1850 American Gold Tycoon.

Chapter 175 California Services

At the end of April 1851, Liang Yao was ready to set off for the eastern United States.

Universal's fleet is moored at the expanded San Francisco port, waiting for Liang Yao to set off.

If it wasn't for accompanying Vanderbilt and others on their investigation in California, Liang Yao would have been able to leave directly in mid-April.

Vanderbilt originally wanted to go to the Nevada area to investigate, but the road to Nevada, whether it is a road or a railway, has not been repaired, and there are only a few trails opened up by gold diggers.

Vanderbilt still insisted on going to the Nevada area for investigation, and it was not until the letter from Texas Governor Mr. Bell arrived in San Francisco that Vanderbilt dispelled this idea.

In the letter, Mr. Bell disclosed that the Texas government's finances were about to go bankrupt, and urged the California authorities in a very urgent and irritable tone to send the $500 million owed to Texas to Texas as soon as possible in the form of gold.

Liang Yaoye knew that this matter could not be delayed any longer, and told Vanderbilt that if he wanted to inspect the Nevada area, he would not be able to accompany him because he was leaving for Texas immediately.

Moreover, the large-scale gold mining area discovered in Nevada is only the one discovered by Martin.

After thinking about it, Vanderbilt decided to go to Texas with Liang Yao to meet his old friend, Mr. Bell.

The railway plan between California and Texas that Liang Yao proposed to him moved Vanderbilt very much. If this railway is completed, the Nicaragua route will no longer be so important to him.

He will no longer have to continue to fight the price war with Aspinwall's Pacific Cruise Lines, his pressure will be reduced, and his economic losses will also be reduced.

It's just that Vanderbilt has reservations about Liang Yao's ability to solve the problem that the California and Texas rail lines need to pass through part of Mexico's territory.

After several days of investigation, Vanderbilt and others decided to increase investment in California. Vanderbilt and Jeremiah made the decision to continue transferring the shipyard’s production capacity to San Francisco, and officially established a shipyard in San Francisco. Divide the tribe.

Needless to say, Theodore, California has a great demand for steam engines, and the gap is also huge. The water pumps in mining areas, the machines in factories, the power cabins on steam ships, train locomotives, etc. all need steam engines.

The steam engine he produced has gained a reputation in California, and he is currently one of the most popular steam engine manufacturers in California. The profit of Theodore's steam engine business in California has surpassed that of New York State.

Theodore also likes doing business in California. Apart from Liang Yao, his main customers in California are the mine owners in the mining area. These people are very happy to give money, and they are better served than those picky customers in New York State. many.

The current economy of California is showing a thriving scene. They are very optimistic about California and believe that California will become the most economically developed state in the western United States in the future, and there are unlimited business opportunities here.

Liang Yao welcomed Vanderbilt and others' increased investment in California, and sold them a small piece of industrial land in the San Francisco industrial zone at a very favorable price.

In addition, there is another policy in California that is quite attractive, that is, the California government's preferential policy of tax reduction and exemption for local industrial and mining companies other than gold mining.

They have also visited the San Francisco Industrial Zone. The roads are perfect, the transportation is convenient, and there are ready-made water resources to use. There are also Liangyao's steel factory and coal warehouse nearby. It is very convenient to obtain raw materials and fuels for production. It is directly in the industrial zone can be resolved within.

This is not a bit better than those cities in the east that have not undergone systematic planning and allowed the cities to develop freely.

Not only that, the California Department of Industry and the Department of Commerce also set up offices in the San Francisco industrial zone to provide assistance to all factories and enterprises in the industrial zone.

The San Francisco Industrial Zone planned by Liang Yao is almost tailor-made for their industrial entrepreneurs and factory owners.

The high administrative efficiency of California left a deep impression on Vanderbilt and others.

In New York State, Vanderbilt never expected that the state government could provide him with much help. If the state government does not intervene in the state's economic behavior and business activities, everything will be fine.

And in California, factories and businesses can really experience the help the government provides them.

"I have to admit that California is the state with the best business environment among all the states I have been to. In California, you can feel the meticulous care of the California government."

On the way to the port of San Francisco, Vanderbilt said with emotion, thinking at the same time whether these services were provided by the California government or by Liang Yao.

"Because we are building a service-oriented government, the California government is willing to serve all aspiring entrepreneurs and factory owners who invest and set up factories in California. No matter whether these entrepreneurs are from California or other states, the state government will treat them equally." Liang Yao smiled explained.

California needs industry to provide more manufacturing jobs and more industrial workers.

Industry is the future of California, and this is the development policy that has been written into California's five-year plan.

Only when the business environment in California is good enough and the policies are favorable enough that entrepreneurs and factory owners in the east find it profitable to set up factories in California, will they be willing to come to California.

"A service-oriented government, I like this kind of government. If all state governments in the United States can be like the state government of California, there is no need to worry about the industry in the United States surpassing France and catching up with Britain." Jeremiah said with emotion.

Although Jeremiah said so, Jeremiah knew that California was just a special case, and the state governments of other states could not follow the example of California.

Because in addition to being rich, California is far away from the eastern part of the United States. There are no other states bordering California, and there is not much interference from external factors.

There is only one state in the United States with such geographical location conditions.

"You all make a lot of money in California, but I don't make much money in California. It seems that I will guard my small grocery store for the rest of my life."

Fan Daze, who runs a grocery store, couldn't help laughing at himself.

Not only can Van Daze's grocery store not compete with Liang Yao's grocery store, but compared with other grocery stores in California, his grocery store also has no obvious advantages.

Fan Daze made wholesale supplies to Liang Yao, making more money than the grocery store he opened in California.

If it weren't for the fact that his grocery store in California has not yet entered a loss-making state and can barely make a little money, he plans to close these half-dead grocery stores.

"The threshold for opening a grocery store is very low. If you want to make a lot of money from a grocery store, you must create a new business model, raise the entry threshold, provide customers with more convenient and considerate services, and seize the market of your peers to make a lot of money."

Liang Yao said to Fan Daze.

The reason why Vanderbilt, Jeremiah, and Theodore can make a lot of money in California is also very simple.

The shipbuilding and steam engine manufacturing industries they are engaged in are all high-end manufacturing industries of this era, and the entry threshold is very high.

At present, only Liang Yao can build ships and steam engines in California. Apart from Liang Yao, they have no other threatening competitors.

As for Fan Daze's grocery business, as long as there is a purchase channel, he can do it.

It is not impossible to make a fortune in the grocery business. Brannan, the first millionaire in the West, started his business with groceries. But Brannan monopolized all the sources of groceries in California, squatting on the port of San Francisco to receive the goods.

During the business war with Brannan, Liang Yao also got involved in the grocery store business and defeated Brannan.

Later, Liang Yao also retained the grocery business, but Liang Yao did not choose to monopolize the grocery business in California.

It's not that he doesn't have the strength to monopolize the grocery business in California, but that letting go of the grocery business can provide California with more job opportunities and give more small shop owners a way out.

More grocery stores would also further drive down the price of groceries, lowering the cost of living for gold prospectors and California residents, and attracting more people to California instead of letting high prices in California scare off immigrants.

There are many ways he can make money, but this one, monopolizing the grocery store business does more harm than good to California.

Liang Yao still remembers the embarrassment of the gold diggers when Brannan monopolized the gold mining tools and daily necessities.

"New business model?"

Fan Daze's eyes lit up, and he became interested instantly.

He didn't doubt Liang Yao's talent in business at all.

After returning East last year, he and Vanderbilt set up a profitable sawmill in Chicago that specializes in modular lightweight building materials.

And modular lightweight building materials are just one of Liang Yao's many industries in California.

"I'll tell you when I get to New York, you guys, don't think I don't know that you copied my patent for a modular lightweight building material, set up a sawmill in Chicago, and I haven't sued you for copying my patent What?" Liang Yao said.

Fan Daze was deeply surprised that Liang Yao knew what they were doing in Chicago, and hurriedly explained.

"We have consulted the Patent and Trademark Office of the Ministry of Commerce about this patent, and this patent really belongs to you, and we will pay you the patent fee on schedule."

"Actually, we want to register the patent of modular lightweight construction before you."

Or Vanderbilt is more frank and outspoken.

"I just didn't expect you to have registered a patent before us. We are businessmen. As long as there is a profitable business, businessmen are all unscrupulous, insidious and cunning. Now that you know it, we will pay you the patent fee on time according to the law. .”

"My old man, you are always like this, won't you be more tactful?"

Fan Daze scolded Vanderbilt with a pout, and then said to Liang Yao with a shy face.

"Mr. Liang, I can't wait to know the new model you are talking about. I beg you to tell me now."

"Temporary confidentiality, we will talk about it after we arrive in New York."

Liang Yao said lightly.

Soon they were at the San Francisco pier and boarded the James Day of the World Line Line.

They are very familiar with this ship Vanderbilt. Last summer, they took this ship to California.

I heard that Liang Yao was going to the eastern part of the United States for inspection, and many Chinese businessmen from the Huaxia Chamber of Commerce also went with him.

They are also full of curiosity about the fertile and essence of eastern America, and plan to go to eastern America with Liang Yao to open their eyes and see the world.

Some of these Chinese businessmen have done business with American businessmen, but their understanding of the country of the United States only comes from the words of some travelers, and it is difficult to see the whole picture of the United States.

In addition to these Chinese businessmen, the students of Jinshan Middle School have all boarded the ship and are preparing to go to the east to receive secondary education in the United States and enter an American institution of higher learning.

After boarding the James Day, Liang Yao saw the enthusiastic crowd seeing him off on the port. Liang Yao waved goodbye to these enthusiastic San Francisco citizens.

Averting his eyes from the farewell crowd, Liang Yao saw the "Hope" being built in the dock of the shipyard.

Although these ships are similar in appearance to the Nozomi, they are not the Nozomi, but Loach-class armed patrol ships built on the basis of the hull of the Nozomi.

The full-load displacement of the Loach-class armed patrol ship is slightly larger than the original hope prototype ship, reaching 600 tons.

After the completion of these small and fast armed patrol boats, eight 8-inch guns will be added to the newly established California Coast Guard and the maritime anti-smuggling team of the California Taxation Bureau for California offshore patrol and anti-smuggling purposes.

Liang Yao originally wanted to install small-caliber rapid-fire guns or even machine guns on these small boats, but it was a pity that there was no such gun at present, so he could only think about it after he developed a rapid-fire gun or machine gun.

At the same time, the San Francisco Shipyard is also trying to manufacture new ships with a larger displacement. Small steamships with a displacement of [-] to [-] tons are just the beginning of the San Francisco Shipyard, not the ultimate goal.

(End of this chapter)