Chapter 265: The Tour of New Zealand
Although the preparations for the nationwide tour were ready, Arthur still had to go through detailed arrangements before he could leave. After all, as the ruler of a country, it was important to settle domestic affairs before traveling, right?
First, due to the laxity in government affairs caused by spending several months with Queen Mary, Arthur spent over half a month dealing with all the accumulated tasks. He also held a meeting with the cabinet to check on the progress of their work.
After settling matters in the palace, Arthur left Hunter the steward in charge and kept most of the guards and attendants at the palace. The first Infantry Regiment of the Imperial Guard would be responsible for escorting him on this journey, ensuring that there were enough personnel to stay in the kingdom.
The destinations of this tour spanned several regions of Australasia, starting from the capital, Sydney. Arthur would first take the fleet to New Zealand for a half-month inspection. Afterward, he would travel to the Papua New Guinea colony for a review and inspection. Following that, he would visit Timor, an Australian territory, and then head south to Western Australia to inspect the progress of the Leonora Industrial Base. The tour would conclude with visits to Adelaide and Melbourne, before returning to Sydney.
This would essentially be a full circle around the territory of Australasia, and with the inspection and review times included, it was expected that the tour would take about two months. Arthur would set off in mid-October, which also meant that by the end of this tour, 1909 would be almost over.
On October 12, 1909, Arthur visited the Royal Shipyard in Sydney Harbor once again, after more than a year. Accompanying him were Prime Minister Walter, Secretary of State Kent, Minister of Defense Raul, and several other government officials.
The real reason for gathering the officials at the Royal Shipyard was because, after more than a year, three battleships from Australasia's five-year shipbuilding plan had been completed. The first battleship, the Australasian, had already been completed in February of this year. At that time, Arthur had participated in the launching ceremony, but after it ended, he had rushed back to the palace.
Now, both the Australasian and New Zealand battleships had been completed and were ready for their launching ceremonies, which was of great significance for Australasia.
The Monarch-class battleships were advanced warships made in Australasia, and they symbolized the country's shipbuilding capabilities, which had now reached world-class levels. The completion of these three battleships marked the beginning and the call to arms for the expansion of Australasia's navy.
Regardless of what the navy had been like before, with these three dreadnoughts, Australasia's navy was now certainly in the world's top ten. Furthermore, if we only count dreadnoughts, Australasia had already surpassed many countries and became the fourth nation in the world to possess dreadnoughts.
The historic leap in naval strength was something Arthur and Australasia would commemorate for years to come.
On the day of the launching ceremonies for the Australasian and New Zealand battleships, many local and international newspapers gathered at the harbor, writing news stories about these new warships for both Australasia and the rest of the world.
While dreadnoughts were already quite common among European powers like Britain and France, and the arms race between these two nations had escalated, with each country planning the construction of several dreadnoughts, for other countries, dreadnoughts remained an unattainable military marvel.
Aside from the exorbitant cost of building a dreadnought—over a million, nearly two million pounds—the construction of such a ship required mastering traditional battleship design first and then acquiring all the new technologies associated with dreadnoughts. This almost completely excluded all non-major powers from even attempting to build them.
As of now, fewer than fifteen countries had mastered advanced battleship construction technologies, let alone the cutting-edge innovations required to build their own dreadnoughts.
The Australasian and New Zealand battleships were both built entirely according to the Monarch-class design plans and were equipped with the latest 45-caliber 305mm main guns provided by Germany.
The Australasian battleship, originally equipped with 283mm main guns, had also been upgraded to 305mm guns. Fortunately, enough space had been reserved for the upgrade, so the task was not as complicated as it might have been.
Now equipped with 305mm guns, the Monarch-class battleships were truly on par with the dreadnoughts of other world powers.
Watching these massive ships, with their fearsome cannons pointed toward the sea, Arthur smiled proudly and nodded in satisfaction.
These three battleships not only proved the strength of Australasia's navy but also signaled the hope and call for its rise. As a country made up of many islands, naval power was crucial for Australasia's survival and growth.
After the completion of the two remaining battlecruisers, Arthur had already planned his next shipbuilding initiative, aiming to expand the navy to at least five dreadnoughts, four battlecruisers, fifteen submarines, and dozens of smaller warships before World War I broke out.
With such a naval force, Australasia could not only defend itself during the war but could also seek further expansion and benefits. Such a powerful navy would be at the level of major powers, and European countries would likely seek to ally with Australasia rather than risk confrontation.
The successful launch of the two battleships brought even more good news for Australasia: the construction of two battlecruisers would begin soon.
However, the completion of these two battlecruisers would not happen until the second half of the next year, which meant that before 1911, Australasia's navy would not experience significant expansion.
On October 17, 1909, after settling all affairs, Arthur, accompanied by the first infantry regiment of the Imperial Guard, Minister of Defense Raul, Brigadier General Thomas Johansson, and Minister of Publicity Grant Wilson, officially began his two-month tour.
The fleet escorting Arthur was undoubtedly grand. Since the two newly launched battleships also needed to undergo sea trials, they were directly included in the escort fleet.
This meant that the fleet escorting Arthur consisted of three dreadnoughts, one submarine, and ten escort ships, representing the full might of Australasia's navy.
Arthur's first stop was Wellington, the capital of North Island, New Zealand. In fact, Wellington wasn't very far from Sydney. If the fleet sailed at full speed, it would take just over a day to reach.
However, since the main purpose of the trip was to tour and relax, Arthur was not in a hurry to get to work. Therefore, the fleet's speed was not fast, averaging only about 15 knots.
This meant that Arthur didn't arrive in Wellington until the evening of October 19th.
Wellington's officials and citizens had already been informed of Arthur's arrival, and despite it being late at night, a large group of them gathered at the port to greet him.
On the first night of his arrival in New Zealand, Arthur did not conduct any official business. He stayed in a room prepared by the Wellington city government.
After a day of rest, Arthur began his inspection tour, visiting the suburbs and surrounding industrial areas of Wellington.
Australasia's overall livestock industry was very developed, and New Zealand's livestock sector accounted for over 20% of Australasia's total livestock production.
According to reports from the government of North Island, the region had at least tens of thousands of large and small farms, with a total of over 15 million cattle, sheep, and other livestock.
Arthur was not surprised by this, as there were many large and small farms around Wellington, and the sight of cows and sheep in various colors was commonplace, leaving no room for doubt.
It's worth mentioning that, at least within North Island, the industrial, livestock, and agricultural areas were well separated, which significantly reduced the possibility of industrialization impacting the agricultural sector.
Arthur was quite satisfied with this, as it meant that the livestock and agriculture industries would not be harmed by industrial pollution, which, given the smoky chimneys of the time, was a serious concern.
But there was no avoiding it—industrial development was necessary for the country's strength, and that meant some environmental harm.
On the second day in New Zealand, Arthur inspected the agricultural and livestock areas around Wellington and visited one of the industrial districts nearby.
It was a rather busy day for Arthur, at least that's how he felt.
For the next few days, Arthur spent his time in Wellington enjoying food, drink, and relaxation. The small amount of official business was spent researching and investigating the living conditions of the residents of North Island, especially those in Wellington.
The results were quite pleasing—although the citizens of Wellington didn't have the best lives, their basic needs were well met.
Ensuring that no citizen went hungry and that everyone had enough food to live was Arthur's first wish upon taking the throne.
From what he could gather, it seemed that the people of Australasia were not suffering from hunger.
Apart from the various welfare policies issued by the government, the Royal Relief Committee also provided annual aid to low-income groups, ensuring that everyone had food to eat and didn't go hungry.
(End of Chapter)
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