Chapter 385 Productivity 2

Chapter 385 Productivity 2
“So, Lord Earl, how can we change this situation and make the distribution of food more balanced?”

Cecil asked this question rather appropriately.

Paul gave him a satisfied look, what a suitable cudgel, and continued to speak eloquently, “To solve the paradoxical situation where the landowners are holding out and the others are starving, we need to get something in the hands of the others – something of value that can exchange the grain from the landowners’ hands. ”

“For example, porcelain, pottery, iron, paper, clothing, machinery, alcohol, etc., etc., etc., etc., and the industry that makes these things is known as manufacturing, plus the act of extracting the raw materials for the above items is industry. The more things the manufacturing industry produces, the more food can be exchanged, and the more it can change the problem of unequal distribution of food.”

Chief Ford shook his head, “I think it can only be considered as a relief, those landowners who hoarded food can’t use too many manufactured goods, and there is always a limit to the amount of food they are willing to take out and use for exchange.”

Paul waved his hand, “That’s why we have to will broaden the source channels of grain, if our local landowners are not willing to take out their surplus grain for exchange, then we will exchange with landowners in other parts of the Northwest Bay, with landowners in other parts of the Kingdom of Ordo, and even with landowners abroad.”

The crowd understood Count Greiman’s meaning, in this way, as the urgency of the demand decreased, the relative value of the grain hoarded by the landowners in the region would decrease or arguably depreciate, and thus they would also be forced to participate in the exchange activities – if they didn’t wish to see the wealth in their hands shrink further.

“Is that your intention in proposing a customs union?” The female counselor, Ladi Sertia, suddenly thought of this.

Paul nodded, “Yes, that is one of the important reasons. By lowering the tariffs, it will make it easier for our manufactured goods to go out, and for food from outside to come in, thus facilitating the exchange process just described-what I call a ‘market economy'”

Market economy? Another new term that came out of the Count’s mouth.

Guy Burns, the director of the Lake Town Machinery Factory, sat in the corner and pondered, he usually only focuses on technical issues, and does not know much about others, a while ago the Earl’s Lord engaged in the Customs Union was boycotted by so many people, and he still wondered what caused a group of people to willingly offend the Lord’s authority. Now he understood, it turned out to be the landowners whose cakes were moved, once the manufactured goods circulated with the food, they couldn’t squeeze other people at will, these guys were really hateful.

Paul’s next words further made him clear, “in the past history of mankind, due to the underdevelopment of the productive forces, cultivated food and manufactured goods that can be exchanged for food are always limited, and food is one of the most basic needs of human life, people can not drink, people can not use pottery, people can not even wear clothes, but people can not not eat! , all those who hold food extremely productive means – such as land – always have the advantage. If a place is relatively closed and productivity is low, it is easy to form a seller’s market for life’s necessities like food – a market in which the seller has the upper hand. And if we upgrade our manufacturing capabilities and open up internal and external trade, we can change the seller’s market in our part of the world to a considerable degree. As for other places outside of Arda, Bairdin, and Emden, we won’t be able to care that much for the time being.”

“But Lord Count ……,” Paul’s chief secretary Bernard thought a little bit longer, “Even if you can produce a lot of valuable items after vigorously developing your industry, and at the same time the landowners are willing to exchange them, at the present time the overall food production is enough to fill everyone’s stomach. But if a portion of the population doesn’t starve to death, the population is going to keep breeding while there is still so much food, it will eventually go back to a situation where demand exceeds supply, and as a result there will still be people starving to death.”

The Chief Secretary’s statement is very close to the “Malthusian trap”.

Paul explained, “As I said earlier, productivity also includes agricultural productivity. When our industry develops to a certain extent it can ‘feed’ agriculture.”

Saying this, he glanced at Guy Burns, “The harvesting machines, strip planters, and other agricultural instruments manufactured by the Lakewood Township Agricultural Machinery Factory is an example, with these agricultural instruments, under the premise of using the same amount of labor, more land can be reclaimed and more food can be harvested, and we can even research planting techniques to increase the yield per unit area, thus meeting the population’s constantly growing demand.” Guy Burns proudly puffed out his chest, he had always considered his work to be great, and now the Lord Earl had finally elaborated on the significance of it in front of the crowd.

“And agricultural implements such as harvesters and strip-seeders were invented and realized for mass production only when manufacturing was developed. As long as technology keeps up, it can alleviate or even solve the problems Bernard speaks of. As for what the scene will be when the technology has reached the end of its development, I dare assert that none of you here can foresee it, haha.”

Thanks to Paul’s efforts over the past two years, the mining industry, iron smelting industry, food processing industry, cotton textile industry, salt making industry, ceramic production industry, paper making industry, machinery manufacturing industry, and cold weapon manufacturing industry in both Alda and Bairdin had already taken off.

For reasons of technological secrecy, the production of porcelain, canned goods, and paper is unique in the world, and the production of other industries is in a very advantageous position due to related technological innovations-such as the small blast furnace, the flying shuttle loom, the Jenny spinning machine, and the application of the salt tanning method. The production of other industries is also in a very advantageous position due to related technological innovations – such as the small blast furnace, the flying shuttle loom, the Jenny spinning machine, and the application of the salt method.

The beginnings of manufacturing have given rise to a large number of people who make a living from it, still a small proportion of the population, but a sizeable one in terms of numbers.

The original manufacturing industry in the Northwest Bay was based on single-family workshops, but in the past two years, under the deliberate guidance and leadership of Paul, organized and large-scale workshops have begun to spring up.

Under the Count’s orders, the Council of State strictly prohibited the purchase of slaves by the workshop owners, so these workshops mainly obtained their labor force by hiring workers.

While maintaining a certain degree of personal freedom, they were also able to get paid to support their families, and working in the workshops became a new trend in the three territories under the Council of State, especially for the countryside population, and some homesteaders who had a bad harvest or were struggling to survive under the oppression of the big landowners sold their farms and rushed to the towns to earn a living, which in turn contributed to the concentration of arable land and the growth of the towns’ populations. –Beneficial to both agricultural and industrial development.

Paul received sporadic reports of even serfs risking their lives to escape to the towns to change their fate.

“So gentlemen, where else can we break through in terms of productivity under the present circumstances? Does anyone have any good ideas?”

In the face of frustration, Paul felt it was better to brainstorm and listen more to the natives of this world.

The author has a shallow understanding of productivity as well as economic activity, so please don’t laugh at any fallacies in this chapter.

(End of chapter)