Chapter 14 : Election

May 10, 1900, on the streets of Sydney

Henry was walking through the streets of Sydney as usual. His destination was the government building where he had worked for half his life. It had since been renamed the Parliament of New South Wales.

To make room for the upcoming Lower House elections, many government agencies had relocated over the past two days, vacating their original locations for the State Assembly.

"Mr. Henry, good morning. Are you planning to run in the council elections?" On the street, an elderly woman who clearly knew Henry spotted him and immediately approached, speaking excitedly.

"Ah, Miss Katie. How is your son? Is he feeling better?" Henry quickly recognized the person greeting him and responded with a smile.

"It's all thanks to you that day. If you hadn't lent me 7 pounds, Trump's illness might not have been cured." When speaking of her son, Katie seemed to open up. She looked at Henry with gratitude and said with relief:

There are no clear statistics on Australia's per capita income, but in the previous year, 1899, the annual per capita income in the United Kingdom was around 50 pounds, while the annual income of a skilled worker had reached about 200-400 pounds.

Don't be misled by these figures. The reason the UK's per capita income is so high is that it derives much of its wealth from its major colonies.

As a senior official in the Sydney city government, Henry's annual income was only about 20 pounds, which clearly illustrates the gap between Britain and its colonies.

The fact that he could lend a third of his annual income to someone with no connection to him was enough to demonstrate Henry's courage and compassion.

"These are all small matters. Besides, after His Royal Highness Arthur arrived in Australia, he directly exempted most of our taxes. Compared to what His Royal Highness did, my actions are nothing." Henry waved his hand dismissively.

"That's true. But no matter what, Mr. Henry, you and His Royal Highness are good people. Australia has a great monarch like His Royal Highness and an excellent official like Mr. Henry. Why should we worry about its resurgence?" Katie said with a gentle smile.

Since Arthur announced tax cuts across Australia a few days ago, he had become the great ruler in the hearts of all Australians.

After all, for ordinary people, what truly matters are the practical benefits that can improve their lives.

"Alright, Mr. Henry. Go ahead and do your work. I'll definitely vote for you and wish you good luck in the elections." Seeing that it was getting late, Katie quickly ended her conversation with Henry.

Although Henry's residence was only ten minutes away from the current State House, it took him half an hour to get there because he kept running into acquaintances along the way.

Fortunately, Henry had anticipated this situation, so he left half an hour early and arrived in time for the opening of the House of Commons elections.

To allow as many Australians as possible to vote, these Lower House elections were held simultaneously in three cities in each state.

Sydney, where Henry was located, is the capital of Australia and also its most populous city.

There are 198 seats in the House of Commons, and New South Wales, the most populous state, receives 71. Sydney, the most populous city in New South Wales, was allocated 22 seats.

But this doesn't mean it's easier to succeed in the elections in Sydney. On the contrary, Sydney is Australia's most populous city, with a total population of 420,000.

The number of people eligible to run for election has reached the staggering figure of over 300,000. While most people don't intend to run, there are undoubtedly many competitors.

Under these circumstances, Henry had prepared himself for the possibility of losing the House of Commons elections. After all, even if he failed in the House of Commons elections, as long as he secured a good number of votes, he could still enter the lower-level New South Wales State Parliament.

The seats in the state parliament are adjusted based on the state's population. This time, there are 136 seats in the New South Wales State Parliament. Henry remains confident that he can compete for one of them.

When he entered the State House, Henry realized that the number of candidates running in this election far exceeded his expectations.

The seemingly massive State House was now packed with a huge crowd of voters. Although most of them weren't candidates, it was enough to surprise Henry.

Henry had expected that today, being the first day of elections, many people would be observing and planning. So why was the State Assembly so crowded on the very first day?

Perhaps this could only be attributed to the appeal Arthur now holds in the hearts of all Australians.

It was only the first day of elections, but a large number of Sydney citizens had already participated, and many more were still arriving in droves, even though the State House had no more room to accommodate them.

"Hey, Henry! Over here!" Just as Henry was puzzled, a familiar voice caught his attention.

Looking ahead, he saw his colleague and good friend, Martin.

Henry was delighted and quickly approached, saying with a smile, "Martin! Are you here to run for the House of Commons too?"

"Of course!" Martin nodded naturally and said, "It's a right we've never had before. If His Royal Highness has granted it to us, why should we give it up?"

"What's the situation now? How many candidates are there today?" Henry glanced at the surrounding crowd and asked curiously.

"Haha, do you know what time I arrived this morning, Henry?" Martin didn't answer directly but smiled mysteriously.

"What time? Did you get here at five or six in the morning?" Henry asked incredulously, looking at his friend.

He knew his friend's habits and was aware that they would go to great lengths for things they were passionate about. But isn't it a bit crazy to be at the State House at five or six in the morning? You know, the elections officially start at eight. If you arrive at five or six, what else can you expect besides standing in front of that familiar wooden door?

"Bingo! You guessed it, brother. Do you know what I saw this morning? It was packed! These guys are insane. I thought I was early, arriving at five or six in the morning, but who would've thought that by the time I got there, the door was already crowded? If I weren't familiar with the layout here, I wouldn't even have a place to sit and would've had to wait until now." Martin complained to Henry with an expression you wouldn't believe.

Initially, Martin thought he could gain an advantage by arriving early in the morning. Who would've thought he wasn't the only one with that idea? The State Assembly, which officially began elections at eight, was already packed by five in the morning.