Chapter 309: John Moses Browning
The Cabinet meeting emphasized the development of various aspects of Australasia, and the new year's budget for the Cabinet grew by nearly twenty million Australian dollars.
This means that if the fiscal revenue growth in the new year is not substantial, Australasia may face another fiscal deficit. However, this twenty million Australian dollars budget was used appropriately, so Arthur wasn't bothered by it.
After all, spending twenty million dollars now is far better than waiting for the arrival of war, when prices soar and materials become scarce, causing costs to increase several times over. Especially the advance preparation of medical supplies, which is crucial for both Australasia and its future positioning in Europe, can bring profits that are enough to justify Arthur's early preparations.
Of course, besides the plans discussed in the Cabinet meeting, Arthur had many other preparations in private, one of which involved a guest he was about to meet.
This guest's name is John Moses Browning, an American who lived in Belgium.
Of course, John Moses Browning was also famously known for being the expert behind the development of the Browning M1910 semi-automatic handgun, a weapon that had an illustrious history with nearly one million units produced.
It is worth mentioning that the assassin, Gavrilo Princip, who assassinated Archduke Ferdinand in Sarajevo, the event that shocked the world and ultimately led to World War I, used this very handgun.
At that time, Browning's fame was not yet as widespread as it would be in the future. His only notable weapons, aside from the single-shot bolt-action rifle he designed decades earlier, were the Browning series of semi-automatic pistols.
But Arthur knew that this renowned small arms designer would later go on to develop various automatic rifles, light machine guns, heavy machine guns, and automatic pistols, making significant contributions to the United States' small arms development.
Before Browning's name became widely recognized across the United States, it was the best time to recruit him to Australasia.
The good news was that after Browning's 1897 automatic shotgun was rejected by the Winchester company, he moved to Belgium in frustration and became the chief designer at the Belgian state armaments factory, Herstal.
While Australasia was facing competition from the United States, competing with Belgium was not an issue.
Arthur offered Browning the position of Chief Expert for Light Weapons at the Royal Military Factory of Australasia and allowed Browning to design and produce his own weapons, alongside his work for the factory. Browning was deeply tempted by the offer.
After all, Browning had gone to Belgium simply because his talents were not well recognized in the United States. American companies didn't trust Browning's technology, which pushed him to go to the small European country, Belgium.
However, the problem was that even if Belgium was willing to produce Browning's firearms, the armaments factory was still limited by its market, and the Belgian factories couldn't compete with those of the UK and Germany.
Moreover, beyond these two great powers, there were also French, Austro-Hungarian, Italian, Russian, and other European armament manufacturers competing for the market. This meant that Belgium's production orders were few, and the budget for Browning's research was also limited.
But Australasia was different. The representatives Arthur sent promised Browning that as long as he agreed to become the Chief Expert for Light Weapons at the Royal Military Factory, there would be no cap on his research funding.
Additionally, the Royal Military Factory would help produce Browning's own designs, and they would actively promote these weapons worldwide.
It was known that the arms trade between Russia and Australasia was not secret, and Browning was aware of this purchasing agreement.
This meant that Australasia-produced weapons had a market internationally, and Browning's designs would find better development at the Royal Military Factory.
After much consideration, Browning finally decided to accept the invitation to come to Australasia. His two reasons were to visit the Royal Military Factory in person and to verify whether Arthur's promises were true.
On January 2, 1912, Arthur finally met the renowned arms expert at the Sydney Palace.
Browning, now in his fifties, still had a sharp gaze and seemed full of energy. Upon meeting Arthur, he excitedly asked if he could start working the very next day.
Before meeting with Arthur, Browning had already visited the Royal Military Factory, and the response he received was more than he expected. The scale of the factory and its reserve of experts far exceeded his expectations.
Browning was looking forward to working at such a large armaments factory and was eager to begin researching new weapons.
Arthur smiled. The truth was, Australasia needed energetic talents like Browning.
However, there was no rush. Arthur gave Browning a nine-day holiday, which, combined with the seven-day National Day holiday, added up to more than half a month for Browning to address personal matters before officially starting work after the National Day holiday.
Once the holiday was over, Browning would begin working to research and produce more light weapons for Australasia.
"Mr. Browning, do you have any suggestions for our current semi-automatic pistols and submachine guns at the Royal Military Factory?" After discussing the work matters, Arthur casually turned to Browning for some idle chatter.
After all, Browning was a renowned expert in light weapons design, and although Australasia had a vision for its light weapons, implementing that vision had proven difficult, especially in the realm of pistols.
The only pistol available in Australasia, the AS-1898 semi-automatic pistol produced by the Royal Military Factory in 1898, was already outdated compared to the automatic pistols popular with other great powers.
Arthur's expectation was for Browning to quickly design a new type of automatic pistol based on the AS-1898, so that the Australasia military and police could be equipped with it.
"Your Majesty, the current pistol design at the Royal Military Factory is outdated. We are already in the era of automatic pistols. Give me three months, and I will improve the current design and create a completely new automatic pistol," Browning said after thinking carefully, furrowing his brow slightly.
Indeed, Browning was confident in this task.
While he was not as renowned in other areas of weaponry, Browning was one of the world's top experts in handgun design.
The M-series of automatic pistols designed by Browning, including the M1910 and M1911, are among the most advanced automatic pistols in the world.
In particular, the M1911 had become the standard issue pistol for the United States Army, with widespread adoption within the military.
Interestingly, the M1911, unlike the M1910, was produced by Browning's competitor, Colt, who bought the rights to the patent and named it the Colt M1911, successfully becoming the U.S. military's standard-issue pistol.
This pistol remained in service for the U.S. military for over 70 years, only being replaced in 1985. This demonstrates the remarkable power and performance of the handgun designed by Browning.
By recruiting Browning to Australasia, Arthur aimed to not only enhance Australasia's capabilities in light weapons design but also to weaken the United States' design capabilities in this field.
This shift in talent would narrow the gap between the two countries, which is why Arthur paid so much attention to attracting talent from both the U.S. and Europe.
The more talent Australasia could attract now, the fewer personnel the U.S. would have access to after the war.
Arthur nodded without hesitation at Browning's three-month proposal. After all, it had been 13 years since the development of the AS-1898, and it was now an outdated pistol.
For an expert like Browning, improving and creating a new handgun within three months was certainly feasible.
"As for the Royal Military Factory's Casadene submachine gun," Browning said, his eyes showing a spark of admiration and surprise, "The design of this weapon, different from rifles, is quite advanced. I'm looking forward to meeting the researcher behind the Casadene submachine gun and working together."
Perhaps it was because of the mutual respect between talented individuals, but Browning felt a deep curiosity and admiration for the designer of the submachine gun, even though he had never met him.
Arthur smiled and replied, "That's for sure. After the National Day holiday, you should meet Casadene. After all, a submachine gun is also a light weapon, and you and Casadene are both experts in that field. I'm sure you'll have some great discussions."
Although Australasia's Casadene submachine gun was already quite advanced, Arthur wouldn't mind having a more advanced model. If Browning had some unique insights into submachine guns, it would certainly benefit their development.
"Of course, improvements in pistols are important, but as the chief expert for light weapons at the Royal Military Factory, you will have your own independent research lab and office. Apart from the weapons series we currently have, I am also very much looking forward to seeing your own designs, Mr. Browning. I believe that in addition to pistols, you are also a rare talent in other weapon categories," Arthur said with a smile.
(End of Chapter)
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