Munitions Factory Status

"How are our steel mills and munitions factories doing right now?" Arthur asked the question that was also on his mind.

The steel mills were one thing; with the existing equipment, Australia could build more and more steel mills at any time. It would just take some time to retrain the employees to reach the required level of proficiency.

But the munitions factory was different. In an era where military technology had not yet taken off, the most advanced weapons were machine guns and cannons.

As Duke Arthur, the former Commander-in-Chief of Ireland, he naturally took a keen interest in weaponry and personally founded the current Connaught Integrated Munitions Factory.

What was an integrated munitions factory? It was a large-scale munitions factory that combined the research, development, and manufacturing of light and heavy weapons and artillery.

In fact, most of the employees at this munitions factory had been recruited by Duke Arthur from the Enfield Royal Small Arms Factory.

The Enfield Royal Small Arms Factory was well-known throughout Britain, and the Lee-Enfield Rifle it developed and manufactured was the standard infantry equipment within the entire British Empire's sphere of influence.

The performance and power of the Lee-Enfield Rifle even surpassed another renowned rifle, the Kar98k Rifle.

It was worth noting that both rifles were born around the same time. The Lee-Enfield Rifle had its prototype in 1888, the Lee-Metford Magazine Rifle, which was officially renamed the Lee-Enfield Magazine Rifle five years ago.

The predecessor of the Kar98k Rifle, the Model 1888 Rifle, was also born in 1888. However, due to numerous design flaws, Mauser developed a new rifle in 1898, the Mauser 98 Rifle.

During World War II, Germany was engrossed in the development of tanks and aircraft and did not pay much attention to small arms research.

Consequently, the shortened Mauser 98 Rifle, the Kar98k Rifle, officially entered the historical stage.

The reason the Lee-Enfield Rifle was not as famous historically as the Kar98k Rifle was that the British did not attach much importance to the increasingly crucial sniper tactics of World War II. As a result, the Lee-Enfield Rifle, which had a slight advantage in sniping, was far less famous than the Kar98k Rifle and Mosin-Nagant Rifle equipped with a four-power scope.

However, at this point in time, no one could deny that the Lee-Enfield Rifle was one of the most powerful rifles currently available, and its lead would last for at least another fifty years.

As an integrated munitions factory that Duke Arthur had placed great hopes on, the Connaught Munitions Factory, under Duke Arthur's powerful influence, had imported the production line and technology for the Lee-Enfield, enabling it to independently produce Lee-Enfield rifles and their corresponding parts and ammunition.

In terms of heavy weaponry, the Connaught Integrated Munitions Factory also had notable achievements. After the Maxim Heavy Machine Gun became world-famous, the Connaught factory quickly imported this technology and researched and produced a replica, the MA-96 Maxim Machine Gun.

In addition, the Connaught factory was also involved in artillery. Although it had not mastered the research and production of heavy artillery, it had essentially mastered the technology for small-caliber cannons.

For example, the 37mm Autocannon, 65mm Cannon, 88mm Howitzer, and 105mm Cannon.

It was worth mentioning that the Connaught factory had achieved remarkable success, particularly with the 37mm cannon, the smallest caliber. It had made significant progress in artillery automation and independently developed the 37mm Autocannon, the CA-1 Autocannon.

How powerful was the CA-1 Autocannon's firepower? Due to the initial implementation of semi-automation, despite its small caliber, this cannon had a firing rate of over 70 rounds per minute, which was enough to crush other calibers of artillery in terms of firepower output.

The reason why semi-automatic technology was only applied to the 37mm caliber cannon was that the powerful recoil generated during the firing of large-caliber cannons was sufficient to destroy automated devices. Current technology could not yet achieve semi-automation for large-caliber cannons.

However, semi-automation for small-caliber cannons was enough to be proud of. Semi-automatic cannons from other countries would not appear until two years later, in 1902, while the Connaught factory was a full two years ahead.

"The steel mills will only be built after the government finalizes the industrial zone, but until then, we will continue to pay our employees their wages as usual," Butler Hunter explained. "The location for the munitions factory has not been decided yet and will await Your Highness's final decision."

Whether it was the steel mills, munitions factories, or shipyards, for Arthur, the most valuable assets, besides the equipment, were the employees who had followed him to Australia from afar.

The employee benefits at these factories were very high, far exceeding the average in Britain, let alone in Australia.

This was also why Arthur could easily get these employees to follow him to Australia. No one was willing to give up such stable and high-paying jobs, even if it meant relocating abroad.

These factories had indeed lived up to expectations, consistently operating at a loss. It was manageable when they were in Britain, with modest monthly losses. But now, the four factories combined were costing Arthur over two hundred thousand Pounds Sterling per month, a total of two million four hundred thousand Pounds Sterling annually.

However, the results achieved in exchange for this loss were absolutely worth it. Setting aside the steel mills, the munitions factories and shipyards could be considered technologically advanced even in Europe.

These employees, equipment, and the technology possessed by the munitions factories and shipyards were wealth that could not be bought with even hundreds of millions of Pounds Sterling.

It had taken Duke Arthur decades of using his immense power to create these factories.

"How are the workers doing? Is anyone dissatisfied with their current life?" Arthur inquired.

After all, they had moved to a new country. Even before the factories started operating, Arthur was still paying their wages, so it was normal for emotions to fluctuate.

"They are generally doing well, Your Highness. Our wages are paid as usual, and we have arranged accommodation and nationality for all employees. At least no one has expressed dissatisfaction so far; they are all just adapting to life in their new country," Butler Hunter explained with a smile.

Indeed, although they had moved to a new country, they could bring their entire families, and accommodation was provided for them. Their wages were also paid as usual even when they were not working.

Such treatment was far better than that offered by the greedy capitalists in Europe, and it was rare even on a global scale.

"That's good, Butler Hunter. The selection of the site for the munitions factory will also begin soon. The industrial zone is expected to be in the western mining area, so let's locate the munitions factory in Western Australia. The construction of the steel mills should commence rapidly to ensure at least a certain level of steel production capacity before the munitions factory is completed," Arthur instructed.

The munitions factory was also a voracious consumer of iron. If Australia did not have a certain steel production capacity before the munitions factory was completed, then they would only be able to look at blueprints for various weapons and shed tears.

This chapter mainly introduces Arthur's munitions factory, which is the protagonist's only cheat. Second update, please support!