Chapter 252: Farewell to Grant Wilson
On January 13, 1908, Arthur had a pleasant birthday celebration at the Sydney Palace, marking his 26th year.
It felt like just yesterday when he arrived in Australia, and yet, eight years had passed in the blink of an eye.
Arthur felt helpless in the face of the passing time and could only focus more of his attention and energy on the development of the nation, dedicating his life to creating a powerful country. At least, it wouldn't be in vain.
In the past few days, he received continuous congratulations from all the officials. If not for the extravagant scale of Arthur's party, those who wanted to attend would probably have fought to find a way in.
At least in Australasia, the royal family was the most dazzling presence, the most powerful, prestigious, and wealthy family in the region.
On January 7, Arthur met with Grant Wilson, the leader of the United Party, at the Sydney Palace and inquired about the current size and plans of the United Party.
Grant Wilson was also a familiar face. He was the person Arthur had met during his first visit to New Zealand for political purposes. At that time, Grant was the leader of New Zealand's Alliance Party.
Over the years, Australasia's political parties had evolved. They were no longer the same seven major parties of Australia. After the integration of Australia and New Zealand, the parties from both regions had merged in various ways.
The Australian Labor Party and the New Zealand Labor Party had merged very smoothly and were the fastest and most unanimous in their merger.
The merged party was called the New Labor Party, and its platform was focused on uniting trade unions, uniting workers, and working toward building a better Australasia.
Interestingly, the Labor Party's platform had been quite a rollercoaster. Initially, it had aimed to promote the establishment of a unified federal Australia, which Arthur had already achieved. Soon after, the platform also aimed to protect the working class's interests, which Arthur had also successfully implemented. This was one of the major reasons for the limited development of the New Labor Party.
After all, if what you intended to do had already been achieved by Arthur, it essentially meant that the party had little practical purpose left.
Another party that underwent a major merger was the newly formed United Party.
The United Party was formed through the merger of Australia's Independent Party, the Progressive Party, and New Zealand's Alliance Party. It was the party that experienced the most fusion since the establishment of Australasia.
Due to the merger of three parties, the United Party was now the largest political party in Australasia, and Grant Wilson successfully became its leader and a member of the House of Representatives.
The party's platform incorporated the characteristics of all three founding parties, giving it a unique and independent stance.
The United Party's platform could be summarized in one sentence: to maintain the unity of Australasia and protect the position of the Australasia Kingdom and the royal family.
Therefore, the United Party could also be seen as a pro-monarchy party and the one that was closest to the royal family at the moment.
Thanks to this relationship, Grant Wilson had the honor of being received by Arthur. After all, all political parties were controlled by the Royal Parliament and the Election Commission, and they wouldn't cause much disruption in Australasia.
Apart from the New Labor Party and the United Party, there were three other political parties in Australasia: the National Party, the Democratic Party (both of which were roughly equal in strength), and the Country Party, which mainly represented rural and low-income populations.
Political parties in Australasia followed a competitive system. After all, the political scene in Australasia was limited, and the number of lawmakers and population they could appeal to was restricted.
If a party couldn't gain enough support, it would eventually dissolve due to lack of funding or other reasons.
Among the five major parties in Australasia, they could be roughly categorized into the New Labor Party, representing the working class; the Democratic Party, advocating for democracy; the National Party and the Country Party, representing centrist and rural views; and the United Party, supporting the royal family.
Although it seemed like a balanced political scene, in reality, the party struggles were under Arthur's control. It was as if Arthur had drawn a chessboard for them, where the size of the chessboard was determined by Arthur, and the parties were destined not to step outside of it.
These political parties represented the greatest democracy Arthur had given to Australasia. Without undermining Arthur's interests, the people of Australasia were free to elect the lawmakers they supported and have those elected officials choose the new government.
This rule applied not only at the national level but also in the states and territories.
For Arthur, even the cabinet ministers and the prime minister were merely working for him.
As long as they completed the tasks and plans he set, the specific choice of person for a position didn't matter much to Arthur.
In a small banquet hall at the Sydney Palace, Arthur met Grant Wilson once again.
Compared to a few years ago, Grant Wilson appeared much more mature and humble. Upon seeing Arthur, he lowered his attitude, displaying a face full of humility and respect as he greeted, "Your Majesty!"
By this time, Arthur's identity had undergone a huge change. From being the Duke of Australia, he had now become the King of Australasia.
Though it might seem like just a difference in rank, the difference between a Duke and a King was vast in the European aristocracy, and the influence of European royal families was incomparable.
As King, Arthur had reached the pinnacle of the nobility. Even King Edward and Kaiser Wilhelm II were on the same level as Arthur in terms of status.
However, the strength of their respective nations made Edward's title of Emperor of India and Wilhelm II's title of German Emperor widely accepted.
If Australasia could one day rise to the level of the British Empire, having an imperial title for Arthur would not be too controversial.
After all, in today's international standing, power is far more significant than legal titles. The strength of the individual and the nation is the true basis.
"It's been a long time, Member Wilson," Arthur nodded and replied with a slight smile.
Grant Wilson quickly bowed and sincerely said, "Thank you for personally meeting with me, Your Majesty. As the leader of the United Party, we are truly honored."
"How is the development of the United Party now? I remember when we were in New Zealand, your Alliance Party did very well," Arthur asked with interest.
New Zealand's smooth integration into Australasia was partly due to the Alliance Party's efforts in promoting the merger.
This left an impression on Arthur, and he had some positive feelings toward Grant Wilson.
Hearing Arthur's question, Grant Wilson quickly responded, "Your Majesty, since the formation of the Federation, the Alliance Party has set its sights on the whole country. After reorganizing and merging with the Independent Party and the Progressive Party, we formed the United Party."
"I understand that for the nation to develop stably and steadily, a close union between all regions of Australasia is crucial. Therefore, I boldly decided to set the United Party's platform as one that supports the unity of Australasia and the position of the Australasia Kingdom and the royal family. Australasia's development to this point, reaching out to pursue greater status, influence, and power, is all thanks to Your Majesty's leadership. The kingdom's continued growth and the realization of its great rise also absolutely rely on your guidance and leadership."
Even back in New Zealand, Grant Wilson had clearly realized the political landscape that would emerge after the merger of Australia and New Zealand.
Whether in Australia or New Zealand, Arthur held an absolutely dominant position and enjoyed enough public support.
Looking at Australia's past development speed, it was clear that Arthur was not an incapable monarch.
With ability, public support, and backing, the position of such a monarch could only grow stronger and more stable. Therefore, Grant Wilson had already made up his mind to align himself with Arthur's cause to enter the high ranks through another way.
Though Grant Wilson's words seemed a bit overly flattering, Arthur didn't hold it against him and continued to ask, "Member Wilson, what are your thoughts on the current party and election laws?"
The Party Law and Election Law were established back in the Australian period and are the fundamental laws that govern the political system and elections in Australasia today.
Arthur brought up these two laws because they greatly reinforced his royal power and significantly weakened the power of political parties, placing them under the control of the Royal Parliament. Even during election periods, political parties had to be closely monitored by the royal family and the government.
Though the political parties in Australasia were legally recognized under the Party Law, they had also lost the opportunity to gain more power.
Though Australasia's development had been very smooth so far, Arthur still wanted to hear other perspectives, especially regarding the responses of other parties to the election and party laws.
"Your Majesty, the Party Law and Election Law regulate the political and election systems of Australasia, and they also work to minimize the influence of large parties on the situation. I believe this system, though different from Europe, is very suitable for the current state of Australasia. What Australasia needs most right now is unity to develop the nation, not new voices," Grant Wilson said thoughtfully after a long pause.
"As for the reaction of other parties, it's really not too important. Your Majesty, as long as the people support it, and the government supports it, the reaction of political parties doesn't matter much. And to my knowledge, none of the five major political parties in the country have explicitly opposed the Party Law or the Election Law. In fact, even the Country Party and New Labor Party strongly support the Election Law."
The greatest feature of the Party Law and Election Law was that they completely prohibited political donations, leveling the financial income of all political parties.
Parties were required to earn their income not by courting capitalists and wealthy elites but by gaining the support of the people and securing seats in the House of Representatives, with funding allocated based on the proportion of seats they held.
In 1907, public donations amounted to over 1.2 million Australian dollars. According to the Party Law, 30% was distributed equally among the five major parties, with each party receiving 72,000 Australian dollars.
The remaining 70% was distributed according to the proportion of seats each party held in the House of Representatives. The United Party, for example, received 36% of the funds, or 360,000 Australian dollars.
These funds gave the United Party a total of 432,000 Australian dollars for activities. The smallest party, the Liberal Party, received over 120,000 Australian dollars.
In Europe, the party with the least funding would definitely be the Country Party.
Why? Because the Country Party's primary supporters were rural and low-income populations, who had a harder time supporting themselves and their families, leaving less money to donate to the Country Party.
If the situation continued for a long time, a party like the Country Party, which truly focused on rural and low-income people, would risk bankruptcy or even dissolution.
But it was precisely because of the Party Law that every party could divide the remaining political funds based on their support level, even if they had the smallest income.
This system was not favorable to large parties, but it was critical for smaller parties like the Country Party to survive, which was one of the reasons the Party Law had not faced much opposition.
After all, the largest party now was the United Party, and its platform was entirely pro-royal, making it essentially a royal ally.
Arthur nodded and looked at Grant Wilson, seemingly casually asking, "Member Wilson, what are your thoughts on the current development of the nation?"
Grant Wilson was taken aback, quickly organizing his thoughts in his mind. After a brief pause, he said, "Your Majesty, I would not dare make sweeping statements about the national level of development. However, from an external perspective, there are a couple of small issues that might be clearer. I believe that two issues have emerged in the current development, both of which are related to population."
Arthur smiled and became interested, continuing to ask, "Oh? Regarding population? If it's about population size, that's a well-known issue and doesn't need to be repeated."
"It's not about population size, Your Majesty," Grant Wilson explained. "Though the population size is a big issue for us, after your efforts and the government's, we manage to have hundreds of thousands of immigrants each year, and the population issue is gradually being addressed. What I want to say actually concerns these immigrants. I believe the government's settlement strategy for them might need some adjustments. Across Australasia, most of our immigrants are concentrated in the southeast of Australia and the North Island of New Zealand, with more than 60% of them choosing to settle in large cities in these areas."
"This situation has some positive aspects. Our capital, Sydney, now has a population of over 900,000 and will soon become the first city in the kingdom to surpass a million. But there are also issues with this approach. The gap between cities is becoming more and more apparent. Originally, our population wasn't very large, and if we continue to concentrate the majority of the population in large cities, it won't be good for the country or regional development."
Arthur nodded. This was indeed a noticeable issue. Even though the government had implemented some policies, they had not alleviated the problem effectively.
Though Australasia had become a popular destination for immigrants, this didn't mean that all regions of Australasia welcomed them equally.
The choices of immigrants are diverse, but they are generally influenced by factors such as local development, economy, cultural construction, education, healthcare, and population.
Compared to several major cities in Australasia, small cities are clearly much less competitive, and naturally, they are not able to attract many immigrants.
To give a simple example, the population of Perth, the capital of Western Australia, grew only from under 140,000 in 1900 to just over 230,000 by the beginning of 1908, with a total population increase of just 90,000.
In contrast, the population development of Melbourne, the second-largest city in Australasia, seems much faster.
From 1900 to early 1908, Melbourne's population grew from 440,000 to 710,000, an increase of more than 270,000, which is three times that of Perth.
The reason Sydney is not mentioned is that its development is even more exaggerated. As the capital of both the former Australian Duchy and now the Kingdom of Australasia, Sydney has always been the focal point of government development.
Additionally, with the presence of the Benz Automobile Factory, a super factory, the popularity of the capital territory and Sydney has become the highest in Australasia, even surpassing most American cities.
Sydney's population was initially slightly smaller than Melbourne's, but now it has surpassed 970,000 and is developing toward becoming a city with a population of over one million.
This means that in the eight years, Sydney has absorbed over 500,000 immigrants.
How staggering is this number? Looking at the current 11 administrative regions of Australasia, there are only seven regions with a total population exceeding 500,000.
The total number of immigrants Sydney has received in the past eight years is more than the total population of Tasmania and South New Zealand combined.
But this is not Sydney's fault. After all, developing and constructing Sydney is the right thing to do. It is currently the capital and the flagship of Australasia. The fact that it can attract so many immigrants is a remarkable achievement for Sydney.
However, the development of other administrative regions also needs to be considered. Therefore, it is necessary to relocate some of the immigrants to other regions.
Especially in Western Australia and South Australia, which have abundant mineral resources, the total population of these two states is only about 1.5 million. Meanwhile, even without Sydney, New South Wales still has over 1.29 million people.
"This is indeed a significant development risk. Member Grant, do you have any good suggestions?" Arthur asked with a smile.
"Your Majesty, the best solution would be to increase the attractiveness of other cities. Australasia currently lacks a publicity department to enhance the appeal of major cities both domestically and internationally. We need to bring more cities into the view of Europeans and change the direction of immigration from the source," Grant Wilson seemed to have a prepared answer, speaking without hesitation.
Arthur nodded again, satisfied with Grant's response. Indeed, a publicity department was something that Australasia was lacking.
Although public opinion in Australasia had been controlled by Arthur, the government departments did not have corresponding publicity means, and there wasn't even an organization dedicated to managing publicity.
Perhaps it was necessary to establish a publicity department, but such a small department might not warrant a cabinet position and would likely need to be attached to another department for now.
The most suitable department for this publicity department, in Arthur's view, was certainly the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, as it already had the capacity to act internationally.
Thinking of this, Arthur nodded and said with a smile, "That's a good plan, Member Grant. Besides this issue, what is the other issue?"
Having already reached this point, Grant Wilson naturally wouldn't hesitate and continued, "Your Majesty, besides increasing the attractiveness of other cities, I believe it is also necessary to more precisely categorize and allocate incoming immigrants, placing immigrants from the same regions in different states and territories, in order to prevent them from forming stronghold communities."
If we had to categorize based on proximity, for Arthur, the closest immigrants would naturally be those from Australasia, followed by immigrants from the United Kingdom, Russia, Germany, and then other European countries.
Every year, more than 600,000 immigrants arrive in Australasia, which is good news for the nation.
However, managing these immigrants requires constant vigilance, as these foreign populations may not be entirely secure for the country's stability.
At least, until they've been validated over a long enough period of time, Arthur would not fully trust these foreign immigrants. This is also why Australasia's government elections require a certain number of years of residency in Australasia before one can stand for election.
Australasia's parliamentary system consists of members of the House of Representatives, state (territory) representatives, and municipal representatives.
Members of the House of Representatives can elect cabinet officials and national government members, state or territory representatives can elect state and territory government members. At the lowest level, municipal representatives can only elect members of municipal and village governments.
Even for municipal representatives, one of the election requirements is to have resided in any region of Australasia for at least three years.
For state representatives, the required duration is five years, and for members of the House of Representatives, it is ten years. Cabinet members must have resided in Australasia for 15 years.
Generally speaking, under Arthur's various welfare policies and publicity efforts, immigrants who have lived in Australasia for five years have generally started to integrate into the environment.
Those who have lived in Australasia for fifteen years would undoubtedly develop a sense of belonging and recognition of the country.
The method Grant Wilson proposed is essentially to scatter and mix up all incoming immigrants, then assign them to different administrative regions based on their family units, without fixed assignments.
This way, immigrants within the same administrative region would come from various countries, reducing the number of people who are familiar with each other, thus lowering the chance of immigrants uniting and forming their own factions.
After thinking about it for a while and confirming that this was a good approach, Arthur looked at Grant Wilson again and said with a slightly serious tone, "Member Grant, these two problems you mentioned do exist, and your proposed methods could indeed have an effect. Australasia needs contributors like you, and I believe the United Party, under your leadership, can become an important support and pillar of the government's work."
"Yes, Your Majesty! Please rest assured, the United Party will always be a supporter of the nation and the royal family, and we will always be the vanguard of Australasia's rise. Although the members of the United Party come from different regions, we are all Australasians connected by blood," Grant Wilson quickly assured.
As the conversation drew to a close and before the guards escorted Grant out, Arthur seemingly casually added, "Member Grant, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs will soon be establishing a publicity department, and we will discuss the ministerial candidates in the House of Representatives at that time."
(End of Chapter)
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