling on the national flag, Murakami was sentenced to 5 years in prison, plus 2 years of labor reform.
Such a sentence can be said to be quite serious. At least this is the first case in the history of Australasia where a serious crime was committed because of trampling on the national flag.
Moreover, because the other party is an island student, it will definitely lead to diplomatic protests from the island country.
But Arthur didn't care at all. Australasia is not a weak country. If the crime of trampling on the national flag can be easily forgiven, doesn't it mean that any international students from powerful countries can step on the flag of Australasia?
Faced with such severe punishment, the islanders will definitely protest. Arthur directly ordered the Ministry of Foreign Affairs to take the lead in questioning the island countries and take the initiative in this incident.
As for reducing the punishment for the international students from the two island countries, that is impossible.
After giving all the instructions, Arthur focused on the three R108 battleships currently under construction at the Sydney Shipyard.
The government attaches great importance to the construction of the R108 battleship and has mobilized many technical experts from the other two major shipyards, which has also made the construction of the R108 battleship very fast. The total construction progress is estimated to have been completed by 17%.
Although it seems less than one-fifth, after all, only about two months have passed, and the overall progress is still quite fast.
Because the size far exceeds all the main battleships in Australasia before, the visual effect of these three battleships is also quite shocking. The keel currently laid alone is enough to make people praise it as a behemoth.
"What is the current progress of artillery research? Can the development of 18-inch artillery be completed before the battleship is built?" Arthur asked curiously.
Looking at the huge guy in front of him, Arthur's ambition became even bigger. I said that Arthur was only satisfied with the world's mainstream 16-inch main gun before, so now Arthur even wants to equip these three battleships with the most powerful 18-inch main gun.
"Our cooperation with the British is still ongoing, and there has been no breakthrough in the research on 18-inch main guns. In addition to the long testing phase, it is estimated that there will be no results within a year." Defense Minister Raul replied.
This kind of military research is basically led by the Ministry of Defense. Therefore, as the Minister of Defense, Raul is definitely the most clear about the research on the 18-inch main gun.
"Try to speed up the progress. If we can equip the E108 battleship with 18-inch main guns, it will be the most powerful battleship in the world!" Arthur said with great anticipation.
The world's top battleships in armor, power and firepower are also a crushing blow to the battleships with 16-inch main guns from other countries.
Although it cannot reach the level of crushing of the dreadnought over the pre-dreadnought, it is definitely a big lead in the actual combat effectiveness of the warship.
"The British are also very interested in the 18-inch main gun, and I believe the battleship Nagato will also put pressure on the British. If nothing unexpected happens, the British Empire should also build powerful battleships with 18-inch main guns, and they should also want to see the birth of 18-inch main guns as soon as possible." Minister Raul said with a smile.
It is not only Australasia that has such ambitions in naval expansion, and basically all countries will have ambitions.
As the British Empire with the most powerful navy, it naturally wants to maintain its naval superiority and keep the title of the strongest battleship in the Royal Navy, rather than the island country, which was supported by Britain and the United States before it rose to prominence.
Arthur nodded, not surprised by Raul's statement.
The island country was ambitious enough to build the Nagato battleship, which was known as the most powerful battleship in the world. It was unreasonable for the British not to react.
Even if the naval restriction treaty is about to be reached, battleships built before the treaty is reached will not be considered illegal. This is the last chance for the British Empire and Australasia.
"Whether it can be installed on battleships or not, the 18-inch main gun technology is very important for the development of the navy. It can be used on battleships, but we must use it." Arthur instructed Minister Raul.
"Yes, Your Majesty. I will urge the artillery research and development department to increase cooperation with the British and develop 18-inch main guns as soon as possible." Minister Raul nodded and promised.
"The construction of warships must also be kept strictly confidential. I don't want any data about the R108 battleship to be leaked before the treaty is signed." Arthur continued.
"Yes, Your Majesty. Please rest assured that all technicians and workers involved in the construction of the R108 battleship have signed a confidentiality agreement and will live near the shipyard during the entire construction period to ensure that the information will not be leaked. At the same time, the security around the Royal Shipyard has also been upgraded in all aspects, and no outsiders are allowed to enter the Royal Shipyard to prevent the possibility of warship information being leaked." Speaking of the confidentiality of the battleship construction, Minister Raul did not dare to be careless and quickly revealed all the work he had arranged.
"Well, confidentiality must not be neglected. Before the warship is completed, all personnel involved in the construction must not leave Sydney. For the sake of the country, restricting the freedom of personnel is also a last resort. As compensation, after the warship is completed, everyone will have a reward, and everyone's merits will also be recorded. I hope everyone can strictly abide by the confidentiality agreement. On behalf of the country and the royal family, thank you for your efforts!" After confirming the confidentiality, Arthur looked at the workers and technical experts around him and said with a very sincere attitude.
"Don't worry, Your Majesty, we will never reveal any information, and we will never go out before the warship is built." The surrounding construction workers and technical experts also said hurriedly.
They were willing to contribute to the country, and with Arthur's personal explanation and reward, they were naturally more willing, and they wanted to eat, drink, defecate and urinate in the shipyard.
Seeing that no one objected, Arthur nodded with satisfaction and said with a smile: "You are all heroes of the country! Ladies and gentlemen, I am waiting for the day when the warship is completed, and I will personally celebrate for you!"
Arthur's inspection of the shipyard ended with everyone laughing.
In order to take care of the mood of the technical experts and workers in the shipyard, the meals provided by the shipyard have become very rich. Not only are all kinds of beef and mutton in excess supply, but also limited fruits can be selected daily.
There will be small banquets every once in a while to help these technical workers relieve their boredom and prevent them from staying in one place for a long time and feeling irritated.
Under such policies, skilled workers and experts will not feel bored staying in the shipyard for a long time. Instead, they are full of energy when working, and they all feel that they are contributing to the country.
In fact, it is true. Because of these people's long-term hard work and strict confidentiality, Australasia Diesel has the opportunity to obtain powerful battleships before the naval limitation treaty comes into effect.
February 1, 1921, Sydney.
It has been 20 days since the National Day, and all walks of life in Australasia have once again resumed a steady growth state.
Arthur has been very bored in recent days, so he decided to take a walk around the farms outside Sydney to learn about the agricultural production situation outside Sydney.
The suburbs of Sydney now are not the same as the suburbs of Sydney 20 years ago. After 20 years of development, Sydney has expanded several times in size. The suburbs 20 years ago have developed into new urban areas. The suburbs are now dozens of kilometers away from the center of Sydney.
In addition to the security personnel, Arthur was accompanied by the Minister of Agriculture Robert Swift.
Arthur was very satisfied with the farms all over the outskirts of Sydney. It also represents the agricultural production of Australasia. Food is the most important thing in a country's strategic reserves.
"How many agricultural population do we have at present?" As he walked, Arthur suddenly asked a very interesting question.
As a basic population division of a country, the agricultural population has a certain proportion, but it will definitely exist.
The agricultural population refers to the population engaged in agriculture, which is an indispensable group of people in a country and an important guarantee for the country's food reserves.
Arthur asked this question without any discrimination or prejudice, but simply wanted to know the number of people engaged in agriculture in Australasia, so as to facilitate the corresponding policy arrangements and plans.
"According to the situation in recent years, our agricultural population accounts for about one-seventh of the total population, totaling more than 3.21 million people." Minister of Agriculture Robert carefully recalled the data he remembered, and answered after confirming that it was correct.
"3.21 million people? Do we have so many agricultural populations?" Arthur frowned slightly and asked in surprise.
With the acceleration of industrialization, the agricultural population in developed countries in Europe and the United States has been significantly reduced.
In 1840, the agricultural population of the British accounted for 22% of the total population. In 1900, the proportion of agricultural population had dropped to below 8.5%.
Although there is no accurate information on the agricultural population data of the UK, it is definitely lower than 8.5%.
One seventh of Australasia is 14.3%, which is equivalent to the level of Britain 40 or 50 years ago.
According to the 8.5% agricultural population of the British in 1900, Australasia has wasted at least 1.3 million people.
If all these agricultural populations are used in other industries, it will bring vigorous vitality to other industries in Australasia.
You should know that the total population of Australasia is only 22.57 million. Saving 1.3 million manpower is equivalent to hundreds of thousands of reserve soldiers.
"At present, agricultural machinery has not been popularized in some areas due to various reasons such as terrain. First, agricultural machinery is too expensive, and second, the agricultural land of the people has become somewhat scattered due to urban development." Minister Robert explained hurriedly.
The land of Australasia is much larger than that of the United Kingdom, and the land that can be used for planting is larger than the entire land area of the United Kingdom, which also makes the agricultural environment of Australasia far superior to that of the United Kingdom.
However, it is precisely because the land area is too vast that the arable land environment in Australasia is too complex. Some areas are not suitable for mechanization, or the cost of mechanization is too high.
"Agricultural mechanization must continue to advance, and our agricultural population must be further reduced." Arthur thought carefully for a while and said.
"Australasia has a vast land area, and because it is a new immigrant country, agricultural mechanization should be easier. The current development of the Murray River Basin Plain is an opportunity. I hope to reduce the agricultural population in Australasia and save at least one million manpower to invest in other industries. Where machinery can be used, try to use machinery. It is not worth wasting manpower in such places. Minister Robert, I hope that the Ministry of Agriculture can formulate a plan for further mechanization of agriculture as soon as possible to encourage people to buy machinery for agricultural production to liberate manpower." Arthur ordered.
"For agricultural producers who lack funds, we can provide certain subsidies, or lend agricultural machinery to the public in the form of interest-free loans and mortgages, and use the method of first use and then pay to promote the mechanization of the entire agricultural production. Although we have caught up with the powerful countries in some aspects, we still have a lot to do in terms of mechanization and so on. After the plan is formulated, it will be submitted to the cabinet for discussion. I will ask the Ministry of Finance to support your plan and promote further mechanization of Australasia as soon as possible."
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