The Rise Of Australasia

Chapter 562: Chapter 439: Passenger Airplane and Aircraft Carrier

Arthur held steadfast to the principle that the European war was the best time for Australasia's development. Even as the battles of Verdun and the River Somme raged in Europe, Australasia's growth did not miss a beat.

Most notably, the third phase of the Leonora Industrial Base had been fully completed and put into production, which was an enormous relief for Australasia.

The entire Leonora Industrial Base, after three phases of construction, covered tens of thousands of acres. It could accommodate over 500 super factories, nearly 2,000 medium and small factories, and hundreds of large warehouses.

This one industrial base alone would create at least 550,000 jobs for the nation, and spur the development of Australasia's industry, mining, economy, and overall standard of living.

Supported by the Australasian government, the factories in the Leonora Industrial Base were nearly at full capacity, with almost 3,000 businesses of differing sizes moving in.

It's no exaggeration to say that Leonora Industrial Base was Australasia's Ruhr District, the current hub and heart of the country's industry.

According to the Australasian government's estimates, the total productivity of the Leonora Industrial Base in 1916 would account for more than one-third of Australasia's industry, an amount far surpassing that of all industries combined in non-Australian regions.

Thanks to the completion of the third phase of the Leonora Industrial Base, Australasia's total steel output had nearly reached 7 million tons, showing rapid growth over the last two years.

In addition to industrial growth, Australasia's total cultivated land area had already reached 34.45 million acres, with a per capita cultivated land area of 2.09 acres, consistently maintaining above two acres.

Of the 34.45 million acres of total land area, Australasia's native land (Australia plus New Zealand) held 31.13 million acres, whereas the colonies and territories held 3.32 million acres.

What remains is the railway line from Darwin to Augustaport in South Australia State, anticipated to be completed by the end of 1917.

For Australasia, the most critical railways in the western industrial area and the developed eastern area have been constructed. Australasia's total railway mileage had exceeded 30,000 kilometers.

Aside from the completion of the Central Railway, there's another significant achievement for Australasia: the speed of the trains.

Thanks to the painstaking research of engine expert Disel, the latest train model adopted by the Australasian Transportation Department utilizes a dual-mode of steam and internal combustion engines, stabilizing the speed above 62 miles (100 kilometers) and even exceeding 70 miles (115 kilometers) during downhill sections.

After numerous tests, it was confirmed that this type of locomotive had impressive stability, leading to large-scale procurement by the Transportation Department, utilizing these trains for rail transport.

The breakthrough in train speed was a crucial achievement for Australasia. Australasia was a country with a vast territory, especially the main territory of Australia.

Whether measured from north to south or from east to west, the Australian region spans thousands of kilometers.

This meant that traveling from the furthest west to the furthest east in Australia would take at least a week with the previous train speeds.

With the new locomotives, in theory, the journey from the westernmost to the easternmost point of Australia could now be made in just two days.

This could significantly facilitate communication between the different states of Australia. It also benefited the government in the transportation of supplies within the Australian region.

As Australasia's total railway mileage reached the world's top six, Australasia's transportation capacity was world-class, capable of adequately coping with any unexpected incidents in any region.