Chapter 36: The People’s Will Can Be Utilized

Translator: 549690339 |

“Let’s go, Minister Thomas. It seems that the place where the Royal Assistance Committee distributes supplies is just ahead. Since we have come this far, let’s go and have a look.” Arthur suddenly noticed the bustling crowd in the street ahead, with people apparently lining up for something. He said to Thomas with a hint of interest.

“Yes, Your Highness.” Minister Thomas immediately followed, respectfully responding.

In front of the crowd, several Relief Committee officers were busily and orderly registering and distributing grain.

Although merely estimating from the several lines of queues, there were at least a few thousand people. Surprisingly, these thousands of people formed three long lines, stretching from the central streets of Sydney to the Harbor Road Southside.

Not only that, but Arthur also noticed that there were hardly any cases of people cutting in line or fighting along the way. People in the queue were anxious but orderly, poor but polite, and some strong men even gave way to the elderly behind them.

“Thomas, is this also the work of your Public Security Department? Being able to maintain such order among so many people during the distribution of supplies without any chaos or fighting, it seems that the achievements of your department go far beyond that!” Arthur looked at the orderly advancing queue with astonishment and couldn’t help expressing his inner doubts.

“No, no, no, Your Highness. It’s not the credit of the Public Security Department; it’s your credit!” Minister Thomas quickly shook his head, explaining, “Everyone knows that the grain is being distributed by Your Highness. Most people arc just filled with joy and gratitude as they line up. Occasionally, some selfish individuals who try to cut in line are taught a lesson by those who respect you. And that is why so many people appear to be so orderly.”

Arthur suddenly understood that he had not expected to have such appeal in Australia. Seeing the orderly crowd in front of him, Arthur felt an incomparable heroic spirit welling up in his heart.

“His Highness is here!”

“Long live His Highness!”

Finally, a few sharp-eyed people still found Arthur’s arrival, disregarding their places in line and rushing to Arthur, shouting with both excitement and fervor.

“Long live His Highness!”

It is said that a thousand words can be condensed into one sentence, and that is precisely the case with the Australian people at this moment. Faced with a monarch who reduced their taxes and freely provided them with grain, they did not hesitate to express their love and admiration.

“Folks, I know you may come from the British Empire, France, Germany, or even other parts of Europe. But now you are in Australia, in this beautiful land. Now, please tell me loudly, who has exempted most of your taxes and who has provided you with free grain in times of your difficulties, freeing you from worrying about food?” As the crowd cheered loudly, Minister Thomas had quietly arrived at the highest spot near the distribution area where the Royal Assistance Committee officers were located.

As a minister who had risen from a small official to a councilor and even the Prime Minister of the Colony, Thomas’s oratory skills were exceptional.

Seizing this opportunity, Minister Thomas decided to show his favor to Arthur. Any intelligent person could see that Arthur valued cultivating his status and prestige in the hearts of Australians. As such, Thomas took advantage of this grand occasion to publicize a few of Arthur’s accomplishments.

It must be said that Minister Thomas had excellent eloquence, and it was likely because the Australian people were very satisfied with Arthur’s actions so far.

After Minister Thomas’s two inquiries, the nearby streets echoed with continuous shouts of “Your Highness!” and “Long live Your Highness!”

Arthur’s eyes flashed with satisfaction, but he remained calm on the surface, gesturing for the crowd to stop and then saying, “My people, as your monarch, this is what I should and must do. Australia is a great country, and Australians are a great nation. I hope we can join hands and push Australia to the pinnacle of the world, with Australians standing at the summit of the world!”

“Long live His Highness!”

“Long live Australia!”

There is nothing more fortunate than having a monarch who loves his people and his country, at least in the hearts of modern Australians.

If there were a way to gauge the people’s sentiments, Arthur would be confident that his approval rate in Australia would exceed eighty percent, with at least half of the more than one million Australians receiving grain becoming his supporters.

“How is the grain distribution going? How many people have received our grain today?” After calming the crowd, Arthur began to inquire about the grain distribution status from the officers in charge.

New South Wales, as the state with the largest population in Australia, does not have the highest number of impoverished citizens.

There is a significant difference between the immigrants in New South Wales and those in other states. The immigrants in New South Wales are regular immigrants attracted from Europe, so their overall quality is higher and more capable. Thus, their income is relatively high among all states.

On the other hand, especially in West Australia, although there are many immigrants every year, most of them are gold diggers attracted by the gold rush. While a small number can successfully make a fortune through the gold rush, there are still a significant number of people working as goldmine workers, living a hand-to-mouth existence.

“Your Highness, as of now, our grain relief has been underway for two days. Just in Sydney alone, during these two days, more than 9>3OO rations have been distributed, and we have given away an extra ration to three particularly impoverished families.” The officer reported.

Generally speaking, relief grain is only allowed to be given once per person. However, when encountering exceptionally poor families or individuals, an extra ration of grain may also be given as appropriate.

This level of poverty is determined by the officers distributing the grain, but generally, as long as it falls within the particularly impoverished range, there are hardly any restrictions.

After all, Arthur intended to build his reputation and prestige with the grain distribution and would not compromise his reputation for minor gains.

Therefore, this grain distribution was based on the principle of being willing to distribute an extra thousand rations but not missing out on a single person, with some additional rations prepared.

“Well, in addition to the distribution of grain, be sure to register the names and addresses completely. Many more relief policies will be implemented, and much of it will rely on the information registered now.” Arthur instructed.

Since there was no proper identification system, finding a poor person in Australia was challenging.

It was then that the officers of the Relief Committee came up with this method: registering the names and addresses of the recipients during grain distribution, making it more convenient to find people for future policies..