Rise of the 1630s South America

Chapter 1343 Municipal Administration ([-]) (Today's [-]th update)

On May 1663, 5, in Baode County, which is 20 to [-] kilometers away from Dingjun Town, Military Control Commissioner Shao Yaoguang was inspecting Blacksmith Township, New Dundee Township and Shangwei Township in the south.

Anyone who has a little knowledge of the history of the East Coast knows these places were stolen from the Portuguese by Chief of General Staff Mo.From the very beginning, these places were areas where handicraftsmen gathered together. At that time, they exported candlesticks, fishhooks, knives, ropes, packages, barrels, containers and other handicrafts to the east bank to obtain profits, and at the same time imported food from the east bank. And some other commodities were resold to Portuguese Brazil. The trade was once very prosperous, and the population began to increase slowly.

Later, after the people on the east coast acquired the ownership of this land, because of the bad religious policy of the East China Republic (no belief in the Holy See, only the Catholicism of the people on the east coast) and the instigation behind the colonial authorities of Portuguese Brazil, Some Portuguese immigrants left these settlements with their families and property, causing the handicraft production in the three places to be greatly depressed.

Fortunately, the East Coast government organized some immigrants to come here, and at the same time, through various low-interest or interest-free loans, encouraged the remaining craftsmen to merge the industries left by those who left, and recruited more apprentices to restore production capacity as soon as possible.And it is precisely because of their efforts in every possible way that the handicraft production in Baode County has been quickly restored, and relying on the vast markets of Ping'an County, Dingxi County, and Yiling County in the south, it has grown step by step.Now it has almost become a well-known handicraft production center in the Dingjun Mountains. A large number of commodities produced every year are sold to 10 people in [-] counties in the South and North Yazihu ​​areas. A large amount of income has been obtained - some of the more successful local craftsmen have now expanded the scale of their workshops, purchased some new machinery and equipment, and upgraded the previous purely manual production to semi-mechanized production. Don't you see the local government-funded construction In the central power workshop, there are manufacturers queuing up to rent steam power almost every day, and the industrial production capacity of the entire Baode County has been greatly developed.

Today, Shao Yaoguang came to the industrial area in the south of Baode County (there is a river here that leads directly to Pingan County, and can sail 72-ton inland river steamers, which greatly reduces transportation costs). In fact, he mainly wanted to see their business conditions. After all, this is the largest source of taxes for the Baode County government, and it is also the most economically active area in the county, so we must be cautious.Another point is that the sanitation conditions in these industrial areas are also in serious trouble. The higher-ups have repeatedly asked for renovations. Shao Yaoguang thought that this matter could not be delayed, so he was going to come over and talk to them-this matter, the government A part of the funds will be contributed, and some manpower will be mobilized by exercising the power of corvee collection. These workshops will also allocate some money to each household. Everyone will work together to improve the environment of this industrial area. This will benefit everyone, right?

"Ah, the production cost is too high now." An iron smelter owner who was born in Portugal but could speak Chinese fluently sat on a dilapidated pine chair and said with a sigh as soon as he saw Shao Yaoguang's face. : "The last time my wooden workshop was on fire, and I wanted to build a solid factory building made of bricks and stones, but when I went to the village to inquire, the wages of masons and stonemasons generally increased by 10%. Barn, small and medium-sized barns are also being built in the village, isn’t this nonsense..."

Shao Yaoguang's face was full of black lines when he heard the complaints from the workshop owner. Now that there are so many non-national laborers, many of whom have professional skills, the daily wages of masons, stonemasons, and carpenters in the East Coast Republic have not changed for a long time.It has only barely increased by 10% after so many years, and this is caused by the government’s large-scale infrastructure projects. After the completion of the projects, the wage level may still decrease. Non-national laborers have suppressed the wage level on the east coast all year round. , you are still not satisfied, and you are still screaming, how heartless you are!

"Now the hourly wages of printers and typesetters are too high. Since the outbreak of the war, the wages have increased by 15%. I originally hoped to reduce it this year, but it seems not easy." Another main businessman The workshop owner of the printing business came up and told that this man’s workshop is not small. He buys various colors of paper and ink from the Jingjiang Paper Mill in the south every month, and then starts printing a large number of books, newspapers, magazines, government documents, and popular science propaganda. Information, etc., and with the improvement of the literacy rate of the domestic people, his business has become more and more prosperous.

Therefore, after hearing this buddy also complain, Shao Yaoguang couldn't bear it anymore.Big brother, this year the county government has managed to have a surplus in fiscal revenue, and is planning to build eight more elementary schools and one junior high school within the county. The printing of textbooks has been entrusted to your workshop; You are also printing popular science and technology promotional materials, and even the [-] copies of the "New Tao Te Ching" required by the Taoist Federation have been printed by you. This business is so prosperous, shouldn't we recruit more apprentices to expand production Scale, should we raise the salary of the core veteran employees?Why does your complaint only make people feel the greed and treachery of capitalists?What a mess!

However, there are also people who really come to complain, and most of these people are individual weavers.These people were originally from Italy, or from Songjiang Prefecture or Suzhou Prefecture in the Ming Dynasty. They were all weavers with certain specialties. There were at least one or more textile machines in their homes. They mainly produced special textiles on weekdays, and their lives were not bad Tolerable, even in those years when the market was booming, their income was not inferior to that of other handicraft workshop owners, which can be described as bullish.

It’s just that as the saying goes, 30 years in Hedong and 30 years in Hexi, when companies such as Ping’an Weaving Factory, Dayuhe Machine Textile Factory, and Luocha Textile Factory continue to improve their production lines, train skilled workers, and develop new products, the lives of these people The income is getting lower and lower, because a large number of low-tech textile markets have been seized by machine-made products, and many people have been squeezed out of bankruptcy, and eventually have to change careers or pack up and go to work in large textile enterprises.Of course, there are also many skilled or flexible weavers who are still persisting. They rely on their skills or talents to continue to compete with the machine industry in a tragic market, but such people are a minority, and their total profits are actually in the Slowly declining, the situation is not so good.

Therefore, when faced with the complaints of these self-employed textile entrepreneurs, Shao Yaoguang was really a little silent.What should I say to them?It is said that you are human looms, destined not to compete with the industrial production of machines?But there are still some weavers of special textile products (usually weaving according to customer preferences) who are still surviving tenaciously; then encourage them to continue to persist, and the market will improve in the future?I'm sorry, he, Shao, can't open his eyes and talk nonsense. He won't use such obviously unrealistic things to deceive people.

Business is so difficult, how dare you ask them for money?But it’s not okay, these villages and towns were originally the territory of the Portuguese. Although the East Coast people have carried out drastic reforms after taking over for so many years, they may not be perfect in every aspect and every corner of the society. .For example, the pollution and environmental problems in industrial areas that have become chronic problems here, such as the chaotic funeral customs in the city-local Portuguese, Italian, and Scottish nationals often park the corpses of their relatives in the yard, and these yards are often rented. There are some non-national laborers living in a dense population; some people are used to accompanying corpses, such as a few Irish nationals; in addition, their cemeteries are mostly located in the city, and there are a lot of decaying things that have accumulated over time, which is extremely terrifying.

It takes a lot of money to establish an urban sanitation system, build water and sewage facilities, relocate cemeteries located in urban areas, and build domestic sewage treatment plants.The money is limited to the government's lack of financial resources, and a considerable part of it has to be apportioned to the urban residents of these towns. As business owners or workshop owners, they are naturally the key apportionment targets—of course, this does not mean that rural residents can stay out of the matter. They don't need to pay money, but they have to pay for labor, 45-60 days of corvee, and they can't escape.

Therefore, after talking with these workshop owners for a long time, Shao Yaoguang finally "seemed poorly". He talked about the poor sanitation conditions and environmental pollution in these industrial towns and cities, and then mentioned the local people's "comparative "Alternative" funeral customs, indicating that the government will make great efforts to rectify these chronic diseases, so as to better meet the future development.To this end, Shao Yaoguang, a member of his Military Management Committee, promised to contribute 3 yuan on behalf of the Baode County Government, and then applied for a special fund of 3 yuan from his superiors, which was dedicated to the renovation of the old urban areas of these three towns.Of course, the 6 yuan fund is not enough to completely complete the environmental transformation in these three townships, even if a large number of corvee laborers come to help. Environmental tax, in order to have sufficient funds to complete the transformation of the old cities in these three places.

As soon as Mr. Shao said this, the faces of all the business representatives here fell down. Co-author Shao is not here to care about everyone's production and operation conditions, but to collect taxes from everyone to complete his municipal reform. It was planned, which disappointed many people.However, disappointment is disappointment. As the directly responsible officials of everyone, everyone still needs to show some sympathy. Therefore, after hesitating for a long time, some business owners expressed that they would pay this so-called environmental tax. In terms of the specific regulations, in short, now is the first time to make a statement.

And after the first group of people were mobilized, the following people would not have so many psychological barriers, and many people expressed their pledges one after another. Trouble, it seems that it is finally going to be solved now. Business owners in this county seem to have a high level of awareness.Well, maybe this has something to do with my strong request to build a central power workshop in each of the three places. This "public welfare" project with a total investment of more than 5000 yuan has indeed improved my reputation among these business owners or self-employed people. His prestige was manifested at this time.

However, after expressing that they would pay the specified amount of environmental tax, these business owners also recommended two representatives to ask Shao Yaoguang whether the county could ask the superiors for instructions to abolish some outdated consumption taxes, such as beer, Consumption tax on liquor, wine, sugar, tobacco, tea, coffee, cocoa, spices, silk fabrics and other commodities; in addition, whether it is also possible to cancel the import quota restrictions on commodities such as La Plata beef, tallow, cream, cheese, and reduce the inland river The tax rates of the two tax cards set up by the transportation company on the river leading to Ping'an County, etc., in short, are some very practical suggestions for reducing production, logistics and labor costs, and are also the most concerned part of business operators .

Of course, the suggestions made by these business owners are too "high-end", so high-end that he, Shao Yaoguang, has no right to comment.Therefore, Shao Yaoguang, who didn't want to deceive everyone, could only try his best to say that he would write a special report to report these situations to his superiors. As for the results, he could not influence them.He reminded everyone not to have too much expectations, the reason is simple, the central government has no surplus food, so policies that may reduce the country's fiscal revenue may not be introduced in the short term.

The business owners also expressed their understanding, perhaps because they didn't have much hope at all, so they were all calm.However, this is probably the first time people from the business community in Baode County have made a request to the government through the election of representatives. It is actually quite commemorative, because it probably means the formation of a stable class.And Shao Yaoguang, a young military management member and acting county magistrate, responded quite well. It not only reflected the attitude of valuing everyone's opinions, but also euphemistically expressed the government's difficulties, and the handling was quite appropriate.

On June 1653, 6, after all the funds were basically in place, Shao Yaoguang, who was sitting in Baode County, signed his name on the plans for the reconstruction of the old cities of three towns with a swipe of a pen, which undoubtedly meant The environmental improvement plan of the three places is about to enter the substantive operational stage.

And at this time, a surprise came to the door - Yu Zhenren of the Taoist Association expressed their willingness to undertake the funeral after hearing that Baode County would relocate the entire cemetery in the urban area and reform the old funeral customs. For this matter, the City God’s Temple and public cemetery will be built outside the urban area, and the bones of the relocated people will be specially placed. Those who are willing to live in the public service cemetery can live in the public service cemetery, and those who are willing to convert to Tianzun and live in the City God’s Temple can enter the City God’s Temple. In short, it is not forced. Everything is voluntary.

Of course, Shao Yaoguang understood what these people from the Taoist Association were up to. Didn't they take the opportunity to forcibly infiltrate and expand their influence among Christians? It's an old routine.However, since they promised not to force the local residents to convert, they have nothing to worry about. On the contrary, they can save a lot of money because some "taken advantage" are willing to pay, so why not do it?Therefore, with a swipe of his pen again, he agreed to the Taoist Federation's request.

Well, since the Taoist Association has contributed a lot of money, the saved funds can be used elsewhere.In fact, the superior just sent a telegram to the county seat a while ago, pointing out that in the second half of August, a group of about [-] immigrants from Huai'an Prefecture will pass through Baode County to the north bank of the Antas River, The area south of the source of the Wujiang River was settled for land reclamation, so Baode County had to temporarily prepare a batch of food, farm implements, seeds, livestock, clothing, carts, tools, and a series of items to support them in land reclamation, and the cost was not cheap.Shao Yaoguang was worried about where the money would come from, but he didn't expect that the gang of magicians from the Taoist Association rushed to the door to give the money, which relieved his urgent need.

By the way, there are four settlements planned to be located in that area, namely: Zhaoyang Township (located near the small town of Vakaria in later generations), Jinxian Township (located in the small town of Muitus Caponeis in later generations) Town), Chengzhang Township (near the later town of Lagoa Vemelia), Guishan Township (near the later town of Antonio Prado), a total of four settlements, mainly located on the east side of the Northern Railway , although it is a bit far away, but fortunately, there is a Baode County with a certain scale in the south to support it. It is not difficult to develop, and the supply of various materials should be relatively smooth, so this is why With the establishment of four new settlements here by the State Development Bureau, and the first batch of [-] immigrants from Huai'an Prefecture of the Ming Dynasty were relocated here.

(End of this chapter)