Chapter 801 Broken Hill Industrial Base

Industry is not much different from Arthur's expectations, and such industrial level is enough to cope with future wars.

Even if the total amount of steel production is slightly different, Australasia's industrial situation can be expanded at any time, which is basically not a big problem.

After Minister of Industry Joey finished answering, Arthur looked at Minister of Agriculture Maciej.

Strategic reserves of food are very important, which is something Arthur had made clear a long time ago.

"Your Majesty, as of the end of last year, our strategic grain reserves were 20.25 million tons, which can supply about 55 million people for two years." Minister of Agriculture Maciej said proudly: "

Considering our relatively developed animal husbandry, our grain reserves can last for two to three years, and we are constantly producing fresh food every year."

Although food reserves are very important, the more food reserves are not the better. After all, Australasia currently has a population of only 40 million. If there are too many strategic food reserves, it is actually an economic cost.

"What is our current annual grain production?" Arthur asked.

"Your Majesty, as of last year, our total cultivated land area has exceeded 48 million acres, which is equivalent to about 40,000 square kilometers of land.

With such a large and vast cultivated land area, our annual grain production has exceeded 28.25 million tons, and the average annual grain export exceeds 13 million tons." Minister Maciej was excited when talking about the news from the agricultural department.

These data not only look good, but also represent Minister Maciej's political achievements.

This year is definitely the most important year in the political career of these cabinet members.

Because this summer, that is, in a few months, the election of the eighth cabinet government of Australasia will be held.

By then, whether these cabinet members can still stay in their positions, or go further in the cabinet, depends on the results of their work over the years.

The data from the agricultural department is still relatively good, which also means that Maciej has great hope of re-election.

As an official who entered the cabinet for the first time, the probability of Minister Maciej wanting to climb up is very small. This also means that from the beginning, Minister Maciej's plan was to be re-elected and then strive for greater possibilities in the next term.

After hearing Minister Maciej's report, Arthur's expression did not change much, but he was still quite satisfied in his heart.

The reason why the data of the agricultural department is so beautiful is largely due to the successful development of the Murray River Basin.

Speaking of which, the development of the Murray River Basin has been going on for a long time, and the cultivated land area reclaimed is countless.

With these superior lands, the grain production in Australasia has indeed ushered in a considerable increase.

Moreover, in addition to these cultivated lands in the mainland, in Southeast Asia, various states have also reclaimed a considerable area of ​​cultivated land.

After all, Southeast Asia has advantages compared to Australasia, that is, grain can be harvested three times a year.

Java, which currently has the most developed grain industry, has contributed one-tenth of the total grain production in Australasia, which is enough to show how exaggerated the agricultural situation in Java, which has fertile land, is.

But for Arthur, such data is not outrageous. After all, in later generations, Java Island feeds more than 100 million people.

Now the population of Java has just exceeded one million. For Java, it is easy to feed these people.

"The next plan of the Ministry of Agriculture is to develop Java's agriculture to the greatest extent." Arthur thought for a while, and then ordered: "At present, our cultivated land scale and grain output are basically sufficient. The next step is to develop grain output as much as possible at a lower cost in preparation for possible wars in the future.

Java can achieve three harvests of grain a year, and it is currently the best grain planting area in the country.

The agricultural department should come up with an agricultural development plan for Java as soon as possible. I hope to develop Java into one of the most important grain producing areas in Australasia, producing at least one-fifth of Australasia's grain."

Australia's total annual grain output can feed about 85 million people. If Java contributes one-fifth, it can feed about 17 million people.

To be honest, this is still a very high requirement for Java. After all, the population of Java has just exceeded one million. It takes one million people to produce food for 17 million people. This can only be achieved on land like Java with three crops a year.

If it is in Australasia, relying on current agricultural technology, it is still very difficult to achieve 1 million people to produce food for 17 million people.

Even with the help of various mechanical equipment, this plan is definitely not so easy to complete.

Of course, for the current Minister Maciej, Arthur's request is a very important test for him.

You know, this year is the cabinet government's term change period. If Minister Maciej comes up with a perfect plan, will Arthur let Minister Maciej continue to stay in the position of Minister of Agriculture to implement this perfect plan?

Compared with someone who is not familiar with the plan, it is definitely more suitable for Minister Maciej to propose the plan himself.

"Yes, Your Majesty. Please rest assured that I will definitely come up with the most perfect plan in the shortest time." Hearing Arthur's request, Minister Maciej stood up quickly and promised with excitement.

Others don't know that this is Minister Maciei's best chance for re-election. As long as Arthur's mission can be completed perfectly, Minister Maciei's re-election will become a certainty.

But alas, Arthur will certainly not issue tasks to everyone. This also means that if most cabinet members want to continue to be re-elected, all they have to do is show their achievements.

"Since the country's finances are relatively good at present, it is time to increase the proportion of our annual military expenditure." When the meeting was about to end, Arthur looked at everyone and said.

"Your Majesty, how much will the proportion of military expenditures be increased?" When talking about increasing military expenditures, Defense Secretary Thomas immediately couldn't sit still and stood up and asked.

For Secretary Thomas, an increase in military spending is certainly a good thing. More importantly, Arthur's statement seems to mean that the proportion of military expenditures must be increased every year, which also means that the Ministry of National Defense has sufficient funds to replace weapons for all armies.

"What is the approximate military budget of the Ministry of Defense this year?" Arthur asked.

Arthur had no plan in mind as to how much military spending would be increased. But the time has come to 1932. Now that the world situation is completely different from history, it is still necessary to increase the proportion of military expenditures as soon as possible and prevent wars.

"Your Majesty, the military budget of the Ministry of National Defense this year accounts for 1% of the total fiscal expenditure, approximately 242.5 billion Australian dollars." Defense Secretary Thomas replied.

"Let's increase it to 31% for the time being." Arthur ordered: "This 9% ratio will be deducted from other departments. The current goal is to make our army as strong as possible."

Although it seems that the proportion is only 9%, the actual expenditure is as high as 8.11 million Australian dollars, which can be regarded as a medium-sized expenditure.

Looking at the other ministers who had toothaches, Arthur said angrily: "This year's total financial budget will be increased by another 10 million. Compared with last year, I think our financial situation will be better this year."

Although each department will still have to squeeze out some funds if the budget is increased by another 10 million, it is much better than not increasing the budget.

After hearing what Arthur said, all departments stopped their attempts to complain and sat down solemnly.

Although Arthur increased this year's budget in just a few words, Minister Hunter had no intention of objecting.

After all, this year’s original fiscal budget was AU$27.5 billion, and an additional 10 million would only amount to AU$37.5 billion.

Last year's fiscal revenue reached 3.7 billion Australian dollars. As long as there is a slight increase this year, it will exceed this number.

As long as the balance of revenue and expenditure can be maintained on the basis of increasing military spending, Secretary Hunter's mission has been accomplished.

Countries are also constantly increasing their military expenditures because of the naval arms race. If Australasia does not keep up, it will inevitably suffer a hidden loss in the war.

"How is the construction of our Broken Hill Industrial Base going?" When the meeting was about to end, Arthur remembered the second largest industrial base in Australasia, which is the new industry in the Capital District. base.

"The second phase of construction of the Broken Hill Industrial Base has been successfully completed and put into production. It is expected to reach maximum production by the end of this year." Industry Minister Joy reported: "

So far, construction and production at the Broken Hill industrial site are going well and it is expected to become the second largest industrial site in the country this year, second only to the Leonora industrial site. "

Arthur nodded and understood the reason why Minister Joy said that he could expand the industrial scale and total steel production at any time.

Although the Broken Hill Industrial Base was not as large as the Leonora Industrial Base during planning, it was definitely a large industrial base.

It is originally laid out in the west and east of Leonora Industrial Base, and because it is located in the Capital District, Broken Hill Industrial Base will welcome more workers.

For this industrial base, the industrial sector has invested up to 72 million Australian dollars.

Of course, the results in exchange are also very sufficient. At maximum production, the Broken Hill Industrial Base can accommodate thousands of factories and provide more than 500,000 jobs.

When war breaks out, the Broken Hill Industrial Base can be transformed into a military production base as long as the government orders it.

Whether it is the production of various weapons and equipment, guns and ammunition, or various scarce materials related to war, Broken Hill Industrial Base is capable of doing it.

Both the Leonora Industrial Base and the Broken Hill Industrial Base are located inside the Australian continent, and there is no need to worry about bombing by enemy aircraft.

When the war broke out, these two regions were the two hearts of Australasia, one on the left and the other on the right. They continued to produce a large number of industrial products and created a steady stream of wealth for Australasia.

"Let the Broken Hill Industrial Base enter maximum production status as soon as possible and quickly produce more war reserve materials for us." Arthur ordered: "

In addition, the problem of material transportation around the two industrial bases also needs to be solved. When the war breaks out, these two industrial bases will produce a large amount of industrial products for us, and we need an excellent transportation environment to transport these industrial products out of the country for sale. "

The second update of 3200 words, please vote for me and support!