The Rise Of Australasia

Chapter 272: Chapter 246: Royal Military Academy Starts the School Year

It’s worth mentioning that, after more than six months of preparation, the Royal Military Academy finally opened in late 1907.

Although the reason for the different start times of the Royal Military Academy and other universities is the slowed progress of school construction, the different start times can also distinguish the difference between ordinary universities and military academies.

The first enrolment of the Royal Military Academy was very strict. In addition to the soldiers recruited from the army, the first intake of the Royal Military Academy only recruited less than a hundred people.

The specific requirements are very demanding, not only requiring all family members to have lived in Australasia for fifteen years (those under 15 years old must have lived for eight years, and those under 8 do not count), but also during the residence, all family members must not violate any laws and have no close relationships with any foreign forces or individuals.

These are the simple background requirements, in addition to which there are some requirements in physique, intelligence, eloquence, etc., and the minimum education level should be high school level.

This is why more than two thousand people applied for the Royal Military Academy, and in the end, only less than a hundred were admitted from outside.

The conditions for selecting students from the army are somewhat more relaxed, but they must have served in the military for at least one year, and there are also requirements in physique, combat capability, intelligence, and loyalty.

Background checks are basically unnecessary for soldiers in the military, as their backgrounds have already been checked during recruitment.

The reason why the Royal Military Academy’s enrolment is so strict is that the graduates of the Royal Military Academy will basically become officers of the Australasian Army.

According to the rules and regulations of the Military Academy, an external student who graduates smoothly from the Royal Military Academy will have a minimum rank of Second Lieutenant when they go to the army. If they perform well, they may even become First Lieutenant or Captain.

Students selected from the military generally already have initiatial military ranks of non-commissioned officers or commissioned officers.

After graduation, their ranks will generally be promoted by two to three levels, basically reaching the level of First Lieutenant or Captain.

As for officers above the level of commissioned officers, they are beyond the reach of the ordinary graduates of the Royal Military Academy.

If commissioned officers are considered intermediate military officers, then field-grade officers have already reached the level of senior military officers, requiring not only ability but also seniority in the military.

If these military academy graduates can rise to the rank of field-grade officer within ten years, even if it’s just Major, it’s enough to prove their enormous potential. Of course, if a large-scale war breaks out, it’s another story.

The enrolment of the Aeronautical College is not counted in the military academy because the Aeronautical College has the foundation of the previous Aeronautical Research Institute training classes and has already started enrolment.

At present, there are more than four hundred students in the Aeronautical College, and the annual enrolment is about four hundred people.

This also means that nearly four hundred pilots will be born in Australasia every year, which is very beneficial for the future expansion of the Australasian Air Force.

In order to build the Royal Military Academy, more than two million Australian dollars out of the 5 million Australian dollars in school construction funds were used to attract professors from European military academies and retired famous generals to enhance and supplement the foundation of the Military Academy.

Currently, with the foundation of the Royal Military Academy, the long-standing concern about middle-level officer vacancies in Australasia can be relieved.

As the honorary principal of the Royal Military Academy, and with Arthur’s high popularity and support among the people, he can fully guarantee the goodwill of the graduates of the Royal Military Academy towards the royal family and Arthur, which is equivalent to cultivating talent loyal to himself openly and justly.

It’s worth noting that most of the professors at the Army College of the Royal Military Academy were hired from Germany, while most of the professors at the Naval College were hired from the United Kingdom.

In addition to the establishment of the Royal Military Academy, the number of technical schools in Australasia has also seen 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 in Australasia had increased to seven, with New Zealand adding two new technical schools.

These seven technical schools can train more than five thousand excellent technicians for Australasia every year, filling the vacancies in some technical positions for factories.

Arthur has only one requirement for these technical schools: the more, the better, and the bigger, the better.

As for outstanding technical talents, Australasia naturally doesn’t mind having many. They want as many as they can get and will cultivate as many as they can.

These technical school graduates are often attracted to various factories with high salaries and benefits immediately after graduation.

There’s no other way, as the current number of factories in Australasia has led to a continuous increase in demand for technicians, and even those who graduate from technical schools do not have to worry about finding work.

The final report came from the Finance Department, and it contained data that all ministers cared about.

There is no other way around it, as the balance of revenue and expenditure of the Ministry of Finance also determines the budget situation of other departments for the next year. If the financial loss in the previous year was severe, the budget of each department would undoubtedly be reduced in the following year.

Fortunately, Finance Minister Roger brought good news to everyone.

In 1907, the total fiscal expenditure of the Kingdom of Australasia Government was about 28,410,000 Australian dollars, while total fiscal revenue was approximately 36,220,000 Australian dollars. Not only was there a fiscal surplus, but the excess amount also reached as high as 7,810,000 Australian dollars.

While continuing to carry out a significant amount of industrial construction, Australasia’s fiscal expenditure did not change much and maintained a level of around 30 million Australian dollars.

Meanwhile, fiscal revenue grew substantially, jumping from just over 20 million to over 36 million.

This includes tax revenue from arms trade and dreadnought orders, as well as tax revenue from the Benz Car Factory and the Royal Financial Group, which contributed at least 10 million Australian dollars.

It’s worth noting that, according to the Australasian constitution, the Australasian royal family can receive one percent of the total government fiscal revenue every year for use as royal funding to cover the costs of the royal family and palace.

In 1907, this one percent amounted to 360,000 Australian dollars. Although it is a small income for Arthur, it is considered a vast wealth for the lower class.

If Australasia’s finances continue to develop smoothly, Arthur is confident that even without the Royal Financial Group’s income, one percent of the government’s annual revenue will be enough to support the entire royal family.

Thanks to this year’s fiscal surplus, Australasia’s currently available funds have not decreased but have increased, returning to over 240 million Australian dollars.

However, unfortunately, in the new year, Australasia’s five-year shipbuilding plan will officially begin.

This is a considerable investment, and whether this year’s fiscal situation can maintain a surplus remains uncertain.

Another major reason for the high growth of fiscal spending is the growth of the livestock industry. As the country gradually stabilizes, Australasia is increasingly showing the characteristics of a livestock superpower, which means there are many products related to animal husbandry.

Products such as beef, mutton, wool, cows’ milk, sheep’s milk, and others are exported to major regions of Europe and America and are a significant source of fiscal revenue for the Australasian government.

As of now, Australasia has more than 170 million sheep and tens of millions of cows and other livestock.

How outrageous is this number? Every Australasian can be allocated nearly twenty-four sheep and seven cows, and one other livestock.

It is precisely because of such a developed livestock industry that Australasia’s livestock product prices are meager, with beef and mutton being standard dishes on most Australasians’ tables.

In particular, in Australasian armies and schools, having meat for every meal has almost become a tradition.

In school districts, cow and sheep milk are also provided in the mornings to supplement the students’ nutrition.

At present, the largest private ranch owner in Australasia owns vast grasslands and mountains, as well as tens of thousands of cattle and sheep.

These cattle and sheep can bring them over a thousand Australian dollars in annual income. Even after dividing the entire family’s per capita share, each person can still obtain an income of over a hundred Australian dollars, far exceeding the current average income level in Australasia.

Arthur’s Royal Financial Group has, of course, also joined the livestock industry and has large and small ranches and a number of cattle and sheep in various states.

These ranches, when combined, also have at least one million cattle and sheep, and the wool, cow and sheep milk, and meat products they produce each year are of excellent quality and are sent to the royal palace. The rest is generally sold abroad.

Worth mentioning is that Arthur also owns two large ranches dedicated to raising Australian wild horses.

This is a tall kind of horse suitable for use as warhorses, and the cavalry troops of Australasia currently use this kind of Australian wild horse.

Arthur’s two major ranches raise a total of over 100,000 Australian wild horses, which can quickly arm at least three cavalry divisions.

However, Arthur is not very fond of cavalry troops. If possible, Australasia can entirely transform the cavalry troops into motorized troops or even mechanized units ahead of time. That’s why there is no independent cavalry division in Australasia.

Arthur is waiting for the practicality of trucks to improve in the future, and then he will completely arm the forces to form mechanized divisions.

As well as future tanks and automatic artillery being born, various tank divisions and artillery units will be the mainstream of the future army.