Chapter 518

  The second half of 1919 was chaotic and disorderly because of the effects of the flu.

  Economies have been affected considerably, even in Australasia.

  After all, no one can guarantee whether there are any actual cases of infection among these foreign immigrants, so they can only take strict quarantine measures or postpone the arrival of migrants to Australia to avoid the more serious impact of influenza in Australasia.

  In September 1919, Australasia welcomed more than 100,000 foreign immigrants, but by October it had plummeted to less than 50,000, and in November and December combined, it was enough to see Australasia's cautious attitude towards influenza.

  This also made Arthur frown slightly when he saw the report on the entire Australasian government in 1919.

  I have to admit that this sudden third round of influenza still has a great impact on Australasia's originally expected four-year development plan.

  Even the construction of the fourth phase of the Leonora Industrial Base had to be halted to prevent the mass contagion caused by the crowding of construction workers.

  However, compared with the slightly tragic foreign countries, Australasia, which has prepared in advance, is still in a better situation.

  In the three-month period of October, November and December, there were fewer than 100,000 cases of infection in Australasia, and the death toll was reduced to less than four figures, to be exact, just over 600, which is a relatively good situation.

  Most European countries have hundreds of thousands or even millions of infected people, because there is no specific medicine at present, and they can only bear it in the face of such a flu, and some doctors and clinics prescribe drugs indiscriminately, but the results prove to be useless.

  Due to the impact of the flu, the National Day in 1920 also became very low-key, with only flag-raising ceremonies that no one attended, all National Day events were canceled, and the government encouraged people to stay at home and try not to go out.

  The good news is that there isn't much rebellion on the part of the people in this era. Even when people ask them to stay at home, they mostly obey them.

  But if it were later in Europe and the United States, as soon as the government issued a requirement ordering people to go out as much as possible and wear masks, I am afraid that the people would begin to protest against the government's violation of their right to freedom.

  This kind of thinking is crazy, incomprehensible, and is what Arthur is trying to put an end to in Australasia.

  It is true that the people can fight for the power they deserve, but in the face of great rights and wrongs, the interests of the country are also important.

  At present, the performance of the Australasian people is still good, perhaps because of Arthur's high prestige, the Australasian people are obviously willing to obey the orders of the government and Arthur, and are willing to carry out any policies and orders issued by the government.

  Although there was no activity, the Australasian government published data for 1919.

  The first is to reassure the people, after all, there are still many people who care about the government's data and the country's construction.

  Second, the country's development can also fully reflect the country's potential in certain aspects, as well as the corresponding economic environment.

  Australasia has been the least affected by the flu than other powers, making it more attractive to immigrants who want to move to a more stable environment.

  In fact, when Australasia released the government's development data, not only did a large number of people care about the government's data, but a large number of foreign media also followed up and reported on the data, and expressed sincere admiration.

  Although Australasia suffered from the flu, Australasia's political performance in 1919 was relatively good.

  The first is the population figures, which had grown to 21694618 by the time the data were published on January 1, 1920, an increase of about 1.5 million people from the previous year, which is quite good.

  If it weren't for the flu in the second half of the year, Australasia's population would have been close to 22 million.

  In this population growth of 1.49 million, the local population has contributed a very important part. There were about 570,000 newborns and 70,000 local deaths, equivalent to a net increase of about 500,000 in the local population.

  The remaining 990,000 or so are mostly immigrants, of whom the Russian population contributes nearly 500,000.

  In fact, it can be seen from this data that Arthur has imposed restrictions on the Russian population.

  If Australasia eases immigration restrictions on Russia, it will not be difficult to attract millions or even two million Russian people a year.

  But such a population growth is not a good thing for Australasia, after all, if the Russian population is too large, it will have a subversive effect on the rule of Australasia.

  Although Arthur has always emphasized the concept of Australasian unity, it is not an easy task to get the concept of Australasian nation to be accepted by all Australasian people, and it will take much longer.

  At present, it can be regarded as a certain extent, and the millions of native people of Australasia are basically willing and have deeply accepted the concept of Australasians.

In the early years, immigrants were also largely willing to accept the Australasian national idea, after all, the Australasian national concept can bring them tangible benefits, which is what really attracts those immigrants.

  At present, those who are slightly excluded or uncomfortable are those immigrants who have just arrived in Australasia in recent years.

  It's not that these people don't want to accept Australasian rule, it's just that they are used to staying in their original country, and it will take a lot of time for them to accept becoming Australasian in a short period of time.

  Generally speaking, it will take at least five years for these immigrants to accept and submit to Australasian rule before they can identify with Australasia.

  If they are to be brainwashed into a population loyal to Australasia, the time will also be extended indefinitely, and it will take at least 10 to 15 years of influence before they will become loyal to Australasia.

  Of course, the most effective way to do this is to tie the interests of these people to those of Australasia.

  As long as they share common interests with Australasia, they will naturally stand with Australasia.

  This can be seen in Australasia's policy towards these immigrants, where the government grants them large amounts of land, or provides them with shelter and jobs, so that they can quickly adapt to life in Australasia and own some assets in Australasia.

  In this way, even if their families want to leave Australasia, they will be reluctant.

  After all, the assets given to them by the government are real and have a fatal appeal to those who cannot survive in their original countries.

  What if everyone can live happily ever after, and then stand up against the government and fall into the predicament of being uprooted again?

  The best way for an immigrant to feel identified with a new country is to make the immigrant live well in the new country, so that they can find a sense of happiness and security that they have not felt for a long time, it's as simple as that.

  Because of the influence of the four-year plan, Australasia's industrial growth in 1919 was relatively fast.

  At present, the total steel production in Australasia has increased to 3.5 million tons and 5.17 million tons respectively, the output value of the chemical industry has increased by 17.7%, and the output value of civil light industry has also increased by 14.1%.

  In this respect, we have seen the efforts of the Australasian government towards industry, and Australasia is no longer satisfied with being an industrial country, but wants to go one step further and become an industrial power, even an industrial superpower.

  In this regard, Australasia actually has an innate advantage. With the help of the British, it was not difficult to achieve this.

  In terms of industrial development, the only problem facing Australasia may be that the market size is slightly smaller due to insufficient population, and it cannot absorb the output value of Australasia after it has achieved full industrialization.

  In this regard, the Australasian government also has certain countermeasures.

  First, to preserve the Dutch East Indies was to use it as a reserve market to digest the industrial products of Australasia when necessary.

  The Philippine population is still growing rapidly, and a market with a population of tens of millions is still attractive to Australasia.

  Secondly, Australasia's international influence is gradually expanding in the surrounding area, and even in Europe and East Asia.

  Australasia's agricultural products are exported to Europe and the United States, and have also opened up a certain European market.

  Although it has to compete with the industrial countries of Europe and the United States, the European market is also very attractive.

  Needless to say, East Asia, as one of the most populous regions in the world, has the largest market in the world, and is definitely able to absorb a considerable part of Australasia's industrial products.

  Fortunately, the flu outbreak began in October, and economic growth was normal for the first nine months.

  In this context, Australasia's GDP reached $2,758 million in 1919, equivalent to £551.6 million, or $1,103.2 million.

  The overall growth rate is not bad, because of various major construction reasons, Australasia's economic growth rate has remained above 10%.

  In 1919, Australasia's total fiscal revenue was $188.7 million, which was very close to an annual revenue of more than $200 million and £100 million.

  In the past 20 years, Arthur is still quite satisfied with the development speed of Australasia, and the growing financial income has also witnessed Arthur's 20 years of efforts in Australasia.

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(End of chapter)