Rise of the 1630s South America

Chapter 1848

Seeing that 1681 is about to pass, but the Central Railway Company, as the first brother of the domestic railway, is still worrying about the construction project payment for next month, the maintenance fee of the existing line, and the salary, bonus, and allowance of employees. The collapse of the capital chain is really too tight!

And the reason for this shortage of funds is actually very simple, that is, the Central Railway Company expanded too fast before, which was blamed for the national policy, consumed too many resources, and shouldered a heavy burden, so that the maintenance of the company Normal operation is a bit difficult, and new capital injection is urgently needed, otherwise something big will happen.

Today is December 12th. As soon as Chen Youcai, director of the State Railway Administration, who just finished the railway system work meeting in Meilin County, appeared at the Meiluo County Railway Station, he was greeted by Ghosh, the boss of the Goshkin Construction Company who had been waiting here for a long time. Jin was "caught" and asked him about the project arrangement for next year, and by the way, asked him when a project fund of more than 12 yuan would be released.It's the end of the year, and they came here according to the East Coast practice, and they also want to give bonuses to their subordinates.

"It's all the fault of the railway." Chen Youcai sighed helplessly, and invited Goshkin, who was wearing a calico shirt, into the restaurant of the station, intending to have a good chat with him.

Speaking of which, the meeting held by Chen Youcai in the Meilin County Railway Machinery Processing Factory before was actually a bit of a celebration party. To put it bluntly, it was a celebration for the relevant construction personnel of the Northern Railway and Dingmei Railway that had just been completed.As a result, it was only a few days after the celebration, and it was bad luck to be blocked by creditors.

Speaking of the Northern Railway and the Dingmei Railway, they are quite well-known on the east coast today. Even if they are not well-known, they are definitely famous.There is no other reason, that is, this railway connects the north-south traffic in the eastern part of the East Coast Republic of China, so that the source of the Wujiang River in the Brazilian Plateau in the north and the mouth of the La Plata River in the south are all connected by railway. The terminal is a strategic level It is impossible for the famous railway to be famous!

Among them, the Northern Railway has actually started to be built a long time ago, the first time being during the East-Portuguese War.After the war, the construction stopped for a long time, and then continued. After years of hard work, all the mileage on the design drawing was finally barely completed, and it was officially completed.This railway starts from Ping'an Port, a metropolis in the north, passes through Liushuying Township, Dingjun Township, Shahu Township, Shengxing Township, Shenglong Township, Shengyun Township, Xingguo Township, Xing'an Township, Anyuan Township, and finally arrives at the terminal city. Yangxiang Railway Station, with a total length of 494 kilometers, spans six counties and radiates hundreds of thousands of people. It is the most convenient passage from the Yazihu ​​Basin to the Brazilian plateau northward.

Compared with the Northern Railway, the Dingmei Railway (Dingjun Town-Meluo Town) is not inferior at all, and even slightly better than the first line.The railway starts in the north from Dingjun Town Railway Station, an important town at the southern foot of Dingjun Mountain, and winds its way southward, passing through Takwali Township, crossing the Yakui River, and entering Baicaogou Township, an important coal mining area under the Pingan Mining Bureau.Here, the Central Railway has built a very large station and freight yard, as well as a large-scale repair workshop to focus on the transportation of coal, an important source of power—although the coal on the east coast has low calorific value and high ash content, It contains a lot of sulfur, so it is not very suitable for coking, but it is not a problem at all when it is used for fire or as a chemical raw material.

After passing such an important station as Baicaogou Railway Station, the Dingmei Railway continues to extend southward along the relatively gentle valley bottom among the low hills in the west of the lake, and passes through Zhongshoujiang Township, Luohan Township, Zhongshan Township, Songshu Township, Baishu Township Lu Township, Hengtang Town, and arrive at the terminal, Meiluo Town Railway Station - there is also a branch line during the period, that is, the branch line from Bailu Township to Chengji Township, Kaiyuan County - a total of 518 kilometers including the branch line.

The completion of the Dingmei Railway has connected the southern foot of Dingjun Mountain, the hilly area in the west of the lake and the prairie on the east coast, greatly increasing the circulation rate of information, materials, personnel, and money in the eight counties along the way, and greatly reducing the cost. and other developments should not be underestimated.Therefore, this is the secret of the people on the east bank building railways over the years, even if the railway itself does not make money or even loses money (there are only two railways in the east bank that are profitable, and the other railways are either losing money or struggling on the verge of profit and loss), However, the government has benefited from economic development, collected a lot of taxes, and at the same time made people's lives more convenient, which is enough.

Of course, with the deepening of economic development, the increase of population, and the gradual increase of enterprises, if these railways can be properly maintained, they will definitely be profitable in the future, and the profit will be made by the railway passenger and freight itself, rather than relying on the railway subsidiary as it is now. Generate income from local commercial establishments and cable telegraphy.The railway is a promising sunrise industry, and its prosperity may last for 100 or even 200 years. It is definitely worth investing heavily.

Uh, well!However, although the railway is indeed promising, considering the current status of the East Coast Republic, it seems that it is really difficult to make a profit in the short term. Even if the state gives a large amount of subsidies every year, it is still the case, and the burden on the Central Railway Company is very heavy. , the amount of principal and interest that needs to be returned to the bank every month is not a small amount, which makes Chen Youcai feel out of breath. After all, the feeling of being constantly pressed for debts is not a good feeling.

It is not that the central government has not considered the plight of China Railway Corporation and the State Railway Administration, but once it comes, exports will be blocked, trade will be in trouble, and many domestic enterprises will be underemployed, so China Railway Corporation is strictly ordered to continue, and a large sum of money is borrowed from the bank They (the interest on these loans has now become the chief culprit for strangling China Railway Corporation), secondly, among the veterans of the domestic industrial circles, there are many members of the so-called "Industrial Party", and they have a soft spot for building railways everywhere. The company has built thousands of kilometers of mileage in China within a few years-at the same time, the total mileage of railways under China Railway Corporation (excluding South African Railway, Forest Railway and Southern Cone and Ocean Railway) has reached more than 500 kilometers. Except for the 404 kilometers of railways (including branch lines), it is really difficult to talk about profitability in other sections, and there is no one else.

But things have come to this point. Although the development of the railway is a bit premature on the east coast, it is already like this. Can't the repaired tracks be demolished?Even the reduction of maintenance costs is reluctant to let it suffer. It seems that all the people on the east coast should continue to bear this heavy pot until the day when it can make a profit. As of the middle of 1681, East China According to various estimates, the total population of the Republic of Shores has reached 483.4 million people, which is astonishing.Among them, the number of native-born nationals (second and third generations) is about 259.2 million, accounting for 53.62%; the number of Ming immigrants is about 158.2 million, accounting for 32.73%; ) number is about 66, accounting for 13.65%.If more than 30 migrant workers are included, the total population of the country has exceeded the historical mark of 500 million for the first time, which is gratifying.The increase in population has always been the basis of economic and social development and is crucial to the future profitability of the railway.The current population growth rate on the east coast has given China Railway Corporation a glimmer of hope, and hopes that it can continue for a long time.

Of course, the members of the executive committee also thought of some ways, such as introducing so-called strategic investors for the Central Railway Company to reduce its financial burden.Anyway, in their view, as long as the State Administration of Railways can still control the shares, why do they have to hold all the shares in their hands?It is also a good thing to take out a part of the shares to find someone to take over the market, and exchange some funds to reduce the burden.However, it seems that all the merchants on the east coast who have accumulated a little bit of money are not stupid, and they are unwilling to put real money into the huge pit of railway construction. Therefore, in the end, almost no one is willing to invest in shares, which is surprising.

At this point, Chen Youcai also gave up the last sliver of fantasy, and no longer thought that any fool would invest in it.His main job has changed from supervising the construction of the railway—in fact, there are not many, the Yanbu Railway is currently under construction, and the others are all repairs—to the chairman of the fundraising committee, helping people all day long. China Railway Corporation went to the major banks for alms, or went to the executive committee and the Ministry of Industry and Commerce to cry poorly, saying that the Yicheng Railway and the Tadong Railway will be built soon, and the State Railway Administration will be drained. I can't get rid of the pot, and it's miserable to say the least.

Today, his luck was not very good, and he was bumped into by Goshkin who was waiting here at the Melo train station.In desperation, he could only sit down with Goshkin, the creditor, and have a good talk, otherwise he might not be able to escape.

"Mr. Ge, money is not a problem. Please rest assured. China Railway Corporation is the largest enterprise under the jurisdiction of the State Railway Administration. It has huge assets and strong strength. It will never be short of your tens of thousands of project funds. Yes, yes, I understand that the end of the year is coming soon, and many people need to be paid salaries and bonuses. This expenditure is not small. How about this? After I return to the capital tomorrow, I will ask the Ministry to send a telegram to the China Railway Corporation and ask them to find a way First raise 2 yuan to remit to your emergency. You have to understand that China Railway Corporation’s finances are also very tight now. The continuous railway construction and huge maintenance costs have emptied the company’s bank account. I broke it in half and spent 2 yuan to your company, because I saw that the money has been in arrears for a long time, and your company has always been an important partner of the Ministry. Your general manager has a big business , It’s not short of this money, first take 2 yuan and send it to the brothers, and I’ll talk about the rest later, I will never miss you, I promise.” After sitting on a chair in the dining room, the director of the State Railway Administration Chen Youcai immediately discussed with a frowning tone and said: "I know that the shareholders of your company (many of whom are descendants of time-travelers) have been active for the past six months, but neither China Railway Corporation nor our General Administration of Railways has any accounts for the time being. Money. Be patient, Manager Ge, there will be construction funds, and we have been working hard. You see, the China Railway Corporation and the General Administration of Railways have been paying the funds on time for many projects on the Yanbu Railway that your company has undertaken? Okay? , maybe not on time, but at least it's not too late, is it? Be patient, really."

Goshkin was also a little helpless when he heard the words.He is a second-generation official, he is the director of the State Administration of Railways, and he is also a well-known name in the construction industry. Now that he is talking about this, strictly speaking, he is a bit humble. What else can he do?Keep pressing?How can it be!Do you still want to hang out?You know, people are so polite to you, not because of your Goshkin's ability and background, but because your company's shareholders have complicated sources and strong mobility!If it's you Goshkin alone, I'm afraid people haven't looked at your thoughts.

Therefore, after getting the promise of getting part of the project funds (2 yuan), Goshkin could only go downhill and express his gratitude to Chen Youcai.Afterwards, the two chatted about the construction progress on the Pampa Plain, including the construction of the railway station, the leveling of the foundation and the laying of the railway tracks.Goshkin expressed concern about the delay in funding. His Goshkin company is strong, but it is very difficult for some small-scale construction companies. There are many employees who cannot pay wages, and there are even incidents of rebellion. Unruly non-citizens become bandits because they can't get paid for a long time, which makes people very worried about the safety and defense work of railway construction sites in the future.

Chen Youcai had no good way to do this.The country's tax reform has just been implemented not too long ago, and many regions are still undergoing pilot projects. Although the country's fiscal revenue has increased to a certain extent, the range is still very limited.Coupled with the new tax reform, it is clear that the central government will transfer a large part of its financial power to local governments, which further reduces the central financial resources, so that the funds they invest in the State Railway Administration have never increased, which is very difficult to handle. It's hard for a clever woman to cook without rice!

Goshkin also sighed when he heard this, wondering if he should invest more resources in wineries and meat factories?Although the competition in these two industries is relatively fierce, the market is relatively mature, the demand is huge, and the profit is very stable, so it is still worth investing in.

However, Goshkin couldn't let go of his old business. After all, he had been working for so many years and fought with Batino Company and Mendes Company for half a lifetime. He also had feelings, and it was difficult to let go suddenly.What's more, he has always believed that the construction industry in the immigrant country on the east coast will prosper for a long time. Developed again, this is a very likely thing to happen.Therefore, after all, Goshkin was a little hesitant, thinking in his heart, take a boat to the Pampa Plain after a while, and see the project situation there before making a decision.

(End of this chapter)