Chapter 598 Moore: Capitalists are not necessary!
Kaiping Mining Bureau No. 3 Mine Town, August 25, 2018, Tianli.
As soon as the chung in the Yin hour sounded twice, the wheels of a four-wheeled carriage with the "Ganwang Mansion" sign ran through the hard road paved with cinders and drove into a small town where miners lived.
Bai Siwen lifted the corner of the curtain and his eyes thrust, because what he saw was not a dilapidated shed, but a neat red brick building - two-story tube buildings along the gentle slope, one by one, like a line of privateers, with lights shaking behind most of the window papers.
This is really where the miners live? Bai Siwenxin said: "It's not that the coachman was blind and ran into the Taiping Army's barracks, right?"
"It looks better than Manchester."
Friedrich held his round glasses and felt something was wrong. He had seen the shack where Birmingham miners lived, and the sewage flowing in Paris slums, but he had never seen any industrial town that could build workers' houses and drainage ditches as regular as Prussian military camps. The bluestone open channel extends along the street, leading all domestic sewage and wastewater extracted from the mines from the residential areas.
When the carriage stopped at the intersection with the wooden sign "Wujin City" hanging, the sound of fried dough sticks falling into the pot mixed with the aroma of soy milk came to my face.
The men wearing blue cloth shorts squatted on the bench holding a bowl of sea breeze. Some people were piled with four or five fists, and some people called the bowl of steaming big noodles - the meat was big and the noodles were plenty, which was obvious to people who were doing physical work.
Are these people really miners who only earn 4 silver dollars a month?
Four silver dollars are less than 1 pound, less than one-third of the salary of British miners
"Master Bai and two foreign masters try this!" Mr. Tang came out of some porridge shed and ran to Moore, Friedrich and Bai Swen.
The guy also lived in this town. He saw a blue satin gown with an apron with oil stains on his blue satin gown, holding a bamboo basket in his left hand, a golden fried dough stick in it, and pulling a British man in a linen work clothes with his right hand, "This is Mr. Smith, a technician hired by the Mining Bureau - an authentic London engineer!" Mr. Tang pointed at Moore, Friedrich, and Bai Siwen to introduce it.
When the "Engineer Smith" heard that Moore and Friedrich were the masters who came to China for inspection with Sir Wenxian, they immediately showed a respectful expression and took off their hats and saluted. He pointed to the teahouse in the Welsh-accented country English: "If you haven't eaten breakfast yet, please let me make it. The breakfast here is delicious, and we guarantee that restaurants in the UK cannot compare with each other!"
The second floor of Guangfu Teahouse.
The guy from the hall held a large tray and served five-tray shrimp dumplings and three baskets of roasted wheat at one time. They were all freshly baked, steaming and looked fresh and sweet. The basket of fried dough sticks brought in by Master Tang Si had been "destroyed" half - Moore and Friedrich were still holding a big fried dough stick to eat.
This is really good, much better than the British breakfast!
Smith pinched the bamboo chopsticks and poked the crystal shrimp dumplings skin, and the pink shrimp mixed with bamboo shoots rolled into the vinegar dish: "I have been working in the mine in South Wales for fifteen years. I have never seen miners eat fresh shrimp for breakfast. Kaiping's kitchen transported seafood from the fishing port at the mouth of Luanhe River every day. The workers' monthly food subsidy is one and a half silver dollars equivalent to five shillings!"
Friedrich's pen is quickly converted on the account book: "Only five shillings? If it is based on London prices, these breakfasts are worth at least three shillings."
Moore pinched a hot Sauce and took a bite: "It's a small amount, three shillings can't eat that delicious thing."
"Eighty-months of Chenghui!" The guy's singing interrupted his words.
Mr. Tang waved his hand and said in Cantonese: "Remember it in my account."
Friedrich said: "It's less than a shilling to convert it into pounds."
Moore Gray Blue said in surprise: "I think I am a rich man less than once!"
He suddenly thought of something and turned his head to look out the window. The market was quite lively. Farmers and vendors in the nearby villages were selling all kinds of vegetables, chickens, ducks, and fish. Women in the town carried vegetable baskets and exchanged the copper plates in their hands for a basket full of fresh food. Some children carrying schoolbags were holding fried dough sticks, noodles, and buns in their hands while eating - as if they were rushing to a primary school far away.
"I heard that the miners at Kaiping Mine work sixteen hours a day?" Friedrich suddenly asked.
"Yes," smiled Engineer Smith, "at first it was a meal for twelve hours, but later the workers refused to agree and firmly demanded the extension of the working hours!"
"What? Need to extend the working hours?" Moore couldn't believe his ears, "Why?"
Smith made a gesture of counting money: "Make money! Work hours are extended, but the minimum quota remains unchanged. The more coal you dug can recalculate the money and have an extra dinner after extending the working hours. Why not eat well at the mine without charging money?"
Mr. Tang Si hurriedly added: "There are two meals at the mine and free housing, the miners' hospitals can see a doctor for free, and the children will also send books to school. If someone is injured or killed after work, the mine will not only pay 100 yuan, but will also arrange a leisurely job for the widow. After the child graduates from elementary school, he can go directly to the miners' technical school."
The more Moore listened, the more he felt that something was wrong: "Why are there free hospitals and primary schools like capitalists still making money?"
"Capitalist?" Smith shook his head, "Kaiping Mining Bureau is a Shengku Investment in Taiping Heavenly Kingdom, which has no capitalists, and it is not much to build housing for miners, run primary schools, and open hospitals."
Without capitalists, isn't that
Moore's eyes shine!
Miners' Primary School.
When the bell rang in class, Moore was standing outside the cast iron fence. The teacher in a cotton robe was lighting the blackboard with a teaching stick. Dozens of clean and tidy children recited in unison: "Man, hands, feet, knife, ruler"
"These children are the best technical workers when they grow up." Engineer Smith, who brought Moore and others to visit, suddenly lowered his voice. "Although their industrialization has just started, their layout is quite long-term. Not only did they open primary schools that allow miners' children to study for free, but they are also preparing for more advanced technical schools and senior colleges for ten years, the miners they trained themselves can replace my job!"
Friedrich wrote in his notebook: "The Chinese obviously learned the Prussian national education system. Compared with British education, China and Prussian education can cultivate high-quality workers and engineers better. But the population of Prussia is less than 20 million, while the population of China is as high as 500 million!"
The newest ⊥小⊥小⊥ said⊥⊥⊥⊥⊥⊥⊥⊥⊥⊥!
No. 18.
Mr. Tang Si pushed open the iron door in Room 203. This was a collective dormitory where single miners lived. The four wooden beds were arranged very neatly, and each bed had everyone's name hanging. The bed next to the window was hung with the sign "Wang Tiedan".
"This kid is the miner who mines the most coal last month." Mr. Tang pointed to the work pants hanging on the head of the bed, with a bronze medal on his waist. "I got ten silver dollars last month and took leave this month to go home to get married. He said he would bring ten more strong men from the same village to work in the mine!"
"That's right, four silver dollars a month, forty-eight yuan a year." Bai Siwen knocked the iron bed with a folding fan. "I can't make a few silver dollars a year in farming in the countryside! If it were me, I would have to work in the mine!"
Friedrich thought, "It seems that we have underestimated China's advantages before! The 400 million hard-working people greatly reduced the living costs of workers. British miners with a three-pound per month are still struggling, while Chinese miners who only earn one pound can live a pretty good life. In other words, the cost of Chinese workers themselves is only one-third of that of British workers. If this advantage is fully demonstrated, China's industry will surely take off!"
"There is also the silver standard!" Moore said, "I now understand why they insist on the silver standard. The long-term depreciation of silver will give China a long-term industrial cost advantage. They have rich labor and resources, and most of the raw materials should be produced by themselves, and machines will also produce themselves in the future, so their cost advantage will become greater and greater! But this is not their biggest advantage!"
Smith looked back at Moore: "What is their biggest advantage?"
Moore thought for a while and said, "Their greatest advantage may be hidden in the management and organizational methods of this Kaiping Mining Bureau."
Smith was stunned: "What are the advantages of management and organization at the start of the draw?"
Moore smiled slightly and said, "The Kaiping Mining Bureau has no capitalists! Mr. Smith, don't you think the Kaiping Mining Bureau manages better than any British coal mine? It seems that capitalists are not necessary!"
When Moore and his group left the collective dormitory where the miners lived and returned to the streets of the town, they suddenly heard the sound of "bang bang" gongs. Several people turned their heads and looked at them and saw a group of cavalry coming slowly, protecting several carriages. The leading knights held the banners of "Wei, the Northern King of the Taiping Heavenly Kingdom" and "Governor Zuo of Zhili".
It turned out that "Wei Judas" and Zuo Zongtang were here!
Chapter completed!