There is a large vegetable plot in front of the old Zhang family’s house, covering an area of about half an acre, which is also standard on Chinese farms in Africa.
Cucumbers and watermelons are the most common ones. Cucumbers can grow as thick as an adult’s wrist. Although they don’t taste very good, they are large and filling and full of water. There is nothing to be picky about in southern Africa.
The watermelons here weigh more than 20 kilograms each, and the sugar content is very high, so sweet that it makes people sick. The most important thing is that this place is located near the equator, and the temperature is very high all year round, so watermelons are available all year round, and watermelons are also in Niassa.
Orchid people’s favorite fruit.
The yield of tomatoes and cabbage is also very high. You don’t need to plant too much onions, ginger, and garlic. If you plant a little, you won’t be able to eat them all. Every household here has a vegetable plot, so you can’t give it away, let alone worry about someone stealing it. The old Zhang family
Various kinds of dried fish and bacon are even hung directly in the corridor. The only thing you have to guard against is the cat in your home, so you have to hang them higher.
Dried fish from the North Sea is now a famous specialty. Perhaps because of the spines on the fish, before the Chinese came to the North Sea, the Africans here had no habit of eating fish. As a result, there was an overrun of fish in the North Sea.
They weigh more than ten kilograms, and one fish can feed a family for a day.
The Chinese are very smart in this regard. If they can't finish the fish they catch, they make it into dried fish. The Rhodesian Canning Company will buy it regularly, which is another huge income.
As for bacon, these are not pigs raised at home, but various wild animals. The Beihai police and the garrison will regularly organize planned killings of wild animals. They always come once or twice a year, and the wild animals killed are not the same.
It will be wasted. After the skin is tanned and sold to merchants, the worthless meat will belong to the farmers who participated in the operation.
In every operation, each household can get at least several hundred kilograms of meat. If such a large amount of meat is not processed in time, it will go bad in the afternoon in the hot weather. If it is white people or Africans, it is really helpless and it will be put into the hands of the Chinese.
Decay becomes magic.
"It's really——" Viscount Glaston looked at the dozens of large and small jars in the granary and didn't know how to evaluate it. The largest jar was taller than a person and couldn't be carried by one person, and the smallest jar was taller than the ones carried in the car.
The oil barrel is big.
The jars are filled with pickled duck and goose eggs. These duck and goose eggs are the favorites of soldiers and policemen in southern Africa. Those soldiers and policemen would rather eat salted duck eggs than luncheon meat. This has also become a reason for some people to attack the Ministry of National Defense.
Evidence of extravagance.
Don’t forget that in Europe, even in the UK, there are still many people who don’t have enough to eat.
“In Nyasaland, as long as you are willing to work, you can get the life you dream of. We are not building a Garden of Eden that everyone longs for, but building a strong country. Lazy people cannot survive in Nyasaland.
." Rock was very satisfied. It was precisely because of countless ordinary families like this that Nyasaland became what it is today.
"Yes, we don't need lazy people." Viscount Glaston thought thoughtfully, and then suddenly thought of a very serious question: "How much tax does such a family have to pay every year?"
Tax!
Of course the Nyasaland state government collects taxes, but most of them are commercial taxes, and agricultural taxes are so small that they can be ignored. Families like Lao Zhang only need to pay taxes when they sell agricultural products, and the proportion is very low.
About 5%. Others such as poll tax and property tax do not exist in Nyasaland.
"Families who immigrate to Nyasaland do not need to pay taxes for the first five years. After five years, they will pay taxes according to the regulations of the State Administration of Taxation, and they will not lose a penny." Of course, Roque was unselfish at this time. A family like Lao Zhang's
, it is almost the same as the middle class in the UK, if you don’t pay a penny in tax.
It can only mean that the work of the State Administration of Taxation is not up to standard.
This answer obviously did not satisfy Viscount Glaston, so Rock continued to add: "There is no head tax or property tax in Nyasaland, and the form of taxation is more hidden compared to other states. For example, motorcycles are collected at the factory when they leave the factory."
You have already paid the tax, and then you will pay another tax when you sell it on the market. When farmers buy motorcycles home, they also pay taxes on the gasoline they use. These taxes also add up, although they are not as good as the poll tax.
So direct, but the method is more hidden, the income is more stable, and it is more beneficial to the economic development of Nyasaland."
Viscount Glaston finally looked better. Compared with Nyasaland, the tax collection levels of other states were significantly higher.
In Natal, the largest tax source is the poll tax.
In the Transvaal, the municipality's largest revenue came from the gold trade in Johannesburg.
In Cape Town, its status is declining as more and more ocean-going cargo ships choose the Suez Canal.
According to the provisions of the federal government, states can formulate their own laws as long as they do not violate the Federal Constitution.
The situation in Nyasaland is a bit special. It is different from the situation in other states. When Nyasaland agreed to join the federal government, the prerequisite was that the federal government recognized Roque's ownership of Nyasaland. In this way, the "Federation"
The Constitution actually does not impose many restrictions on Nyasaland.
However, in order to support Ada's work, Roque is still reasonable in this regard. The taxes that should be paid to the federal government are quite a lot. Of course, don't expect Roque to carry forward his style. Roque is not polite when it comes to legal tax avoidance.
Anyway, the State Administration of Taxation does not check the accounts of the Nyasaland State Government.
Although Viscount Glaston is the Governor of Southern Africa, he has no say in the actual affairs of Southern Africa. However, the strength shown by Nyasaland still makes Viscount Glaston secretly frightened. This is not in advance.
During the arranged inspection, Viscount Glaston also made an impromptu decision to visit ordinary people's homes.
Precisely because he did not prepare in advance, Viscount Glaston could be sure that what he saw was the real Nyasaland.
Such a real Nyasaland surprised Viscount Glaston even more.
Back on the "Viscount", Viscount Glaston fell into silence, and then all the way to Ulysses, Viscount Glaston was a little depressed.
Ulysses is the headquarters of the North Sea Police.
The current North Sea Police has four marine police ships with a displacement of more than 1,000 tons, and 12 marine police ships with a displacement of more than 300 tons. The total number of marine police officers adds up to nearly a thousand people, which is enough for the Tanganyika Marine Police.
Form an overwhelming advantage.
Unlike the Viscount, the North Sea Police's large marine police ship is equipped with a 75mm artillery. The basic structure of this artillery is similar to the French "Miss 75", but the barrel is longer, the range is longer, and the power is of course only
Bigger.
The previous ashore inspection was a temporary one. When they arrived in Ulysses, the city government was already ready to welcome Viscount Glaston and Rock. All marine police ships that were not on sea duty were also dispatched and lined up next to the port to greet them.
This scene surprised Viscount Glaston even more.
"The Nyasaland Shipyard can already produce naval destroyers, right?" Viscount Glaston clearly had an idea.
"Marine police ship——" Rock's explanation was obviously weak.
"The new destroyer built by the Admiralty only has a tonnage of one thousand tons." Viscount Glaston knew the navy very well. The Admiralty here must be the British Admiralty. There is no such institution as the Admiralty in southern Africa.
What Viscount Glaston is talking about is the tribal-class destroyer that has just been commissioned by the British Navy. This destroyer has a tonnage of less than a thousand tons and can reach a maximum speed of 35 knots, but its endurance and seaworthiness are a bit poor.
Of course, this "a little bit inferior" is in Rock's eyes. In Rock's eyes, the current dreadnoughts and destroyers are both "a little bit inferior." Therefore, in the eyes of Viscount Glaston, the North Sea Police Ship equipped with
Come on, it is an almost perfect destroyer, at least in terms of appearance.
Except there are no torpedo launchers.
The biggest feature of warships in this era is their flat bows, which are as sharp as a knife. At least the bows of the North Sea Police's maritime police ships have adopted a straight forward tilting bow, which is more impactful in terms of shape and more attractive.
Sense of speed.
Of course Rock will not explain that the biggest function of the straight forward tilting bow is to increase the deck area, which can carry more weapons. It is also difficult for waves to rush onto the deck. In the event of a hull collision, no damage will be caused below the waterline.
And it can adapt to more sea conditions.
Looking at it this way, it is actually just common sense, and it brings a lot of benefits.
"I almost forgot, has the cruiser at Port Edward Shipyard been completed?" Only then did Viscount Glaston remember the strength of Port Edward Shipyard.
"Not yet. Just after laying the keel, we found that there is a problem with the design, so we are revising the design drawing now." Roque said leaving half of it and half of it.
It is true that the cruiser was stopped just after the keel was laid, but the reason was not because there was a problem with the design, but because of the emergence of new technology. The previous design standards no longer met Rock's requirements, so the design was revised.
Of course, to the ears of Viscount Glaston, this reason must be that the Port Edward Shipyard is not strong enough.
"You should seek help from the Portsmouth Naval Shipyard." Viscount Glaston actively helped Rock find a way. The progress of the Southern African Navy is also the progress of the British Empire's Navy, even if Southern Africa cannot build large warships like dreadnoughts.
, being able to build cruisers and destroyers is also a great help to the ongoing arms race between Britain and Germany.
A large-scale war not only requires the final word of the dreadnought, but also requires an escort formation composed of countless destroyers and cruisers.
Therefore, the inability of Southern Africa to build dreadnoughts is not only not a disadvantage for Viscount Glaston, but it is actually a good thing. This way, the British Navy can maintain its advantage over the future Southern African Navy. This is what Viscount Glaston cares about most.
"I found it, but it's a pity that they ignored me." Rock was helpless. The British Navy is definitely the most stubborn group of people in the world.
"Short-sighted!" Viscount Glaston was heartbroken.
