Chapter 563 Core Industries

If you want to develop farming, you must clarify one issue, that is, the main development direction, which is the so-called core industry of Australasia.

Looking at the whole of Australasia, what are the core industries?

To be honest, Arthur has not counted them in detail. After all, Australasia is too rich in resources, and various industries are not inferior to other countries, and it can be regarded as balanced development at present.

After occupying the Persian Gulf territory, Australasia has almost no defects in mineral resources and energy.

If you have to say a defect, it may be the water resource problem of the Australian continent.

Water shortage is a common problem in Australia now and in the future, and it is also the biggest reason restricting the development of Australasia.

People's lives require a lot of drinking water, agriculture and animal husbandry also need irrigation water, and industry also needs industrial water, which is a burden for Australasia's current water resources reserves.

Although the government has formulated relevant laws to protect water resources more than ten years ago, it has not improved the water shortage environment in the entire Australian region.

The good news is that with the large number of water conservancy projects built, a large number of reservoirs have been used to store enough water resources to meet the water needs of all residents in Australia.

And the current situation is better than that of the future generations 100 years later.

Desertification in some areas has not spread, such as the Murray River Basin, which is still worth saving.

But the great desert in Western Australia cannot be changed, which also makes nearly half of the more than 7 million square kilometers of land in Australia uninhabitable.

But in any case, the current situation in Australasia is much better than that of Australia in the future, and there are much more water resources and land areas available.

According to government statistics and estimates, the current water resources in Australia are basically sufficient for use before the population reaches 40 million.

A population of 40 million is a gap for the entire Australasia, and the current population is only more than 23.8 million.

If only the population of Australia is counted, it is even only about 17 million, and it is impossible to reach the red line of 40 million in a short time.

This also means that before the population of Australia reaches 40 million, the water transfer project planned by Arthur in New Guinea from the north to the south can even be started.

As long as the water resources of New Guinea can be mobilized, not to mention completely alleviating the water crisis in Australia, at least a large part of it can be solved.

The protection of the Murray River and the Darling River can also improve the water resources situation in the entire Murray River and Darling River basins.

Regarding the solution to the problem of water resources, relevant experts are also promoting a bolder proposal, which is to dig through Lake Eyre and the Great Australian Bight to allow seawater to flow back into Lake Eyre to improve the ecological environment around Lake Eyre.

In this way, not only the Murray River basin, but also the entire Great Artesian Basin may become developable land in Australasia.

This is equivalent to adding millions of square kilometers of land. Australasia can even cancel all expansion plans and focus on developing the local area in the next 20 to 30 years.

Speaking of this proposal, we have to mention Lake Eyre, the largest inland lake in Australasia.

Lake Eyre is a famous seasonal lake in Australasia, and it is rarely filled with rainwater.

The reduction of Lake Eyre's water resources is also an important reason for the desertification of the Great Artesian Basin. As the most important lake in central and southern Australia, if Lake Eyre has sufficient water resources, it will greatly improve the nearby geographical environment.

Because it is a saltwater lake, and Lake Eyre is 15 meters below sea level, it is completely feasible to use a canal to connect the Great Australian Bight and Lake Eyre.

Although Lake Eyre is hundreds of kilometers away from the coast, this task is not as difficult as imagined.

First of all, there are Lake Torrens and Lake Gairdner to the south of Lake Eyre. If these two lakes can be connected, the distance has been shortened by more than half.

Apart from these lakes, the distance that really needs to be opened to the canal is even less than 150 kilometers. The cost of such a project is completely affordable by the government, and the changes to the Australian region are also very huge.

The North-South Water Diversion Project will greatly improve the water resources in central Australia, and it will really become a supercontinent that can accommodate 200 million people.

Arthur was still very interested in the canal project between Lake Eyre and the Great Australian Bight proposed by some experts.

However, this still requires relevant geographical surveyors to verify whether the project can be completed. Only after all preparations are made can the Grand Canal project start.

Compared with the North-South Water Transfer Project, which requires submarine pipeline technology, the Grand Canal is currently something that Australasia can build alone, and even if conditions permit, it can be started as soon as possible.

Facing this project that is likely to improve Australia's water resources, it is impossible for Arthur not to be tempted.

It was also under Arthur's urging that a geographical survey team was ready. They will survey whether the Grand Canal project from North Lake Eyre to the Great Australian Bight is feasible within half a year, and give a definite answer in mid-1922 to decide whether the government will start the Grand Canal project.

Water resources are the lifeline of Australasia's development. If the water resource problem can be solved, it will be like opening up the Ren and Du meridians for Australasia's development.

This also means that Australasia, which has improved its water resources, truly has the potential to compete with other countries and can pursue its hegemony after World War II.

Speaking of Australasia's core industries, the first thing that comes to mind is the world-renowned animal husbandry.

This is no joke. Australasia's animal husbandry is not the most developed, but it is definitely in the forefront of the world.

As the largest meat exporter, Australasia's beef and mutton are world-renowned for their quality, and even have the reputation of the Earth's Ranch.

In order to encourage the development of Australasia's animal husbandry, the government's investment is not small.

First of all, it is to reduce taxes on animal husbandry ranches and provide certain assistance. Including but not limited to providing free animal medical assistance, researching unified and effective animal feed, improving cattle and sheep breeds, etc.

With the control of the state and the royal talent group leading the charge, Australasia has nothing to do in animal husbandry, just let it develop freely.

In addition to animal husbandry, agriculture is also one of the pillar industries that Australasia is currently vigorously developing.

Although Australasia's agricultural output was not high before, after more than ten years of development, it has long become one of the famous grain exporters.

Although the output is still not as good as some European powers including the United Kingdom, fortunately, Australasia has a relatively small population and does not consume much grain.

Throughout 1921, Australasia's grain output has reached 20.14 million tons, and the total amount of grain exported has reached more than 5 million tons. The income from grain trade alone makes a large number of agricultural population smile.

In addition, does Australasia have any core industries?

In terms of industry, the foundation is not as good as that of old powers such as the United Kingdom, and the scale is not as good as that of emerging powers such as the United States. It can only be regarded as middle-to-upper among the powers, and it is not a core industry.

The development of military industry is good, but a large number of weapons and equipment are not suitable for use now, let alone as pillar industries.

Due to population restrictions, it is not possible for Australasia to catch up with the United States in a short period of time.

At least before the population size is over 100 million and the United States has not experienced a major weakening, it is unrealistic to surpass the United States.

In general, the core industries that have advantages in the world may only be animal husbandry, agriculture and manufacturing (automobiles).

These are the industries where Australasia has advantages, and at least it is necessary to maintain its advantages, strive to create gaps in these industries, and create a cliff-like lead.

Among them, the best ones may be animal husbandry and automobile manufacturing.

For this reason, Arthur specifically asked the government to formulate policies in the development plan to encourage animal husbandry, agriculture and manufacturing, and expand the scale of these three industries as much as possible.

Manufacturing is not just about automobiles, but also includes various industrial products. Australasia can still compete.

The development of animal husbandry and agriculture must encourage more people to work in the industry. This matter is also easy to solve. The best way is to let people see the income brought by engaging in animal husbandry and agriculture.

According to government statistics, the size of the agricultural and pastoral population in Australasia is about seven million, accounting for nearly one-third of the total population.

The current size of the agricultural population has been further reduced due to agricultural mechanization.

However, animal husbandry is more complicated and requires proper care of livestock, and there is no machinery that can replace the labor of animal husbandry.

However, because of the reputation of Australasia's beef and mutton, the income of animal husbandry exceeds that of agriculture.

According to the data, the per capita income of the agricultural population in Australasia is around 50-60 Australian dollars, and the per capita income of the animal husbandry population has exceeded 60 Australian dollars.

Although the ranchers took most of the income, it was still no problem for the ranch employees to get a salary at the per capita income level, which is also the reason why the development of Australasia's animal husbandry industry is so huge.

Of course, more people choose to create their own ranches, which also makes the number of small and medium-sized ranches in Australasia countless, and the total amount of cattle and sheep raised is even immeasurable.

Since 1850, Australia has undertaken more than half of the wool imports of the British Empire, and currently accounts for more than 80% of the total wool imports of the United Kingdom.

As a country known as the country sitting on the back of sheep, Australasia currently has more than 200 million cattle and sheep. Even though it exports a large amount of beef and mutton every year, it still cannot resist the crazy growth of the number of cattle and sheep.

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