Chapter 550 Further mechanization of agriculture
After everyone involved in the beating was taken to the police station, the Asian onlookers also came near the police station.
They want to see what Australasia's official attitude is towards this matter, which actually determines Australasia's attitude towards island countries.
In less than two hours, all the Australasians who participated in the siege walked out of the police station with smiles on their faces, which also surprised the Asian onlookers.
Being able to walk out of the police station so happily means that these Australasians will not be punished in any way.
The two islanders have not yet left the police station to receive treatment. Such a huge gap in attitude also determines that Australasia's attitude towards the island country will definitely not be very good.
Several people looked at each other and saw ecstasy. This is equivalent to deciding 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 their enemy is their ally, which also means that they may get some support from Australasia, although it will also come at a huge cost. (Countries only have interests, not free support.)
Later, several guards from the palace also conveyed Arthur's attitude to the police station: "No matter who tramples on the national flag, it is a provocation to the country and the royal family. Those who repeatedly trample on the national flag and do not change their behavior should be sentenced to severe punishment as a warning." Follow suit."
Arthur's attitude was the highest order in Australasia. After sending away the guards, the police station immediately decided on the sentencing of the two international students from the island country: for repeatedly trampling on the national flag, they were sentenced to 20 years in prison, with an additional 15 years. Reform through labor; Murakami was sentenced to 5 years in prison and an additional 2 years of reform through labor for the crime of repeatedly trampling on the national flag.
Such a sentence can be described as quite serious, at least in the history of Australasia, it is the first serious penalty for trampling on the national flag.
Moreover, because the other party is a student from an island country, 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 this mean that international students from powerful countries can step on the Australasian flag?
Faced with such a severe punishment, the islanders will definitely protest. Arthur directly ordered the Ministry of Foreign Affairs to take the lead in initiating accountability against the island country and take the initiative in this incident.
As for mitigating the penalties for international students from the two island countries, that is impossible.
After giving all the orders, Arthur focused on the three R108 battleships currently being built 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. This has also made the construction of the R108 battleship very fast. The total construction progress is currently estimated to be 17% complete.
Although it seems to be less than one-fifth, after all, only about two months have passed, and the overall progress is still quite rapid.
Because their size far exceeds all the previous main battleships in Australasia, the visual effects of these three battleships are also quite shocking. The keels currently laid alone are enough to make people praise them as giants.
"What is the current progress of the artillery research? Can the development of the 18-inch artillery be completed before the battleship is completed?" Arthur asked curiously.
Looking at the huge guy in front of him, Arthur's ambition became even bigger. I said that before, Arthur was only satisfied with the world's mainstream 1. Now, Arthur even wants to equip these three battleships with the most powerful 18-inch main gun.
"Our cooperation with the British is still in progress, and there has been no breakthrough progress in the research on the 18-inch main gun. Coupled with the long test phase, it is estimated that there will be no results within a year." The Minister of Defense on the side Raul replied.
This kind of military research is basically led by the Ministry of National Defense. Therefore, Raul, as the Minister of Defense, definitely knows the most about the research on the 18-inch main gun.
"Try to speed up the progress. If the E108 battleship can be equipped with an 18-inch main gun, this will be the most powerful battleship in the world!" Arthur said with great anticipation.
The armor, power and firepower of all battleships are among the best in the world, which is also a crushing experience for other countries.
Although it cannot reach the level of crushing of the previous dreadnoughts by the dreadnoughts, it is definitely ahead by a large margin in terms of actual combat effectiveness of the warships.
"The British are also very interested in 18-inch main guns. I believe the Nagato battleship also puts pressure on the British. If nothing else happens, the British Empire should also build powerful battleships with 18-inch main guns. They should also want to We must see the birth of the 18-inch main gun as soon as possible." Minister Raul said with a smile.
Australasia is not the only country that has such ambitions in naval expansion. 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 most powerful battleship in the Royal Navy, rather than the island country, a low-level power that has only barely risen with the support of Britain and the United States. .
Arthur nodded, not surprised by Raul's statement.
The island nation has ambitiously built the Nagato battleship, which is known as the most powerful battleship in the world. It is unreasonable that the British did not react at all.
Even if the Naval Limitation Treaty is about to be reached, battleships built before the treaty is reached will not be considered a violation. This is also the last chance for the British Empire and Australasia.
"Whether it can be mounted on battleships or not, 18-inch main gun technology is very important to the development of the navy. It does not need to be used on battleships, but we must use it." Arthur ordered to Minister Raul.
"Yes, Your Majesty. I will urge the artillery research and development department to increase cooperation with the British and develop an 18-inch main gun 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 confidentiality agreements and will live near the shipyard during the entire construction period to ensure that the information will not be leaked. At the same time, for the Royal The security around the 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 disclosed." When it comes to the confidentiality of battleship construction, Minister Raul does not dare to be careless in the slightest. , and quickly explained all the work he had arranged.
"Well, confidentiality must not be neglected. Before the construction of the warship is completed, all personnel involved in the construction are not allowed to leave Sydney. For the sake of the country, restricting personnel freedom is also a last resort. As compensation, after the construction of the warship is completed, everyone will have a sum Rewards will also record everyone's meritorious service. I hope everyone can strictly abide by the confidentiality agreement. On behalf of the country and the royal family, I would like to thank you for your efforts!" After confirming the confidentiality work, Arthur looked at the workers and people surrounding him. The technical expert said it very sincerely.
"Don't worry, Your Majesty, we will never reveal any information, and we will never go out before the construction of the warship is completed." The surrounding construction workers and technical experts also said quickly.
Making contributions to the country was something they were already willing to do, and with Arthur's personal explanation and reward, they were naturally more willing, wishing they could eat, drink, and eat in the shipyard.
Seeing that no one objected, Arthur nodded with great satisfaction and said with a smile: "You are all heroes of the country! Everyone, I am waiting for the day when the warship construction is completed, and I will personally celebrate for you!"
Arthur's inspection at the shipyard ended with everyone laughing.
In order to take care of the mood of the shipyard's technical experts and workers, the meals provided by the shipyard have also become very rich. Not only are all kinds of beef and mutton available in excess, but you can also choose from daily limited fruits.
There will also be small banquets every once in a while to help these skilled workers relieve their boredom and prevent them from feeling irritable after staying in one place for a long time.
Under various policies like this, skilled workers and experts will not find it boring to stay in the shipyard for a long time, but will be very energetic when working, and they all feel that they are making a contribution to the country.
Indeed, it was because of the long hours of dedication and strict secrecy of these men that the Australasian Diesel had the opportunity to acquire powerful battleships before the Naval Limitation Treaty came into effect.
1 Sydney.
Twenty days have passed since the National Day, and all walks of life in Australasia have once again returned to steady growth.
Arthur had been very bored in the past few days, so he decided to walk around the farms outside Sydney to learn about the agricultural production conditions outside Sydney.
The suburbs of Sydney today are not the same concept 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. Now the suburbs are dozens of kilometers away from the center of Sydney.
Accompanying Arthur, in addition to the security personnel, was Robert Swift, Secretary of Agriculture.
Looking at the farms all over the outskirts of Sydney, Arthur was very satisfied. It also represents Australasia's agricultural production. Food is the most important thing in a country's strategic reserves.
"Approximately how many are our agricultural population currently?" While walking, Arthur suddenly asked a very interesting question.
As the basic population division of a country, the proportion of agricultural population varies, but it will definitely exist.
The agricultural population refers to the population engaged in agriculture. It is an indispensable group of people for a country and an important guarantee for the country's food reserves.
Arthur asked this question without any discrimination or prejudice. He simply wanted to know the number of people engaged in agriculture in Australasia so that he could make corresponding policy arrangements and plans.
"Based on the situation in recent years, our agricultural population accounts for about one-seventh of the total population, totaling more than 3.21 million people." Agriculture Minister Robert carefully recalled the data he had memorized, and only answered after confirming that it was correct.
"3.21 million people? Is our agricultural population that large?" 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.
The British agricultural population accounted for 22% of the total population in 1840, and the proportion has dropped to less than 8.5%.
Although there is no exact information showing the UK's agricultural population, it is certainly lower than 8.5%.
One-seventh of the proportion in Australasia is 14.3%, which is equivalent to the level in the United Kingdom 40 or 50 years ago.
Calculated based on the British agricultural population, Australasia has wasted at least 1.3 million people.
If all this agricultural population is used in other industries, it will bring vigorous vitality to other industries in Australasia.
We must know that the total population of Australasia is only 22.57 million, which can save 1.3 million manpower, which is equivalent to hundreds of thousands more reserve soldiers.
"Currently, there are still some areas where agricultural machinery has not been widely used due to various reasons such as terrain. Firstly, agricultural machinery is too expensive, and secondly, people's agricultural land has become somewhat scattered due to urban development." Minister Robert quickly explained.
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. This also makes Australasia's agricultural environment far superior to that of the United Kingdom.
However, it is precisely because the land area is so vast that the cultivated land environment in Australasia is too complex, and some areas are not suitable for mechanization, or the cost of mechanization is too expensive.
"The mechanization of agriculture will continue to advance, and our agricultural population will also need to 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, and we hope to use this to reduce the agricultural production in Australasia. Population, at least save millions of manpower and invest in other industries. Wherever machinery can be used, strive to use machinery. It is not worth the gain to waste 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. , encourage people to purchase machinery for agricultural production to liberate manpower." Arthur ordered.
"For agricultural producers who lack funds, certain subsidies can be provided, or agricultural machinery can be lent to the public in the form of interest-free loans and mortgages, with a use-now-pay-later approach to promote the mechanization of the entire agricultural production. Although we We have caught up with the great powers in some aspects, but we still have a lot to do in terms of mechanization, etc. 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 Australasia as soon as possible. Further mechanization.”
The third update of 4000 words, please vote for me and support!
The doubling of monthly tickets has started, please beg for your monthly tickets!
