Rise of the 1630s South America

Chapter 2234 Industrial Revolution ([-])

"Mr. Scott, the newspaper you want is here." In the British Embassy on October Avenue in Dongfang Port, the new ambassador of the Kingdom of England to the east coast had just finished breakfast, and the servant followed his habit and brought the newspapers he bought yesterday. Magazines are delivered.Newspapers and magazines are all recently published, covering various fields. It can be said that all the ones that can be bought in the market have been bought. This shows that the British are still very hard to search for information on the East Coast.

John Scott just took office at the end of last year. The original ambassador to the East Coast returned to China to serve as a consultant for a committee composed of chemical industry investors.The chemical industry is still a new term in England, but it has been slowly developing on the east coast for many years.They can produce sulfuric acid, hydrochloric acid, soda ash and other chemical products that are in great demand in the market at an astonishingly low cost through continuously improved production lines. At the same time, they can also separate many components in coal tar, and even recover valuable sulfur. In part, technology has indeed reached a level that the English need to look up to.

The committee established by the English is composed of more than 20 large and small investors, and has raised about 15 pounds in advance. It plans to follow the example of the East Coast people and establish a large-scale soda ash production plant.The reason for this is also because the English have seen the benefits of concentrating their efforts on big things, especially the industrial production of soda ash, which requires a huge amount of funds for research and development. It may be difficult for any individual investor to rely on it, so it is better to gather the strength of everyone. Concentrate on tackling key problems.If results are produced, then it is enough to share the benefits in proportion to each person's investment.

In fact, the English also understand that it seems to be the most reliable to set up an industry development fund led by the government to guide and invest in various new industries like the East Coast.But what works on the East Coast is definitely not going to work in England!It hasn't been many years since the merchants united to suppress the royal family, how could they release it again?You know, this kind of thing will greatly strengthen the authority and influence of the royal family, which is the last thing these wealthy people want to see.They would rather have such an industry fund funded by Congress, which they control, but lawmakers representing other industries would certainly not agree.The reason is also very simple, why should I, a construction businessman, pay to help you develop the chemical industry?

Therefore, this is a flaw in the system, and it seems to be unsolvable at present.Today's English Parliament is completely a collection of businessmen or lower-level nobles who hugged each other to keep warm. Everyone has reached a consensus on dealing with the royal family, because it concerns the vital interests of everyone.However, if it is said that a certain industry is specifically developed, and taxes are collected nationwide for this purpose, it will be a bit of a joke, and there is a high probability that it will not pass.

After all, you still have to figure out your own way!Relevant stakeholders establish their own associations, organize their own funds, and carry out their own research and development. The results (if any) are naturally shared by relevant investors themselves.

John Scott organized the newspapers and magazines at hand into categories.Instead of looking at economics and business news, he chose the political arena first.He insisted that the strength of the East Coast lies in its institutions, not its technology.For example, they can support the development of a large group of enterprises with the backing of national financial resources, or give subsidies, or reduce taxes, or provide technical assistance. In short, there are many means, and the technological breakthrough speed of enterprises is also very fast.For another example, they have the same House of Lords as England, but it is a group of nine people who implement the will of this House, which can be passed by a simple majority of votes in case of trouble, which is very efficient.

England fails in these respects.Their Congress is generally closed. On weekdays, rich members of Congress are busy with their own business in various places. Only when they encounter major events, they will gather together and hold meetings to discuss.However, England does not have a national fiscal and taxation system so far, and the government can only receive a pitifully small amount of tax revenue, which is used to maintain the operation of civil servants and a small army.Once you run out of money, ask Congress for help, or temporarily levy a certain tax, or let the members apportion the money in the name of "aid", which can be said to be indiscriminate between public and private, very careless—of course the members don't care about it, They don't usually pay any taxes. The country is their toy. It's normal to pay some money when something happens. Anyway, they can make a lot of money later.

John Cotter thought it was nothing at first, because most countries in the world are like this. The United Provinces issued debts to increase taxes because of the war, and China's Ming Dynasty also had a temporary tax called "Liao Pay".But after seeing the mature tax collection system on the east coast, he was really shocked. They analyze the economic activities of the whole country, take into account the lives of the people, and then collect taxes.The types of taxation are also very scientific. There are a large number of tax collectors, both civilian and armed, but the cost is not high. This may be due to their relatively strict control over the society.

Now Scott is seriously thinking about how to transplant the East Coast system to England, even a part of it.But his friends warned him that the culture of the East Coast was different from that of England, and that they were undermining individual rights for the greater collective good, which would not work in England.Parliamentarians, who have just experienced the Glorious Revolution for a few years, are like frightened birds. Any move aimed at strengthening centralization and big government will meet their fierce opposition.For example, Louis XIV on the other side of the strait closed the Paris High Court, and they have scolded them for many years for their style of deciding on big and small matters, because they are afraid that the royal family in England will do the same (the Congress and the royal family have a blood feud...) , so they may lose their lives.

Although John Scott is a member of Congress, he has no objection to the royal family. From this perspective, he seems like an alternative in Congress.He heeded the warnings of his friends and rethought political reform in England.Since it is not enough to strengthen the power of the royal family, can the same effect be achieved by setting up a position representing the parliament and the ministers to lead England forward?The name of this position can be called "Prime Minister". Maybe it would be better if he is responsible for organizing the government, being responsible to the Congress, and maintaining a certain respect for the king?Scott was smoking a pipe, intending to write down these ideas, and then send someone back to the country to see if it can be implemented.

After reading the news in the political section, Scott took a short break, and then picked up a magazine about industry to read.The topic of this issue of the magazine is about power generation and power supply, and Scott is very interested.Electricity is no secret in today's East Coast. Many people are talking about it, some praise and others criticize it, but most of the official media hold a positive view on it. This makes Scott keenly aware that maybe the East Coast The shore people are going to set off an electric revolution.

It’s just that he is still a little puzzled. Now the efficiency of the steam engine is getting higher and higher, the cost is getting lower and lower, and the value created is unparalleled. Even England is introducing it into the field of industrial production, and other countries in the continent are also doing it more or less quickly. To keep up, then as a pioneer country in the field of steam engines, are the people on the east coast really willing to abandon the steam engines totaling hundreds of thousands of horsepower in every corner of the country and develop electricity instead?This is not just a matter of replacing the steam engine, but also many transmission devices. The production line may also need to be changed, and production habits must also be adapted. The cost of replacement is not low.And, what about those boiler rooms?Many people will be unemployed in the coal filling station and coal transportation system set up along the way. How will the lives of these people be arranged?Not to mention, although Scott doesn't know it, he knows from his own experience that the cost of infrastructure that can stably supply electricity must not be low, right?How many power stations will be built across the country?These are issues that must be considered.

The steam engine is still on the rise at this time, and the surplus value is far from being squeezed out!

The only explanation is that electricity may be much superior to steam power, so even if there is a huge replacement cost, the people on the east coast will continue.Of course, this replacement process must be relatively slow, and the East Coast government will find an optimal time balance point to consolidate the interests of all parties.But in any case, the situation is already obvious. Electricity is superior to steam power, and people on the east coast will eventually complete the electric revolution, which makes Scott a little depressed.

After watching for about an hour, Scott got a little bored, got up and got dressed, took two entourages, and sat down in a teahouse opposite the embassy.Tea is very common in the east coast, and many people drink it.Its most famous high-mountain flowing water teahouse is controlled by Xu Hao, a tycoon in the catering and entertainment industry on the east coast. It has opened dozens of branches across the country. class.These people have some money in their pockets, and they don't bother to go to low-end big tea shops, nor can they afford to go to high-end private tea houses that serve the rich, so they can only go to chain tea houses like Gaoshan Liushui for consumption.

But to be honest, the popularity of Gaoshan Liushui is still good, because even London now has one.A bunch of high-society people - in Scott's view, those are the upstarts who have made a fortune in business and have no background - come here to consume, as if they can become more noble if they touch the East Coast Yes, it displeased him.

The teahouse he went to today was the High Mountain and Flowing Water Teahouse. There were quite a few people in it, and he saw an acquaintance, Jose Rodriguez from Buenos Aires.The main member of the Rodriguez family has been very busy recently. It is said that he has been negotiating with the East Coast government to deal with the huge farmland and ranch he has on hand.According to the law on the east coast, one hundred acres is the upper limit of arable land owned by an individual. Jose and his family own more than tens of thousands of acres of land, and the pasture area is even larger. Therefore, the two parties are negotiating a purchase price—certainly not high.

What worries Jose Rodriguez is naturally not that the land will be bought by the government. In fact, he has already been psychologically prepared for this. What is really difficult for him is what to do after receiving the compensation.He once thought about going back to Spain to start a business, but after the two steam engine factories run by his family in Madrid and Seville went bankrupt, he put down the idea.The reason why Scott knew about this was because the steam engines they sold were always out of order, so they hired several technicians from London to help with repairs. Scott was fortunate enough to participate, so he knew.

However, I heard that the Rodriguez family is planning to open a textile factory recently, using British steam engines and textile machinery from the east coast, and the location is located in Galicia to purchase wool nearby and reduce transportation costs.For this, John Scott is not very optimistic, because Spain's labor costs are too high, and the price level is higher than that of England, and it is likely that it cannot compete with British textiles.Not to mention that there are basically no tariffs in Spain now, and the textiles of people from the east coast can also enter openly. The prospects of this textile factory are destined to be very bleak.

This is the tragedy of industrial suppression!Scott suddenly thought of England's leather manufacturing industry, which was also slowly silenced under the impact of goods from the East Coast, so that it could only struggle to survive in the mainland.The chemicals needed for tanning leather, the raw materials of raw hides, and the automatic or semi-automatic equipment for producing leather, almost all the British do not have an advantage, so that they are completely defeated in the cowhide and sheepskin leather goods market, and because of the agreement with the East Coast people , and did not dare to impose tariffs at will, which eventually made it miserable.

John Scott felt that if the industries of England and even other continental European countries wanted to rise, they had to solve the above problems.When summed up, these problems are actually the same, that is, to improve their mechanical technology level.In particular, the manufacturing level of the steam engine must be further improved, and the speed of popularization must also be accelerated.Thinking about England's current steam engine power of only a few thousand horsepower, Scott felt that this problem was becoming more and more serious, and it was urgent to solve it as soon as possible.

However, people on the east coast are now thinking about developing electricity. Can this steam engine really represent the future?Scott felt negative in his heart, but there was no solution.They can't even play with steam engines, so what qualifications do they have to play with more advanced electricity?Now in England, there are ten people who understand electricity, know a little concept, and can play some tricks?With such a weak technical foundation, it is really too difficult to do something. Thinking of this makes people feel discouraged. The situation where the industry is suppressed by the East Coast people may continue for many years.

After drinking a cup of tea, John Scott was going to say hello to José, but seeing that he was worried and out of mind, he wisely didn't bother, but checked out alone and left silently.Carlos II in Madrid is in poor health. This is something that the whole of Europe knows. It is hard to say what the relationship between England and Spain will be in the future. If it happens, war will break out-according to the degree of England's hatred for France, once Louis XIV controlled Spain, so Britain could only stand with the Habsburg family in Vienna, and it was obvious that a war would happen.

As a diplomat, it is obvious that he should be more cautious at this time.

(End of this chapter)