Chapter 180: Chapter 174: Stable Reconstruction, Turbulent Situation
On December 1,1903, with the help of Arthur, New Zealand received a loan of two million pounds from Australia to rebuild the economy and various infrastructures after the disaster.
To demonstrate the good relationship between Australia and New Zealand, the loan was interest-free with a repaynt date set for twenty years later.
The news was widely publicized in New Zealand newspapers, promoting the prosperous relations between Australia and New Zealand.
Indeed, due to this huge amount of funds, New Zealand’s rebuilding work progressed smoothly, with towns and pastoral areas systematically reconstructed.
On December 3, Arthur designated November Sth, the day the typhoon had made landfall in New Zealand, as the annual Disaster morial Day and established a Disaster morial Monunt at Opunaki, the first point of the typhoon’s arrival.
Engraved on the monunt were clear details about the exact ti and location the typhoon occurred and the full extent of the damage and injuries caused by the disaster in New Zealand.
On the day the monunt was established, Arthur attended the ceremony and personally expressed his condolences to all New Zealanders.
This move won the hearts of all New Zealanders as Arthur had provided imdiate assistance during the disaster and swiftly arrived in New Zealand.
As mbers of the Australian royal family and the Governor of New Zealand, both Arthur and the New Zealand governnt donated funds, and a large number of personnel and resources were mobilized from Australia to save as many New Zealanders as possible from the catastrophe.
Arthur’s attention to New Zealand made the people feel the joy of having an excellent ruler.
There was a growing sentint among the residents of New Zealand, wishing that Arthur could be their monarch.
Although Arthur is currently the Governor of New Zealand, his term lasts only twenty years, with New Zealand still nominally under the administration of the British Empire.
Arthur’s Australia, with its unstoppable growth montum, has already achieved more than the historical peak of New Zealand’s developnt.
Moreover, the different attitudes of Australia and the British Empire toward the disaster in New Zealand gradually changed the thoughts of most New
Zealanders.
On December 13,1903, Arthur rged the Advisory Council with the House of Commons in New Zealand and renad the Commons as the House of Representatives.
At the sa ti, Grant and Joshua were appointed as lifeti mbers of the Upper House.
The Legislative Council was the Upper House of New Zealand, appointed directly by the Governor of New Zealand and serving for life.
As one could tell from the na, the Legislative Council’s functions included drafting and revising existing laws in New Zealand and overseeing the powers of New Zealand officials.
No changes had been made to the Legislative Council since Arthur took office as Governor of New Zealand.
There were six mbers in the Legislative Council, including Garrison Commander Piers, Grant, and Joshua, with the remaining three being lifeti mbers appointed by the previous Governor.
Fortunately, these three expressed their utmost obedience to Arthur, aware that their fates remained in his hands, even as the Governor of New Zealand.
This was, in fact, a counter-balancing asure by the British Empire for self- governing colonies like New Zealand.
In colonies like New Zealand, the Governor’s position was equivalent to that of a head of state, representing the British Royal Family and the King.
The Governor was appointed directly by the King of Britain and not elected from among New Zealanders, which ant that the policies enacted would favor the British Empire since everyone knew who their boss was.
This situation actually benefited Arthur, who, as an irreplaceable Governor of New Zealand, held vast powers in the country, with no individual or power in New Zealand able to resist his authority.
Perhaps Military Commander Piers could have been considered an exception, but he was acutely aware of his abilities and had yet to engage in any conflict with Arthur.
Under the premise that every New Zealand governnt official was intelligent, no one obstructed Arthur’s rger of the Advisory Council and the House of Commons, which essentially allowed Arthur to infiltrate the Lower House with a substantial number of loyal followers.
As New Zealand’s reconstruction work stabilized, its political situation grew increasingly turbulent.
On December 17, a mber of the Alliance Party delivered a speech in his hotown that shook the entire nation. He extolled Arthur’s greatness and advocated that New Zealand should join Australia, just like it had sixty years ago.
The mber unveiled detailed developnt records of various Australian states from the ti before Australia’s independence up to the latest summary of the third quarter of the current year. Amidst the data was a reality— Australia’s six states all underwent high-level, rapid developnt, and they had advanced far beyond New Zealand.
Of course, what the New Zealanders paid attention to was another reality confird by this data.
Australia achieved parallel developnt in its six states, and even in the smallest populated state of Tasmania, people’s living standards had improved significantly.
While Tasmania had the smallest population, its rapid and effective economic growth was evident.
After building hospitals, schools, nursing hos, orphanages, and highways, life in Tasmania and people’s incos experienced explosive growth, with the current per capita annual inco reaching fifteen pounds, exceeding that of New Zealand.
Not to ntion the Australian mainland’s other states due to their rich mineral resources, the developnt of the five states on the Australian continent has been swift. The state with the lowest per capita inco, South Australia, has already exceeded fourteen pounds.
This inco level has made the people of New Zealand envious. From the ti New Zealand separated from Australia, the highest per capita inco was only sixteen pounds, and it has been gradually decreasing with the downturn in the New Zealand economy.
Especially after this typhoon, the impact on New Zealand’s economy would be severe, and its per capita inco would face a cliff-like decline.
According to bold predictions by so New Zealand newspapers, per capita annual inco at the end of 1903 in New Zealand would fall to eleven pounds.
Things didn’t seem to be getting better. The most significant impact would certainly be felt in 1904, with estimates for the per capita annual inco of New Zealanders in 1904 not expected to exceed eleven pounds; maintaining it at ten pounds would already be a relatively good result.
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