Holy Roman Empire - Chapter 271

Chapter 271: Chapter 20, Comprehensive Cleanup of Safety and Health
Whether it was ahead of its time or not, the ”Sanitation and Safety Law” of the New Holy Roman Empire had been enacted, mandating its enforcement nationwide through legal means.

Factories were the first to be targeted, as they had to improve their workers’ living conditions to meet the minimum standards set by the ”Sanitation and Safety Law”.

The advantage of not locating factories in cities became apparent at this time, as it was very easy to acquire land from the surrounding areas.

With the development of the African Colony, a large influx of cheap timber entered the domestic market, making the cost of constructing wooden houses quite low, thus solving the problem in about ten to fifteen days.

Naturally, this was discordant for factories that remained in the urban areas, where acquiring land in such precious cities was much more expensive.

Franz couldn’t worry about these issues; the government had long ago ordered factories to move to the outskirts, reducing the burdens on the cities.

Those who moved earlier received government relocation subsidies, but those who chose not to comply would now have to cover the expenses themselves.

City water safety was also brought onto the agenda, and upon completion of the refurbishments, water would be supplied uniformly by the water companies, making the messy underground wells obsolete.

To foster the good habit of drinking boiled water, the government mandated that factories, enterprises, public places, and government agencies must provide only boiled water as drinking water.

The pretext was cholera prevention, as the British had confirmed just two years earlier the relation between cholera transmission and drinking water, as well as sanitation, sparking a sanitation revolution across the European Continent.

Cholera had not disappeared; it still emerged every so often, remaining as the most terrifying and common plague of the era.

Those who dared to impede the implementation of the ”Sanitation and Safety Law” were guilty of deliberately spreading the plague, and bureaucrats in any era have always excelled at affixing such labels.

The familiar trash cans of later times had also been introduced into the streets and alleys of Vienna, and those caught littering were not fined, but rather punished with street cleaning duties. It was guaranteed to leave a lasting, unforgettable impression.

New Brook

While a comprehensive sanitation and health overhaul was underway domestically, things were different in the colonies, where there weren’t any factories or enterprises to speak of, and even family-run workshops were rare. If one had to mention anything, it would be the mines.

Capitalists abusing workers could happen back home, but here, who would dare? Workers could simply walk away at a moment’s notice.

In the colonies, where there was a constant shortage of workers, who would push their own laborers out? The labor market dynamics determined the status of both employers and employees.

Implementing safety and health regulations in the mines was no challenge; everyone is afraid of death, and with such a high mortality rate on the African Continent, taking frequent hot baths to prevent infectious diseases and drinking boiled water were minor issues.

After all, it added virtually no additional costs; building employee dormitories could be done by organizing the workers to cut timber themselves, and fuel for boiling water could also be organized without needing to purchase it.

Colonel Stephen said with delight, “Gentlemen, the domestic authorities have decided to officially upgrade our colonial outpost of New Brook to New Brook City. Congratulations, everyone has been promoted.”

The Vienna Government intended to focus on developing the African Continent, and this “New Brook City” would be on the same administrative level as cities back home.

Colonel Stephen himself, for his meritorious governance, became the first mayor directly; as for a military officer taking up a local government post, there are no obstacles whatsoever in Austria.

It might be impossible for a civilian to turn into a military officer, but the inverse, a soldier turning into a civilian officer, has always been possible. The top officials in the Vienna Government have basically all had military experiences.

The transformation of active military officers into local administrative chiefs has become commonplace. If it can be done domestically, it’s even less of a concern in the colonies.

Here, unlike in the homeland, plagued with a myriad of complex relationships, the focus is solely on one’s achievements. Colonel Stephen’s greatest strength as a soldier of modest capabilities is his strict adherence to the orders from the homeland.

One could say it’s rigid, or even blunt, but the Vienna Government didn’t care much about that. The final result was that New Brook developed in an orderly manner, and the Central Government’s commands were implemented effectively.

In the context of high mortality rates among immigrants at various colonial outposts, the situation in New Brook was outstanding.

According to Franz’s hiring standards, they should have been promoted by now, taking over several surrounding posts to form Austria’s first city on the African Continent.

Pausing for a moment, Stephen continued, “However, everyone shouldn’t get too excited just yet. With promotions come greater responsibilities.

Our next focal point, apart from spreading knowledge of sanitation and safety and reducing the mortality caused by diseases, is to figure out ways to develop the colony’s economy, primarily focusing on the development of the agricultural farm and plantation economy.”

The head of the mining bureau, Gold, asked in puzzlement, “Mr. Mayor, why prioritize the development of farms and plantations over focusing on the mining industry?”

Colonel Stephen replied, “Mining is not a long-term strategy. The gold mines we’ve currently discovered might be exhausted in a few years, maybe a decade and a half—what happens to the local economy then?

The homeland’s plan is to have a long-term occupation of Guinea, so the development of a sustainable agricultural farm and plantation economy is very necessary.

Of course, the mining industry can’t be neglected either, as currently, it is the main source of revenue for the city government. If the colonial government wants to achieve a balanced budget in the short term, it would rely on mining.”

The head of the taxation bureau, Diego, reminded, “Mr. Mayor, excluding immigration expenses, New Brook has already achieved a balanced budget.

With the large influx of gold-seekers, our city’s commercial development has been rapid. Commercial tax accounts for 7% of fiscal revenue, customs duties account for 1% of fiscal revenue, special industrial tax revenue accounts for 6%, tobacco and alcohol monopoly revenues account for 8%, and mining taxes account for 76%…

The total fiscal revenue for the third quarter of this year is 94,000 Divine Shield, the total expenditure is 96,000 Divine Shield, resulting in a fiscal deficit of 2000 Divine Shield. We expect to achieve a balanced budget by the fourth quarter.”

This was his achievement and should not be overlooked. Even though mining still dominates, the revenue generated by other industries should not be ignored.

While industrial development is one thing, translating it into fiscal revenue was the merit of the tax bureau. In many colonial outposts, mining tax revenue directly accounts for over 90% of fiscal income.

That New Brook managed to reduce this percentage to 76%, while achieving a balanced budget, was a remarkable feat, especially since the colony’s agriculture was still in a tax-exemption phase.

Mayor Stephen affirmed, “Indeed, the tax bureau has played a tremendous role in the development of New Brook to this stage; all of you present here have contributed to this achievement.”

“Moving forward, I hope everyone will continue to strive and take New Brook further. I believe everyone here is quite clear on how much potential there is for development here.

Rich resources and fertile lands, if these places were developed, New Brook would become the wealthiest region in Africa in the future, and might even surpass many cities within our own country.

“If we can surpass our Brook in the homeland, given the level of importance the homeland places on this place, I believe there’s a great possibility for everyone present here to acquire a noble title.”

It’s not hard to grow wealthy in a colony, as a portion of the colonial financial revenue will become their bonus. The higher the financial income, the greater their personal earnings.

To obtain a noble title, however, is not so easy. Even for hereditary nobility, one must accumulate merits slowly. Without military exploits, it generally takes twenty or thirty years to amass enough merits.

Now, once the development of New Brook is successful, everyone’s merits will be achieved in one fell swoop. With tangible administrative achievements in hand, it is possible to even be granted a hereditary noble title.

Those who are willing to come to the colonies naturally have ambitions. The task of territorial appointment and ennoblement might be impossible in other countries, but in the New Holy Roman Empire, it truly isn’t difficult.

If the high nobles in the homeland were willing to exchange their fiefdoms to the African Continent, they could immediately establish sovereign states, and Franz would not mind adding a few seats to the Imperial Parliament.

After boosting morale, Mayor Stephen said seriously, “Silence! Now let’s discuss how to implement the ‘Sanitation and Safety Law’ to further reduce the mortality of immigrants from diseases.”

Sanitation Bureau Director Matt Damon said, “Mr. Mayor, we have done what is necessary in promoting sanitation and safety knowledge, and we’re no worse off than any other city in the country.

“What we could further do is exterminate pests and rats, as many diseases are spread through flies, mosquitoes, cockroaches, and rodents.”

The specific measures are: clear the vegetation around residential areas and establish a one to two li buffer zone to effectively isolate insects.

Burn city waste to eliminate the living environment for insects and ants.

Encourage residents to manually exterminate rats, such as by using rat poison, rat traps, and keeping cats, and so forth.”

Environmental protection? It’s unnecessary, at least in the African Colony, because to prevent insects, there is hardly any vegetation to be seen in cities from the start.

It’s unfortunate that cement must be transported from the homeland, making the cost of concrete too high; otherwise, if the city were to be paved, the effect would be even better.

Mayor Stephen said contentedly, “As long as your methods are effective, the city government will allocate funds for implementation.”

Sanitation Bureau Director Matt Damon confidently replied, “We have already conducted experiments. After clearing the vegetation and burning the land, the number of insects significantly decreased.

“If extended throughout the entire city, with no outside insects entering and good hygiene within the city, we can lower the number of insects.”

Mayor Stephen made a decision without hesitation, “If it’s effective, then we’ll immediately approve the budget and have the Treasury Bureau allocate funds for its implementation.”

The decisive style of a military officer was clearly displayed.

“Yes, Mr. Mayor!” Matt Damon replied.

Mayor Stephen continued, “Now let’s discuss agricultural development. The Central Government requires that within three years, the New Brook area must develop 50,000 hectares of farms or plantations.

Theoretically, the terrain around New Brook is flat; it only requires clearing the trees and weeds.

It’s not just about developing 50,000 hectares of land; even developing two to three hundred thousand hectares would not be a problem. The only difficulty lies in the shortage of labor.

“The homeland has promised to provide us with an additional 20,000 immigrants next year, but how to mobilize these immigrants to open farms and plantations is our task.”

Agricultural Bureau Director Engelbert explained, “Mr. Mayor, our people are not unwilling to invest in farms; they are more constrained by a lack of funds to open farms or plantations.

“Since the people have limited financial resources, we should first organize lumberjacks to cut down trees uniformly. Sell the valuable timber and leave the rest for the people to use as firewood.

After clearing these obstacles, the cost of developing these lands later will be greatly reduced, which should increase everyone’s enthusiasm.”

Mining Bureau Director Gold thought for a moment and said, “Lack of funds for the citizens is not a problem; we can negotiate with the banks on their behalf, using these farms as collateral for loans.

The only issue is the high-interest rates of loans in the New Brook area, which exceed the affordability of the citizens. If we can lower it to the same level as in the homeland, then there is feasibility.”

Engelbert explained, “There’s no helping it; our Agricultural Bureau has already discussed this with the banks.

“The cost of living and labor in the New Brook area is much higher than in the homeland, and the mortality rate of immigrants remains high. The banks not only have higher operational costs, but they also bear greater risk.

“To get banks to lower interest rates, unless our city government guarantees the loans to reduce their business risk.

“Unfortunately, there are regulations in the homeland that government institutions cannot provide guarantees for any individual or corporation, let alone for borrowing.”

Developing a farm is not like mining for gold. Until a farm is developed, its so-called property rights are worthless; gold mines are different as people are always willing to take over the rights, whether developed or not.

If a loan is given to a farmer and an accident occurs, it becomes bad debt; banks cannot themselves take over an unfinished farm for development.

The greater the risk, the higher the interest naturally, as this is normal business operation, and the city government cannot intervene.

After a moment of silence, Mayor Stephen said, “This is a problem we can’t solve; the city government’s finances are not generous enough to provide the funds.

“Let’s first align our positions, then report to the homeland in the name of the city government and apply for a policy loan from the Central Bank. We are in compliance with regulations, so it should be approved.”