Chapter 54: Urban Planning
"Have all your officials settled in? There have been many guests coming to Britain recently, so your uncle couldn't personally welcome you. I hope you can forgive me, Arthur," Crown Prince Edward said with a smile.
After receiving a satisfactory reply from Arthur, Crown Prince Edward's smile grew even warmer. He didn't forget to express concern for the officials Arthur had brought with him.
"Everyone has been settled with the help of Aunt Beatrice. Uncle, you've had your hands full with Grandmother's funeral and national affairs. It's understandable that you haven't had the time," Arthur replied.
While receiving support from Britain was expected, how much support could be obtained still depended on Crown Prince Edward's attitude.
As long as the relationship wasn't strained, Arthur didn't mind maintaining a good rapport with Edward. After all, in the short term, Australia's interests didn't conflict with those of the British Empire. At least, not until Britain declined—Australia wasn't in a position to oppose it.
"Hahaha, as long as you don't mind, Arthur. Come, have a taste. These are all the foods you used to love when you were in Britain. I had the chef prepare them especially for you. After being in Australia so long, I'm sure you've missed them. Even if your grandmother left you with a few chefs, it's not easy to recreate the authentic British flavor in Australia," Crown Prince Edward said with a laugh, inviting Arthur to try the food that had long been prepared.
In their mutual understanding and friendly small talk, the banquet hall hosted a warm and familial dinner between uncle and nephew.
During the meal, Edward and Arthur chatted casually, like any pair of close relatives, discussing various amusing incidents and sharing stories.
Only when night fell and a guard reminded them of the hour did they realize how much time had passed and ended the meal.
While much of the dinner conversation was idle talk, Arthur did learn a few key pieces of information.
First was the arrangement of Queen Victoria's funeral. After discussions between the British cabinet and Crown Prince Edward, it was scheduled for November 29—two days later.
The second was the date of Crown Prince Edward's official coronation. Although technically, he had assumed the title of King immediately after Queen Victoria's death, he would not formally become King until the coronation ceremony.
His coronation was scheduled for the seventh day after Queen Victoria's funeral—December 6, 1900.
As for discussions regarding aid to Australia, they would be held after Edward officially became King, during a conference that would decide on the matter.
Overall, this arrangement was acceptable to Arthur. After all, he still enjoyed considerable public goodwill and recognition in Britain.
With the matter of Australia's support being decided by the British cabinet government, the political parties that composed it would have to take public sentiment into account.
From this perspective, the outcome was undeniably favorable to both Arthur and Australia.
Returning to his room, Arthur was exhausted. After tidying the bed a bit, he lay down and fell into a deep sleep.
In the two days before Queen Victoria's funeral, Arthur and the Australian diplomatic delegation had relatively little to do.
Since there were no pressing tasks, Arthur spent those two days leading the delegation around London—sightseeing while also studying various modern elements and discussing the feasibility of implementing them in Sydney.
Sydney served well as the capital of New South Wales, but as the capital of Australia, it could only be considered adequate.
Because it had once been just a colony, Sydney was not well-planned from the beginning.
Although the current population was still relatively small and the issues weren't yet glaring, as more immigrants arrived, Sydney's population would gradually grow and might one day reach half a million or even a million.
In that case, Sydney's outdated urban planning would become a serious issue, and many problems would grow over time.
Arthur saw the tour of London as a chance to seek solutions. As the capital of Britain and one of the most developed cities in the world, London's population had already surpassed two million.
In terms of development alone, London was undoubtedly one of the most dazzling jewels of the world. While there were certainly flaws in its urban planning, overall, it was still a valuable model worth studying.
As long as serious issues such as heavy industrial pollution were avoided, London's urban development was quite commendable.
Most of the delegation's representatives were worldly and experienced. Besides admiring London's beautiful scenery, they also began discussing whether aspects of London's urban planning could be applied in Sydney—or at least, what improvements Sydney could make by referencing it.
Unlike in history, where Melbourne became the capital, Sydney currently held that role.
Melbourne was Australia's largest city at present, with Sydney a close second.
The reason Sydney was chosen as the capital despite being the second-largest city was that it was the capital of New South Wales, while Melbourne was the capital of Victoria.
In terms of size and influence, New South Wales carried more weight than Victoria—one of the main reasons Arthur established the capital in Sydney.
However, both Sydney and Melbourne had various shortcomings. Neither had been designed with the potential of becoming a massive metropolis in mind. As it stood, Sydney could accommodate just over a million people—beyond that, its layout would struggle, potentially leading to disarray.
Though a population of one million seemed large, such cities were already common among the great powers and developed nations.
If Australia wished to become a strong nation, then its capital could not remain limited to a one-million population ceiling. It needed to support at least several million.
This meant the government would inevitably have to improve the development of its major cities, especially Sydney.
Otherwise, while it might seem manageable in the short term, when the next wave of immigrants arrived, both Australia and Sydney would suffer the consequences of poor urban planning, descending into chaos.
Besides touring London's landmarks, Arthur also assigned tasks to the three ministers: gather information on the British cabinet's officials and build good relations with one or two of them to prepare for the upcoming aid conference.
Since Britain's aid to Australia would be decided by the cabinet, it was beneficial to establish favorable relations with those officials in advance.
Considering the relationship between Australia and Britain, Arthur's reputation, and the legacy of Queen Victoria, it likely wouldn't be too difficult for the three ministers to build rapport with members of the British cabinet.
(End of Chapter)
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