Chapter 247: The Opening of the Royal Military Academy
It is worth mentioning that after over half a year of preparation, the Royal Military Academy officially opened at the end of 1907.
The reason for the delayed opening compared to other universities was the slow progress in the construction of the academy. However, this difference in opening times helped distinguish the military academy from regular universities.
The first enrollment at the Royal Military Academy was very strict. Apart from soldiers recruited from the military, the first external enrollment consisted of fewer than a hundred students. The specific requirements were extremely stringent. Not only did all of their family members need to have lived in Australasia for at least 15 years (with children under 15 required to have lived for at least 8 years, and those under 8 excluded), but the family must also have no legal violations and no close ties with foreign powers or individuals.
These were just the basic background requirements. In addition, applicants had to meet standards for physical fitness, intellect, oratory skills, and had to have at least a high school education.
This is why, out of over two thousand applicants, only about a hundred were admitted. For military recruits, the conditions were slightly more relaxed, but they had to have served at least one year in the army, meeting requirements for physical fitness, combat ability, intelligence, and loyalty.
The background of the soldiers was generally not scrutinized as it had already been done when they were enlisted. The reason for the strict admissions at the Royal Military Academy was that graduates typically went on to become officers in the Australasia army. According to the academy's rules, an external graduate would enter the military at least as a second lieutenant, with the potential to rise to lieutenant or captain if they performed excellently.
As for students selected from the army, they usually entered with the rank of non-commissioned officer or junior officer. After graduation, their rank would typically be promoted by two or three levels, most likely to lieutenant or captain.
However, officers above the rank of lieutenant, such as majors, were not accessible to ordinary graduates of the academy. If lieutenants were considered mid-ranking officers, majors and above were high-ranking officers, requiring not only talent but also military experience.
Graduates of the military academy who reached the rank of major within ten years would already be considered highly promising. Of course, this could change if a large-scale war occurred.
The Air Force Academy was not included within the military academy because it already had a foundation with the previous aviation training programs. The current student population of the Air Force Academy was about 400, with around 400 students enrolled each year. This meant that nearly 400 pilots would graduate annually, a number which would be beneficial for the future expansion of Australasia's air force.
To establish the Royal Military Academy, more than two million Australian dollars of the five-million-dollar budget was used to attract professors from European military academies and retired generals, to enhance the depth and quality of the academy.
Now that the Royal Military Academy was in place, the issue of mid-level officer shortages, which had been a long-standing concern for Australasia, was beginning to be alleviated.
As the honorary principal of the Royal Military Academy, Arthur's high popularity and support from the people ensured that graduates of the academy would develop a deep respect for the royal family and Arthur, which effectively ensured that they would be loyal to him.
It is worth mentioning that most of the professors at the Royal Military Academy's Army College were recruited from Germany, while most of the professors at the Navy College were recruited from the UK.
Aside from the establishment of the Royal Military Academy, Australasia's technical schools also experienced explosive growth.
In 1906, there were only three technical schools in Australasia, all located in Australia. By the end of 1907, the number of technical schools had increased to seven, with New Zealand also adding two more. These seven technical schools produced over 5,000 skilled workers each year, filling technical roles in factories.
Arthur's only requirement for these technical schools was that the more schools there were and the larger they were, the better. Australasia needed all the skilled workers it could get, and as many as possible were to be trained. These technical school graduates were often immediately hired by factories after graduation, attracted by the salaries and benefits.
Currently, Australasia's factories had a continuously growing demand for technical positions, and even graduates from technical schools had no trouble finding work.
The final report was from the Finance Department, which concerned data that was important to all the ministers. After all, the financial income and expenditure determined the budgets for each department in the coming year. If the previous year's financial deficit was significant, the budgets of each department would be reduced the following year.
Fortunately, Minister of Finance Roger brought good news.
In 1907, the total government expenditure in Australasia was approximately 28.41 million Australian dollars, and the total revenue was around 36.22 million Australian dollars. This not only resulted in a surplus, but the surplus amounted to 7.81 million Australian dollars.
Despite continued industrial construction, the government expenditure had not changed much, staying around the 30 million Australian dollar mark. The revenue had increased dramatically, from just over 20 million to more than 36 million.
This increase was driven by taxes from the arms trade, battleship orders, and the income from the Mercedes-Benz factory and the royal consortium, which collectively contributed at least 10 million Australian dollars.
It's also worth noting that according to Australasia's constitution, the royal family was entitled to receive 1% of the total government revenue each year for the royal family's expenses. In 1907, that 1% amounted to 360,000 Australian dollars, which, though a small income for Arthur, was considered a large sum for the common people.
If Australasia's finances continued to develop so smoothly, even without significant income from the royal consortium, Arthur believed that 1% of the government's annual revenue would be enough to support the royal family.
Thanks to the surplus in the finances this year, Australasia's available financial resources had increased and now exceeded 240 million Australian dollars.
However, unfortunately, the new year would mark the official start of the five-year warship construction plan, which would require a significant financial investment. It was uncertain whether the financial surplus would continue in the following year.
Another factor contributing to the financial growth was the growth of the livestock industry. With the country's gradual stabilization, Australasia was showcasing the characteristics of a major livestock nation. The variety of livestock products, such as beef, lamb, wool, milk, and goat milk, were being exported to major markets in Europe and America, becoming a major source of government revenue.
As of now, Australasia had over 170 million sheep, along with tens of millions of cattle and other livestock. This was an astonishing figure—each Australasia citizen was allocated nearly 24 sheep, 7 cattle, and 1 other livestock.
Due to the booming livestock industry, the prices of livestock products were extremely low. Beef and lamb were staple items on the dining tables of most Australians, particularly in the military and schools, where meat was included in every meal as part of tradition.
The largest private livestock owner in Australasia had vast grasslands and mountains, with tens of thousands of cattle and sheep. These animals provided him with an income of thousands of Australian dollars each year. Even after dividing the income among the family members, each person could still earn over 100 Australian dollars, far exceeding the average annual income in Australasia.
The royal consortium was also involved in the livestock industry, owning numerous ranches in various states, with at least a million cattle and sheep. Each year, the high-quality wool, milk, and meat from these animals were sent to the royal palace, while the rest were sold abroad.
Arthur also owned two large ranches dedicated to breeding Australian wild horses, which were used for cavalry. These horses were well-suited for military use, and Australasia's cavalry units currently used these wild horses.
Arthur's two ranches housed more than 100,000 Australian wild horses, enough to quickly equip at least three cavalry divisions. However, Arthur wasn't particularly fond of cavalry units. If possible, Australasia could convert its cavalry into motorized or even mechanized units in the future. This is why Australasia didn't have an independent cavalry division.
Arthur was waiting for the practicality of trucks to improve so that mechanized divisions could be fully equipped, and once tanks and automatic artillery were developed, these would become the future mainstream in the military.
(End of Chapter)
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