Chapter 276: Chapter 248: Ensure Quality First, Then Pursue Speed_2

Only Prime Minister Walter and a few ministers were handling affairs in Sydney, while most of the Cabinet followed Arthur to West Australian State.

After all, the establishment of a comprehensive industrial area is not as simple as constructing a few factory districts. The education and medical care environment in the surrounding area of Leonora is not very good, but it will become the largest industrial area in Australasia in the future; therefore, the necessary education and medical care conditions must be provided.

After all, if you want to let workers come here to work, you have to build their basic living conditions first.

Apart from this, issues such as the security of the industrial area, transportation and the like require the personal participation of each minister to properly resolve, which is why most ministers have come along.

Conveniently, the location chosen for the first phase of the industrial area was not far from Leonora. After a short 20-minute car ride, Arthur and his party arrived at the selected site in the southwest of Leonora.

At this point, some people were already planning the specific location of the industrial area, dividing the area in detail according to the blueprints provided by the industrial sector to facilitate future construction.

Walking through, Arthur personally experienced the advantages and disadvantages of the current industrial area.

The advantages are self-evident; the mineral resources near the selected site for the industrial area are abundant, which creates a prerequisite for the establishment of the industrial area.

But, the current transportation environment of this area is not so good, only Leonora has a highway, and the road to the industrial area has only been temporarily widened and cannot be used normally in the future.

This means that the most important thing for the industrial area at present is the construction of a railway connecting the southern industrial railway and the opening of a main road for trains and trucks to transport goods.

Thinking of this, Arthur looked at the Minister of Transportation and asked, “Minister Lauren, when can the transportation issue of the industrial area be solved?”

Minister Lauren immediately replied, “Your Majesty, the specific design drawings for the industrial area have been completed, and road construction can be started at any time. We estimate that under the premise of employing tens of thousands of indigenous people, the transportation railway connecting the industrial area and the industrial railway can be completed and put into operation within a year, and the highway is expected to take just over six months.”

Arthur then nodded in satisfaction and instructed, “The various constructions of the industrial area must be taken seriously and absolutely not shoddy. The industrial area and all its affiliated facilities are major projects for the country and a prerequisite for the future industrial development of Australasia. I do not want to hear any stain on the industrial area in the future, do you understand?”

Arthur’s words were not light, for a despotic monarch like him who held the power of life and death, such words were not only a warning but also a sharp sword hanging over the heads of these officials.

“I understand, Your Majesty. Please rest assured, I will personally supervise the road construction of the industrial area, ensuring that there will be no skimping or shoddy work,” Minister Lauren promised.

Minister of Industry Pierre also chimed in, since what Arthur said was about the entire industrial area, the responsibility of the Ministry of Industry was the heaviest of all.

Arthur nodded in satisfaction and, with a smile, said, “The construction of the industrial area is a national priority. If you find any problems during construction, you must report them promptly and not conceal anything. Of course, if there are any financial issues, your Cabinet Government can study and resolve them on your own. As long as the budget is used for the right purpose, exceeding the budget is no problem.”

Although the Finance Department has made a preliminary budget for the construction of the industrial area, after all, this is just a preliminary estimate, and it is inevitable that there will be overruns during construction.

Arthur expressed understanding for budget overruns, as long as all these financial budgets are used for the right purpose, even if the budget is doubled, it is an acceptable situation.

After all, what Australasia needs now is not only to establish an industrial area, but also to establish a quality industrial area that can withstand scrutiny.

On such key national projects as the industrial area, Arthur does not allow any accidents or unexpected situations to happen.

If these officials turn a deaf ear to Arthur’s words, they will also witness the power of a despotic monarch firsthand, who holds the power of life and death, which is not to be joked about.

The establishment and layout of education and medical care cannot be fully determined right now.

After all, a large integrated and comprehensive industrial base will be built here, and it is only the first phase now. The corresponding medical and educational environments must be planned according to the complete form of the industrial base.

Good news is that the construction cycle of the industrial district will take at least a year and a half, plus the introduction of foreign factories and domestic capital. The time for the industrial district to fully start production may be at least two and a half years.

This period of time is sufficient for various departments to establish corresponding education, medical care, public security, and transportation environments, thus providing a complete living environment for the industrial district.

In order to conveniently distribute salaries to workers in the future, it is necessary to establish a Royal Bank near the industrial area.

However, this is a matter for Butler Kent, and Butler Kent will not disappoint Arthur.

Even if it is just the construction of the first phase of the industrial area, it is estimated that tens of thousands of indigenous people will be involved, striving to be completed as soon as possible and to ensure both quality and quantity.

Currently, the indigenous workforce is gradually being prepared. When the construction team and the number of indigenous people are all ready, it will be time for the industrial district to officially start construction.

Arthur believes that this time is not far away. After all, he has seen a large number of indigenous people in the industrial area, and it is estimated that the number of indigenous people is almost enough, and they are just waiting for various construction teams from home and abroad.

After visiting the entire industrial base with the ministers from various departments, Arthur stayed in Leonora Town for a few more days.

Actually, there was no need to stay at all, but upon hearing that the industrial district was about to officially start construction, Arthur decided to stay, so as not to make any futile trips before the start of construction.

After all, as a major national construction project like this, Arthur has to participate in its official commencement.

After waiting for a few days, on January 7, 1908, the construction of the Leonora Industrial District officially began.

Arthur attended the groundbreaking ceremony and encouraged all construction teams and officials at the ceremony.

Arthur repeatedly emphasized the importance of engineering quality, ensuring that the construction site must guarantee both quality and quantity, and then speed.

In order to ensure the construction of the industrial area is not hindered, Arthur specifically arranged for the Ministry of Finance to allocate a total of two million Australian dollars to various departments.

Combined, the total cost of the first phase of the industrial base is 8 million Australian dollars, comparable to the cost of four dreadnoughts.

However, when the industrial district is successfully completed, the return on investment for Australasia will be significant. This comprehensive industrial base will enable Australasia’s industry to reach a new level, not just in scale but also in terms of its foundation and diversity, achieving the status of an industrial powerhouse.

With the investment of tens of thousands of indigenous people, in just a few hours, the construction of the industrial area has become well-organized, and various facilities have begun construction according to different divisions.

Naturally, Arthur doesn’t have time to wait. After instructing the ministers from the various departments again, Arthur decided to return to Sydney. After all, Sydney is about to celebrate another National Day, and Arthur needs to be there for the event.

In fact, once the construction of the industrial area enters a stable stage, there is no need for the ministers from the various departments to always be present.

They only need to come and check the progress and specific conditions from time to time to ensure that no problems arise.

After all, Arthur’s emphasis on the industrial district is well known. If problems were to arise in the industrial district, they would most likely lose not only their official positions but also may face criminal charges.

After all, it only takes a word from Arthur to pin a criminal charge on someone. Although Arthur has never done this, it doesn’t mean that Arthur doesn’t have the power to do so.