The Rise Of Australasia

Chapter 634 - 482: Railway Tender and University Expansion_3

The New Guinea Circum-Island railway, a railway line of over 4000 kilometers, excluding the part that had been constructed in Australian and German New Guinea, needs to have at least another 2000 kilometers built.

For the construction of this segment, Arthur’s preference was that it be undertaken by domestic private railway companies in Australasia.

Even when Australia was still a colony, there were quite a few private railway companies in Australia, albeit on a relatively smaller scale.

After more than a decade of development, a number of medium-sized railway companies have emerged, but none are capable of taking on this railway project alone.

Ultimately, the 2000-kilometer railway was divided amongst over ten railway companies, with each company constructing no more than 200 kilometers of railway tracks.

Although there are many companies involved in the construction, Australasia’s Transportation Department has clear specifications for New Guinea’s Circum-Island railway, so there’s no need to worry about inconsistencies in the standards used by the different railway companies.

This support for domestic private railway companies helps these small-scale private enterprises grow, given that the railway they build complies with the specifications and quality requirements.

Compared to other foreign countries, the prospects for the development of private enterprises in Australasia are generally better.

Due to various reasons, Australasia was neither affected by World War I nor the influenza outbreak, making its economic development relatively stable.

During the influenza outbreak, at least tens of thousands of small- and medium-sized enterprises went bankrupt in the United States, a shocking figure.

Although many small and medium-sized enterprises in Australasia also went bankrupt, the government quickly took measures to ensure that the number of bankrupt companies remained in the triple digits.

In the end, it was thanks to Arthur’s prior precautions that the epidemic did not affect the major cities in Australasia, as it was mostly contained at the ports.

Although life in these orphanages and nursing homes may not be luxurious, they provide enough to ensure individuals are well-fed and clothed.

As a result of the large sums of money that Arthur spends on the public every year, the people have no complaints about the royal financial group, which is making a fortune every day.

After all, a significant portion of the income from the royal financial group is directly returned to the people, which is considerably better than the greed of capitalists.

In fact, it makes sense. Australasia’s pension, free supply distribution, orphanages, nursing homes, education subsidies and scholarships, medical subsidies and reductions, and policies supporting low-income individuals are all made possible due to the contributions from the royal financial group.

By virtue of the enormous funds that the royal financial group gives back to the public each year, amounting to tens of millions of Australian dollars, the public’s opinion of the financial group is invariably high.

Besides domestic large-scale construction, Arthur also plans to further upgrade domestic education and healthcare.

Firstly, Australasia’s education system. After more than a decade of development, education in Australasia has been relatively successful.

The average educational level has been raised to junior high school and above, and the number of university students is no longer as pitiful as it was at the founding of the nation.

The aspects of education that need further strengthening are the number of universities and technical schools in Australasia.

As the population grows, it is necessary to increase the number of universities. Especially since Australasia’s administrative regions were redefined, each new administrative region must have a university, as a basic guarantee.

Aside from increasing the number of universities, raising their international standing is also necessary.

The best current solution is to increase resources for universities, hire more professors and experts from Europe, and construct more advanced laboratories.

Major investments in education cannot be avoided, as after all, education is the foundation of a strong country.