Chapter 51: New Zealand
Prime Minister Evan, a seasoned politician who had ruled the New South Wales colony for over a decade, was indeed far more capable in viewing and analyzing issues than Henris, who had previously only been a minor city government official.
Much like Arthur's own thinking, Australia's current developmental focus still lay in domestic industrialization and other foundational infrastructure.
Incorporating New Guinea as part of the homeland would only increase Australia's burden without offering any substantial benefits in practice.
Continuing to retain New Guinea as a colony was a more practical solution for Australia. It would allow continued exploitation of nearly 700,000 indigenous people as free labor, while also enabling full concentration on developing the Australian mainland.
However, since Arthur was a monarch, he couldn't directly undermine the enthusiasm of his subordinates. Therefore, Arthur's perspective—or rather the correct perspective—needed to be expressed by another official, and Arthur would simply agree with it.
It was clear that Prime Minister Evan had experience in this matter. At the very least, he understood what the best course of action was for Australia at present, and also anticipated what Arthur was most likely to choose.
After Evan voiced his opinion, Arthur did not impulsively support either side. Instead, he smiled and said to everyone, "Since there are only two views among us, let's vote on them. We are a democratic government. When disagreements arise, we should resolve them through democratic means."
Though that was what he said, the smart ones already knew which view to support. Most could discern Arthur's subtle difference in attitude between the two options. Even though it wasn't overt, it was still evident which opinion pleased him more.
Nonetheless, this voting method satisfied political newcomers like Henris. Everyone felt that their views were respected—accepted or not, at least they weren't outright rejected, right?
Soon enough, the vote was concluded smoothly. Everyone agreed to continue treating New Guinea as an Australian colony and to rename it as "Australian New Guinea."
All existing institutional policies in New Guinea would remain unchanged, except that their allegiance would now shift to Australia.
As for the appointment of the Governor of New Guinea, Arthur nominated Aníbal Enrique Hernández, a suggestion that received unanimous approval from the cabinet.
Aníbal Enrique Hernández was one of the subordinates left to Arthur by Duke Arthur. He was a rather well-rounded talent.
Although Aníbal Enrique Hernández did not excel in any particular field, his overall capabilities were above the qualified threshold, and he was loyal to Arthur and the royal family—a fitting candidate for Governor.
After all, Arthur didn't expect New Guinea to achieve much under Hernández's rule. His primary responsibility was simply to maintain stability in Australian New Guinea and ensure that the annual taxes and resources collected were delivered to Australia on time.
After resolving the administrative issue of the New Guinea colony, Arthur threw the thornier issue of New Zealand to the government.
New Zealand was not like British New Guinea. It was one of Britain's self-governing colonies and already had a population nearing one million.
Much like Australia previously, New Zealand was also striving for political and economic independence. Historically, it became a dominion of Britain in 1907 and fully independent in 1947, subsequently joining the Commonwealth.
Though New Zealand lagged behind Australia in both land area and population, one couldn't deny it was already seeking independence. Thus, policies and systems related to New Zealand had to be handled with care, or else they risked inciting dissatisfaction that could lead to New Zealand separating from Australia.
Moreover, Arthur held no sovereignty over New Zealand. He was merely appointed Governor of New Zealand for a 20-year term under the orders of Queen Victoria.
While Arthur gained administrative authority and an advantage in ruling New Zealand during these 20 years, this didn't mean New Zealand was firmly under his control. Due to the lack of legal foundation, Arthur's only real hope lay in the New Zealand referendum 20 years later—to have the majority of New Zealanders choose to remain under his rule and form a united nation with Australia.
Such a union wasn't without precedent. One of the world's major powers, the Austro-Hungarian Empire, had been formed as a union between the Austrian Empire and the Kingdom of Hungary. The Austrian Emperor Franz was also the King of Hungary.
However, the Austro-Hungarian Empire had serious flaws: the union between the two countries was not close. Although the Austrian Empire largely took the lead, the Kingdom of Hungary still retained significant autonomy, making it more of a dual monarchy.
Thanks to Franz's exceptional ability, this patchwork empire could still function and maintain its status among the great powers.
But the country couldn't withstand external shocks. After its defeat in World War I, the Austro-Hungarian Empire splintered into several smaller nations, and its former prestige evaporated.
Given the geographic distance between New Zealand and Australia, it was impossible to annex New Zealand directly as a new Australian state.
Therefore, the better solution in the future would be to form a new united nation with New Zealand, merging the two countries into one.
"Everyone, regarding New Zealand, let's discuss what we should do," Arthur said, glancing around. "Our term of governance in New Zealand is only twenty years. If we don't properly resolve New Zealand's issues within this time, then twenty years from now, we'll be forced to watch New Zealand return to Britain's embrace or become an independent nation."
After scanning the room and seeing no one volunteer to answer, Arthur began calling on individuals directly.
"Prime Minister Evan," Arthur asked, "since you were once Premier of the New South Wales colony, you should be able to empathize with colonies like New Zealand that seek independence. Tell us, how should we handle the governance of New Zealand? Should we continue to treat it as a colony, or manage it as a new region? In the face of New Zealand's independence movement, should we sit idly by or let it act freely?"
These were difficult questions. Arthur was currently Governor of New Zealand. If he allowed New Zealand to become independent, it would bring him no benefit at all.
But if he suppressed New Zealand's independence, would the people of New Zealand still have favorable feelings toward Arthur?
If Arthur lost the hearts of the New Zealand people, would there still be any chance, twenty years later, for a referendum to merge New Zealand and Australia into one nation?
(End of Chapter)
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