During this period, free trade was the mainstream in the world.
The so-called free trade means that the state does not interfere in the economy and allows the economy to develop freely and promote social progress.
In 1936, John Maynard Keynes published the book "The General Theory of Employment, Interest and Money" and founded modern macroeconomics, which is called "Keynesianism".
Before Keynes published "Employment", Britain was in the transition period from laissez-faire private enterprise system to private monopoly. During this period, Britain was definitely a model in terms of laissez-faire. Some of the behaviors of some British people at that time were called
"British disease".
The so-called British disease, simply put, is: self-destructive national suspicion and pessimism.
At that time, some people in the British elite thought they knew what was the best choice for society. They always liked to despise their own country and praise other countries; belittle the achievements of their own people and envy the achievements of others; despise their own national system.
He praises the systems of other nations; and by the way, he mocks every national figure in his own country.
Looks familiar?
Yes, it is indeed very similar to some well-known scholars. This can be regarded as being in the same vein.
The polar opposite of free trade was Roosevelt's New Deal.
An important measure in Roosevelt's New Deal was "relief for work", which vigorously built public projects to alleviate social crises and class conflicts, increase employment and stimulate consumption and production.
This is actually quite similar to Johannesburg after the war.
Even after the war ended, some of the policies implemented by Alfred Milner were similar to Roosevelt's New Deal, except that Alfred Milner's "New Deal" did not bring prosperity and stability to the Transvaal.
After Alfred Milner resigned, the contents of his "New Deal" were abandoned by his successor Louis Botha, and the New Deal came to an abrupt end.
Rock had no way to explain to Philip Matilda what the "Roosevelt New Deal" was, let alone what "Keynesianism" was. He could only start from the actual situation in Johannesburg and hope that Philip would support Rock in building the reservoir.
"Sorry Sir Locke, I'm afraid the city government can't give you financial help." Philip Matilda knew that what Locke said was reasonable, but there was really nothing he could do.
This is not because Lord Philip deliberately targeted Roark, but because the Johannesburg Municipal Government really has no money.
Johannesburg was still under martial law, and the city government did not even have administrative powers. It can barely run now and relies on direct funding from London.
This is also the reason why the pressure on London is increasing. The war did not end as quickly as imagined. In the past, London was only responsible for the military expenses of the expeditionary force. Now it has to add the operating expenses of the Transvaal and Orange governments. What if
In a short period of time, Congress can get through it by tightening its belt, but the end of the war is far away, and it seems that this is a bottomless pit.
Of course, Philip Matilda is not unhelpful at all and cannot provide financial support, so other aspects will not set up obstacles for Roque, such as the land for the reservoir, such as the coordination of trains to transport construction materials and related equipment.
, another example is hiring workers to build a reservoir
Philippe Matilda can help with this.
Roque was well aware of the predicament of the Johannesburg Municipal Government, so he didn't waste any words. As he left the mayor's residence, Roque conveniently threw a share certificate worth 100,000 pounds to Owen, and then went directly to Pretoria.
"How much will the project cost?" Alfred Milner also did not make a direct promise, but first understood the situation.
"About 1 million pounds. No one can afford this amount of money independently, so in addition to government support, social donations will also be made. The initiative was initiated by the Johannesburg Mining Alliance. The Mining Alliance decided to set up a company called 'Crocodile Bay'
A company that conducts commercial operations for hydropower stations. In Johannesburg, Crocodile Bay Company has raised 900,000 pounds in funding, but this is not enough. If the funds are insufficient, Crocodile Bay Company will send people to Cape Town to continue raising funds." Rock asked.
To bring more people on board, the more shareholders the better, and it is best to bring on board all the powerful large companies in the Transvaal.
In this way, Crocodile Bay Company will become a super giant like the South African company in the future. No matter who wants to deal with Crocodile Bay Company, they must first weigh themselves.
In fact, this Crocodile Bay Company was also prepared by Rock for the future Boers. There were too many Boers. To suppress the Boers, it was necessary to integrate the forces in the Transvaal as much as possible, whether they were British or Chinese.
, only by uniting can it be possible to achieve absolute suppression of the Boers.
"The Government House can invest 50,000 pounds." Alfred Milner hesitated for a moment, but he did not take over everything or stay out of the matter.
In fact, as long as you participate, any amount is fine. Even if Alfred Milner doesn't get a cent, Roque will give Alfred Milner a share of at least 100,000 pounds.
Of course, it is better if the Governor is willing to invest. Only with the investment from the Governor's Office can the "credibility" of Crocodile Bay Company be guaranteed. It doesn't matter how much money is invested. The key is the attitude.
"Thank you, Lord Alfred, I will facilitate this matter as soon as possible." Roark was satisfied, and next he had to see the reply from the United States.
"Well, uh, by the way, Sir Locke, the Chinese workers in Kimberley can enter Johannesburg, but you have to ensure that no matter what the circumstances, the Chinese miners will never become a problem." Alfred Milner gave Locke
What a surprise, this is what comes and goes. The Governor is not a god, he also has to eat, drink and have diarrhea.
"Of course, I can guarantee that." Luo Ke takes over everything. Building hydropower stations requires a lot of labor, and just relying on shift miners is not enough.
The construction period of a hydropower station generally takes several years. Even if it is not a super hydropower station, it will take at least one or two years. A project of this scale cannot rely solely on temporary workers. In addition to professional technicians, it also requires excellent construction personnel. Zu
There is a high probability that the Lu people will not be able to complete this task, let alone the Boers. Rock does not want to hire the Boers at all.
Therefore, Chinese is Rock's only choice.
Even if Alfred Milner does not open this door, Roque will still find a way to put pressure on Alfred Milner through Cecil Rhodes Jr.
As a result, in the evening, Cecil Rhodes Jr. gave Roark a better example.
"How much is the shortfall? I will make up for the shortfall." Cecil Rhodes Jr. is also very wealthy. In fact, even if the hydropower station is entirely funded by Cecil Rhodes Jr., Cecil Rhodes Jr. can still afford it.
rise.
Compared with Roque, South African entrepreneurs have big businesses, so little Cecil Rhodes is very confident. He can even form a government in Rhodesia. There is no need to report this trivial matter to anyone.
, if you want to build a reservoir, just go and build it.
"It's almost enough." Roque doesn't need much money. He does need it, and he can make up for it himself.
"You have become a baron, but you are still too timid." Little Cecil Rhodes curled his lips.
"I'm not as capable as you." Rock admitted that he is not as good as Cecil Rhodes Jr. in this regard. He has a good father, but if Rock also has a monster like a South African company
Especially in Johannesburg, there are no Boers or Zulu in the whole of South Africa.
"I was in Cape Town some time ago and couldn't care less about this, but I told Aiden that no matter what you do, ask him to cooperate as much as possible." Cecil Rhodes Jr. was in Cape Town to lobby for the opening of the
Cape Town City Council continues to provide subsidies for "new immigrants".
The members of the Cape Town City Council are not stupid either. The Immigration Department pays for immigrants, which is actually subsidizing big guys like Cecil Rhodes Jr. The Cape Town Council does not know that Roque is involved in this matter.
If he had known about his role, it is estimated that the Cape Town City Council would have held Rock accountable.
As a government official, he colluded with businessmen to defraud the Immigration Bureau of funds. This would not sound good if word got out.
"It's almost enough. Rock Gold Mine and De Beers Unified Mining Company each hold 20%, the city government gave 10%, and the Governor's Office holds 5%." Rock refused to give little Sisi
Rhodes for additional investment opportunities.
"How rich is the city government and the governor's office?" Cecil Rhodes Jr. wondered.
Luo Ke glared directly, everyone knew whether they were rich or not.
"Hmph, it's really easier for them to make money than for us." Cecil Rhodes Jr. said bitterly.
"Come on, whatever we invest now, we can get back double when the time comes." Luo Ke was not surprised. The world was as dark as crows, and Luo Ke had already been mentally prepared.
Back in Johannesburg, Rock made preparations to go to Kimberley to bring back the Chinese miners.
Johannesburg is only more than 400 kilometers away from Kimberley. If you take the train, you can get there in a day and a night. But that is not possible now. Kimberley is located in the Cape and is the hardest hit area by guerrilla attacks. The railway has long been destroyed. The only way to bring people back is
Relying on bullock carts.
Roque mobilized 150 commandos, 120 detectives, and 200 policemen from Rhodesia, all of whom rode together to Kimberley.
The leader of the Rhodesian Police was actually Aiden. It was only then that Rock learned that Aiden was actually serving as the senior superintendent of the Rhodesian Police. In terms of rank alone, he was even higher than Rock.
High Point.
If you think about it, you can understand that Rhodesia is the jurisdiction of the South African Company, and the South African Company has the right to form a government and police force in Rhodesia. In other words, who should be the senior superintendent is Cecil Rhodes Jr.
London has nothing to do with it.
This private enterprise is much more flexible than government agencies.
It’s not just about flexibility. South African companies still have money. Cecil Rhodes has been operating in Rhodesia and Kimberley for so many years. It’s not just connections that surpass South Africa. The equipment of the Rhodesian police is also better than that of the Johannesburg police.
better.
Roque always thought that the equipment level of the Johannesburg Police Department was already good, but compared with the Rhodesian police, Roque found that he was a frog in the well.
Let’s not talk about anything else, let’s just talk about horses. The Johannesburg police station is now equipped with mixed-blood horses. The Rhodesian police are equipped with a mixture of mixed-blood horses and purebred horses. Basically, they have reached the level of sergeant. The ones in Rhodesia are all riding horses.
Thoroughbred horses, here in Johannesburg, only Rock has purebred horses.
Even in terms of weapons and equipment, Rhodesia was a step ahead.
The Johannesburg Police Department also commonly uses Webley revolvers, but the Rhodesians are all equipped with Mauser 96s. However, from the look of Aiden, he does not seem to like the Mauser 96s very much, but prefers the Webley used by Rock.
profit.
"The German-made guns have good performance and can hold more bullets, but they are really ugly and have too much recoil, making them inconvenient to use. Webley is better, with simple structure and reliable operation. If it jams, it will
Pulling the trigger will solve the problem." Aiden looked a bit funny in his police uniform. His belly was too big and he looked corrupt at first glance.
"That's because you don't know how to use it. One more bullet on the battlefield means one more chance. The Mauser pistol is still very good." Rock couldn't help but say something fair. The Mauser 96 is the legendary "shell gun". Now
The Mauser 96 can only hold ten rounds of bullets. When the improved Mauser that holds 20 rounds of bullets appears, it will be a full-fledged submachine gun after being installed in a wooden box.
"You like it? There are many more at Salisbury Police Station. Our police don't like to use them. They would rather buy Webleys with their own money than German guns. I will have them sent to you later and sell them at a discount."
You." Aiden doesn't care. The so-called discount is just a joke. The final actual price is probably similar to half sale and half free.
"Okay, if you don't want me to ask for it, you can tell me how much you want." Rock said, you're welcome. Although these Mauser 96s may not be used by the Johannesburg Police Department, they will definitely be used by the Gold Mine Guards.
The two people chatted and laughed, and before they knew it, they left the Transvaal and entered the Cape.
At this time, Rock also started to become vigilant. Without Rock's orders, Yaya led the detective team to disperse and go out for investigation. Rock and Aiden led the team to walk slowly. Less than 20 kilometers into Cape, a detective team came back.
It was reported that guerrillas were attacking the regular army patrol about five kilometers ahead.
Well, Roark and the others went to Kimberley on a temporary basis. Not to mention the guerrillas in advance, the Kimberley Police Department didn't know about it, so the guerrillas probably went out without looking at the almanac. By chance, Roark and the others happened upon them when they launched the attack.
.
"Check the equipment and prepare to fight!" Roque will not let go of this opportunity to make meritorious deeds.
"Sir Locke, be careful. This is Cape, not Johannesburg." Aiden was a little hesitant, not because of the reputation of the guerrillas, but mainly because, as the senior police superintendent of Rhodesia, he was the most powerful person outside Rhodesia.
No one admits it.
It's amazing. As a country in a practical sense, in reality, the vast majority of countries in the world do not recognize Rhodesia. It was not until Rhodesia separated from the South African Company and the Commonwealth and split into Zimbabwe and Zambia that it gained international recognition.
