Chapter 96 The End of 1901
As December drew to a close in 1901, thanks to the efforts of numerous European professors and scientists, the winners of the Victoria Prize were finally confirmed just in time for the new year.
Although there had been much debate during the evaluation process, the final results generated little controversy.
It's worth noting that the original Nobel Prize, which was supposed to be announced in December as well, never materialized.
The reason was unclear, but even after the Victoria Prize results were published, the Nobel Prize remained silent.
This was undoubtedly good news for the Victoria Prize—one less competitor meant a greater chance for fame.
The first Victoria Prize in Physics was awarded to German physicist Wilhelm Conrad Röntgen, a renowned professor and head of the Physics Department at the University of Munich.
Röntgen was honored for his discovery of X-rays—a groundbreaking achievement regarded as the dawn of the 20th-century physics revolution. He would go on to be recognized as one of the greatest physicists of the century.
The Victoria Prize in Chemistry was awarded to Dutch scientist Jacobus Henricus van 't Hoff, who earned it for his work in chemical kinetics and the laws of osmotic pressure.
The Victoria Prize in Medicine went to German bacteriologist and immunologist Emil von Behring. He discovered the diphtheria antitoxin and was the first to successfully use animal-derived serum to treat the disease, making him one of the pioneers of serum therapy.
Behring's treatment greatly reduced mortality from diphtheria and earned him the title "Savior of Children."
Historically, he also developed a tetanus antitoxin used for battlefield wounds.
His academic contributions rivaled those of bacteriology giants like Louis Pasteur and Robert Koch.
The Victoria Prize in Literature was awarded to French writer Sully Prudhomme. As the saying goes, "There is no first in literature, nor second in war," so literary awards often spark debate.
However, works such as Destinies, Happiness, The Eyes, as well as On Art and Fragments of Verse, secured Prudhomme the prize.
The Victoria Prize in Mathematics went to one of France's greatest mathematicians, Jules Henri Poincaré.
Poincaré was widely regarded as the leading mathematician of the late 19th and early 20th centuries, and the last person since Gauss to possess universal knowledge in mathematics and its applications.
He was also a leading theoretical scientist and philosopher of science.
Poincaré made numerous creative contributions to mathematics, physics, and celestial mechanics. He proposed the famous Poincaré Conjecture—one of the most renowned problems in mathematics.
The final award was the Victoria Prize in Design, given to Rudolf Diesel for his invention of the diesel engine.
His engine was capable of running not only on gasoline and diesel, but also on unconventional fuels—an innovation that earned him the design prize.
Of course, the fact that Diesel had chosen to move to Australia may have influenced Chief Administrator David Martins Simons' judgment in the selection.
Regardless, all six categories of the first Victoria Prize had been awarded. The winners would each receive £50,000, to be formally presented at a ceremony in Australia early in the new year.
Last year, Arthur had been in Europe and missed the end-of-year government reporting session, which had to be postponed to the beginning of the following year.
This year, Arthur made it on time, and the meeting proceeded smoothly.
As usual, Prime Minister Evan gave a general report, followed by individual department briefings. Arthur then commented and set next year's tasks and priorities.
Overall, 1901 had been a year of much faster development than 1900. Both economically and industrially, Australia had achieved considerable growth.
In industry, the launch of the industrial railway project had pushed the Ministry of Industry to accelerate the construction of industrial zones and expand the steel plants.
As a result, Australia's steel output rose dramatically.
At the beginning of 1901, annual steel and iron production stood at 13,000 and 19,000 tons respectively.
By year's end, these numbers had surged to 61,000 tons of steel and 93,000 tons of iron.
Though still a fraction of what European powers produced, it was already a respectable figure among non-great powers.
To achieve this, over 20,000 natives were employed in the industrial sector, resulting in several hundred casualties.
Still, this level of steel output remained insufficient for the total requirements of the railway project, somewhat slowing progress.
Alongside the steel boom, Arthur's £20 million investment and industrial expansion saw the establishment of dozens of factories in the new industrial zone.
Most were government-royalty joint ventures; a few were privately run with royal backing.
The industrial zone now hosted nearly 50 factories, generating over 10,000 worker jobs and at least another 10,000 construction jobs.
This significantly boosted Australia's per capita income and economic standing, as these jobs were all well-paying and highly desirable.
In terms of population, Australia saw substantial growth in 1901.
The population rose from 3,867,100 to 3,996,200—an increase of 129,100.
That was a 3.3% growth rate. Of the new population, around 49,000 were newborns, 21,000 were deaths, and over 100,000 were immigrants.
The number of newborns increased by over 10,000 compared to the previous year, largely due to a rise in average income, which now exceeded £10 per person.
Even more impressive was the immigration figure—over 100,000 newcomers in 1901.
Of these, nearly 40,000 were from the British Empire, mostly from England and Ireland. More than 40,000 came from across Germany.
The remaining 10,000+ arrived from other European countries, including France, Spain, Italy, and the Austro-Hungarian Empire.
Compared to the previous year's 60,000 immigrants, this was a significant increase—thanks largely to the formal implementation of immigration agreements with Britain and Germany.
There was hope that this high growth rate could be sustained in the years to come.
(End of Chapter)
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