Chapter 454: Making Money Is Just An Accident
Chapter 444: Making Money by Accident
If the Christmas Eve in 1868, let the Austrian new energy power company with the “night city” of the big name of civilization, then 1869 has established the Austrian new energy power company in the industry’s dominant position.
With the completion of a series of patent licenses, Austria’s new energy power company standard has become the international standard for power systems.
To break this standard system is not difficult, as long as you are willing to spend money can always be broken. Only to smash how much money into it, no one knows.
If this was a profitable industry, then the consortium would probably still try. Unfortunately the power industry is only just emerging, and the city’s power supply system looks delicious but is hardly profitable.
No one knows when the market is ripe, but everyone knows exactly when the patented technology will expire.
This era has not yet entered the high-tempo era, everyone’s sense of crisis is not so strong, simply do not think that in 20 or 30 years, electricity will become the mainstream of this era.
Take the steamship as an example, Joffrey made it in 1796. At that time, it was also regarded as an era-changing technology, however, more than seventy years have passed, and now the mainstream ships in the sea are still sail-powered.
There are many other examples of this. From the emergence of a technology to its large-scale application, there is a period of time in between. The length of this cycle directly determines the commercial value of the technology.
In order to promote the advancement of electric power technology, Franz smashed down millions of Shendian, and if we calculate the cost of later promotion, the cost has been tens of millions of Shendian.
It was important to realize that this was not a mere technology, but a set of industrial systems. Including upstream steel, smelting copper, rubber and other raw materials industry, and downstream power transmission, generators, lights, meters ……
It is undoable without a large investment, it is not something that can be accomplished by one or two scientists and dozens of engineers, the test is the industrial strength of a country.
This is also the 19th century scientific and technological inventions are mostly concentrated in Europe and the United States for the reason that there is no supporting industrial system, even if you give you a copy of the atomic bomb manufacturing technology, you can not build.
Franz’s mood is very good, the Austrian new energy power company won a profit, although it is through the sale of technology in exchange, this is also a good start.
If there was no accident, a consortium centered on the Austrian New Energy Power Company would emerge in the near future.
The age of capitalism is coming, and since we can’t stop it, it’s time to take control of it.
Those who go along with me will prosper, those who go against me will die!
As an emperor, Franz is not lacking in dominance. With the power in his hands + the advantage of foresight, it is not impossible to make industrial layouts in advance and control the economy of the empire in the dark.
This thick stack of commercial contracts is the bottom line, as of now, the Austrian New Energy Power Company has signed a strategic cooperation treaty with hundreds of cities.
Not only Austrian cities, but also some cities in other European countries, we can reach an agreement, the main reason is in the cooperation.
Simply put, it is by the Austrian new energy power company out of technology discount plus out of part of the capital and local government partnership to establish subsidiaries, we work together to promote the cause of human lighting to do contribution.
Let foreign companies monopolize the power supply in their own countries, we must be afraid, into the national company is different.
Many local governments are not directly invested in the enterprise, then this part of the shares can also be private capital into the shares, the specific share allocation naturally to be calculated from the amount of capital contributed by both sides.
In front of the interests, everyone can become good friends. No one doubts the prospect of electricity, only considering the cost, everyone tacitly postponed the construction time.
This is what each side needs, the Austrian new energy power company completed the strategic layout, extending its influence to the European countries.
Politicians got a contract that satisfied the public, as to when the future can be realized, it does not matter, this piece of political achievements they have got.
Investors are investing in the future, now just sign a commercial contract, take out a small amount of money to establish a shell company, and so on the future profitable time, is the real time to pay money.
As a result of this series of contracts, the gas company’s stock has slipped quite a bit again. The general public did not know how high the cost of electricity was now, and many took it for granted that gas was about to be replaced by electric light.
This judgment can’t be considered wrong, the price of gas lamp lighting is equally not low, just cheaper than the cost of electricity before it became popular. Once the electric power system is perfected, the monthly electricity used for lighting, on the contrary, has more cost advantages.
The average home has just a few light bulbs, and usually only one will be switched on, and the cost of electricity will be a few shillings a month at the most for a few kilowatts of electricity.
Expensive mainly in the power supply equipment, resulting in high account opening costs. The cost of light requires at least tens of shillings, which is simply unaffordable for the general public, becoming the biggest obstacle to the popularization of electricity.
This is still the case of a high installation rate, if the installation rate of the area is low, it is not likely that this cost will be as high as thousands of God’s Guilders.
After all, a family with electricity must also pull a line, dozens of families with electricity or just a line, the higher the number of accounts per capita amortization is lower.
In any case, as long as these contracts become a reality, the Austrian New Energy Power Company has got a long-term meal ticket.
Even if the profitability of these subsidiaries is not very good, just rely on them to provide technical services, selling supporting power equipment, are enough to make the Austrian new energy power company to eat.
Even if nothing is done, salted fish to the 21st century, that is also a Fortune 500 company. Fortunately, no one in this era think so much, or these businesses can not be so easy to get their hands on.
Should not say is to take, as if the other side of the delivery. Austrian new energy power company did not go out to run business, the customer took the initiative to the door.
Salty fish thinking is not to be, how can a company that doesn’t think ahead become a great company?
“Tell Mark Oliver to keep up the good work and run as much business as possible. Pull more cities in while there are no giants involved.
Also package the company a bit, Austrian New Energy Power is not just an ordinary company, but a company with great ideals.
Our goal is: to make the world light up, making money is just an accident.
If certain partners are skeptical, they can be given a large stake in the subsidiary. In short, it’s time to expand as quickly as possible, complete the European strategic layout as soon as possible, and then spread our tentacles all over the world.”
It was impossible to monopolize the power supply, all that could be done now was to rely on the first-mover advantage and encircle the city.
As for the countryside, the business of losing money, that was the government’s business, and for the time being, it was not in the planning of the Austrian New Energy Power Company, and the future would be uncertain.
This kind of public infrastructure and livelihood projects, the future governments will limit the profit, or spittle are able to kill.
At that time, it will be possible to take rural electricity into account. The newly increased construction and maintenance costs directly dilute the profits of subsidiaries.
No longer a profiteering industry, the public will naturally not spray. Retaining a reasonable profit of a dozen points, no one has anything to say.
Moreover, the lower profits of subsidiaries do not mean that the profits of the head office are also lower. Dividends are less, equipment maintenance costs, purchased spare parts costs go up again.
Even if someone shouts nationalization of electricity, it depends on whether the local government dares to take over. Private enterprises into state-owned enterprises to increase the cost is not a dozen points, money-making enterprises into money-losing enterprises, not at all surprising.
If there is a government to nationalize, Franz does not mind selling at a good price. The background of the enterprise, never worry about being swallowed alive. This is a legitimate business, want to nationalize must be in accordance with the rules, the government premium to buy shares of the enterprise.
Anyway, enough was made long before that. Incidentally the gains made in other areas may be much more than the direct profits.
This is the advantage of a consortium; one industry leads to a series of industries. Even industries that were ostensibly losing money made it back in other areas.
……
“This is the city that never sleeps, it’s really the most beautiful city in the world, it’s not comparable to Tokyo!”
“That’s for sure, only London and Paris can be compared in the world. I don’t know how long it will take for Tokyo to reach this point.”
Toshimichi Okubo and Hirobumi Ito were conversing with each other after the victory in the War of the Shoguns in 1868, which led to the establishment of the “Restoration Government” headed by Emperor Meiji.
In order to recover sovereignty, the Meiji Emperor sent a delegation to Europe to negotiate with various governments. The negotiations were partly a field trip to learn from European countries how to strengthen their countries.
The more they saw, the more they could feel the gap between the two sides. The Japanese people of this era were not arrogant, and were completely like a good student.
It can be seen that their interest is not high, along the way they have visited many countries, however, the progress of the negotiations is very poor.
European countries simply do not put them in the eyes, want to amend the treaty to recover sovereignty, dream on! Eat to the mouth of the meat can still spit out, that is still the 19th century of the weak and the strong?
I don’t know whether they were lucky or unlucky. This time Franz is touring the Balkans, accompanied by several cabinet ministers.
The big names are not there, want to rely on three inches of tongue to persuade Austria to give in, naturally it is impossible.
The Austrian Foreign Ministry gave an answer early, want to repair the treaty can, take the interest to exchange, or directly out of money can also be ransomed, the empty talk of fooling do not have to talk about.
Words so dead, naturally, can not talk about it. Wanted to ask to see the government high level, also was rejected by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. There are not so many reasons, simply because of contempt.
The international status of Japan nowadays is so low that it is not even comparable to the Duchy of Montenegro, and European countries directly treat them as natives.
Ito Hirobumi and others visited six or seven European countries along the way, and none of them enjoyed the corresponding diplomatic etiquette. If you want to see the senior government officials of various countries, you have to pay a bribe, otherwise they have no time to receive.
Negotiations can not be, then only field trips to learn the law of strong countries. All top the banner of constitutional monarchy, in fact, Britain, France and Austria are still different from the system of the three countries.
Initial observation and understanding, Ito Hirobumi has found that the British, French and Austrian model, are not they can play around.
These three are the old empire, nearly a hundred years when the most decline are European powers, encountered trouble are basically internal problems, never been turned into a colonial risk.
It’s not something Japan can compare to, they don’t have enough depth to be able to fend off external problems.
Oukubo Toshimichi asked, “Ito-kun, have you noticed that we don’t see thick black smoke in Vienna, which is very different from Paris London.
It is said that Europe is in the midst of an economic crisis, and many factories are closed. Now that the Austrian Emperor is personally touring the place, does it mean that the economic crisis in Austria is so severe that there are no factories open in Vienna?”
Looking at the busy street, Ito Hirobumi pointed with his finger and said, “Not quite, this is a complete scene of a prosperous world. If the economic crisis was that severe, I’m afraid these ordinary people would have stopped laughing long ago.
And Vienna is a city that never sleeps, with so many street lights, I’m afraid that the monthly expenses for electricity are no less than four or five hundred thousand taels of silver.”
Electric lighting was still a newborn affair that they came into contact with only after entering London, and it still shocked their perceptions.
However, in London electric light is also only a few rich people’s patent, in order to Japan’s not lose face, they also just watch from afar not close contact.
To Austria is different, the power company has been promoting electric light, not only the streets have street lamps, even the hotel they stayed in has been installed with electric lights, see more will be numb.
Ito Hirobumi guessed that every month four or five hundred thousand taels of silver in electricity expenses, directly let the whole delegation into a dead silence. Everyone unconsciously took Japan as a comparison, embarrassed to find that the Vienna electricity bill is half of their financial income.
Of course, this figure is not accurate, road lighting electricity and residential electricity prices are not the same, converted down to the monthly electricity bill is more than 100,000 taels of silver.
These money is not the city of Vienna to pay the bill, but apportioned to the head of the merchants. This tax everyone is happy to pay, since Vienna light up, business has become more prosperous.
The reputation of the city that never sleeps still attracted many people to the city. The arrival of these outsiders led to a commercial boom, and Vienna was already showing signs of developing into a tourist city.
The head of the delegation, Iwakura Gouji, waved his hand and said, “There’s no need to dig deeper, this is the territory of the Austrians. Whatever is going on, it has nothing to do with us, maybe this city has no industry!”
There is no industry, this is something he himself does not believe. It was true that big cities without industry existed in this era, but those were in backward areas.
Almost every city in the Powers’ countries was thick with smoke. Austria was no exception, and Vienna was only an accident that came about as a result of Franz’s interference.
The thick black smoke that rose to the sky was still considered by many to be a sign of the country’s power. Even stinking London is held up as an ideal country by many.
Not to mention the Japanese, who were good at going to extremes, and if you look through their literature of the period, there is no shortage of positive depictions of these.
In short, these exhaust fumes are fragrant.
(End of chapter)