Chapter 197 Suggestions
"In other words, you want to find a railway company that is qualified and has some experience, but not too large," Prince Karl Anton concluded.
"That's right, Uncle Karl," said Ernst.
"Well, I'll keep an eye on it for you. Prussia has now integrated the North German Confederation, and will definitely carry out a unified transformation of the railway systems of the various states within its territory. This will definitely make it difficult for some companies to adapt.
However, you should not hold too high hopes. Prussia has always attached great importance to railway construction, so it adopts a mixed model of state-owned and private railways. In my opinion, William I, Bismarck and the military want to further strengthen the nationalization of railways, which will inevitably increase investment in related areas.
Therefore, the railway operation situation in the north may be relatively ideal. The most important thing is that there may not be too much shortage of orders, and it will not be easy to bargain over prices.
After all, the Prussian government is backing them up, so they will definitely not agree to a low price. They can sell the poorly performing business to the government at a premium.
As for the southern German region, I think there are great opportunities. Right now, the situation in the south is still relatively loose, the standards are relatively confusing, and most importantly, the market is not ideal.
Even with a customs union, there would be differences in closeness between the various states, especially between Austria and Prussia.
However, in the end, it still depends on the results of the investigation. I will ask someone to find out and sort it out for you in a while. When you have chosen, I will help you contact them. "Prince Karl Anton said.
"Thank you, Uncle Karl. When the time comes, just send someone to deliver the information to Hohenzollern Castle and give it to Tom." Ernst said.
"Aren't you staying at home all this time?" asked Prince Karl Anton.
"Well, mainly because I opened a new company in Austria, engaged in agricultural product processing. At that time, two factories were planned, one in Vienna and the other in Trieste. The Vienna factory has been built, but the Trieste factory is just about to start construction. I will go to inspect the construction progress when the time comes." Ernst replied.
"You are such a busy man now! Haha." Prince Karl Anton joked.
…
June 1869.
Dar es Salaam, East Africa.
Maximilian I was chatting with Prince Constantine.
After taking a sip from a cup of herbal tea, he asked, "Your Excellency, are you used to living in East Africa?"
"It's okay, but it's indeed a bit hotter and humider than the weather in Germany. Is it like this here all year round?" said Prince Constantine.
"The weather will be cooler during the rainy season. Now is a good time for you to come, especially in July. Dar es Salaam is the coolest then. It will be unbearable during the dry season. Sometimes the temperature can reach over 40 degrees in extreme weather." said Maximilian I.
"More than 40 degrees? That's almost the same as soaking in hot water!" Prince Constantine said in surprise.
"That is extreme weather, which may not be encountered in a year. Besides, the coastal areas of East Africa are hotter. I heard that the inland areas are very cool. There are plateaus there, and sometimes you have to wear more clothes. The four seasons are like warm spring in Europe." said Maximilian I.
"Then why doesn't the East African government move to inland areas? It should be more livable there!" Constantine said.
"Although the climate in the inland is good, the transportation is relatively poor. Unlike Dar es Salaam and the First Town, the facilities are complete and the supplies are relatively abundant. Especially for merchant ships from Europe, the Middle East and the Far East, they can enjoy the products from all over the world when passing by here." Maximilian I explained.
Of course, this is only one aspect. The establishment of the East African government in the first town will also facilitate contact with Europe and better connect the work of receiving immigrants.
"So that's how it is. However, when transportation becomes more convenient in the future, it would be better to move the government inland. The hot weather will dampen people's enthusiasm." Prince Constantine said.
"I think so, too. But I also heard about the situation in the inland from them. I originally planned to travel in the inland myself, but then I canceled the trip when Charlotte arrived."
"By the way, didn't you tell me some suggestions at the dock a few days ago?" Prince Constantine suddenly remembered.
"Yes, I also stayed in East Africa for a while and saw some problems in East Africa. I sent a telegram to Ernst before, but that guy has not replied to me yet." Maximilian I said.
"I wonder what the problem is?" asked Prince Constantine. Now that he has come to East Africa, he may be able to solve some of the problems, but it still depends on what Maximilian I is talking about.
"Then I'll tell you, one is the cultural and educational work in East Africa. I'm sure that when Your Excellency arrived in Hong Kong that day, he also heard the band's terrible performance. They also used a lot of Zanzibar people, which made it look weird.
I know that Ernst has been promoting Germanization in East Africa, but the depth is not enough, especially in terms of culture and education.
I have also visited the education in East Africa. It was in a primary school in the first town. The curriculum was very simple. We in Germany have so much philosophy, but almost none of art and music. There was only a set of dry history textbooks, which were very rough and tampered with a lot. Of course, I am not against tampering with history, but there are too many loopholes and it is easy to be exposed. "
"That! Actually, I know about it. I have read the textbooks for East Africa. Many of them were compiled by Ernst himself. But he told me that East Africa has poor education. At this stage, this set of textbooks is enough. As for the loopholes, there are many illiterate people in East Africa. No one can see them because they have not received education." Prince Constantine said, "As for German culture and art, to be honest, Ernst himself knows nothing about it and he doesn't pay much attention to it. But I am here to do this, and there are talents in this field among my entourage."
Prince Constantine came to East Africa and brought with him a lot of talents, or rather, the former team of Hechingen. As a country, a court band is always indispensable. Among the accompanying personnel there are musical talents who used to serve Hechingen. They may not be outstanding in Europe, but they are definitely professionals in East Africa.
As for philosophy and literature, Constantine could not bring talents in these areas, but he brought many books with him.
"This is just a small issue. In fact, what I am most concerned about is the security of the East African colonies." Maximilian I said after listening to Constantine's explanation.
"Um!"
"Your Excellency, how much do you know about East Africa?" asked Maximilian I.
"This... is not much. I only learned some knowledge after I decided to come to East Africa. But I came here in a hurry, so I don't know much." Prince Constantine said.
"Then do you know how many seaports there are in East Africa?" asked Maximilian I.
Constantine shook his head.
"There are five in total. Dar es Salaam and Mombasa are two of the larger ones. They are not bad compared to those top ports in Europe. There are three smaller ones, but they also have great potential. These five ports are distributed along the more than 1,000 kilometers of coastline in East Africa. There are also many bays and estuaries that have port potential but have not been developed." Maximilian I said, "What do you think of the conditions along the East African coast?"
"Hearing you put it, it is certainly better." Prince Constantine said.
"Not only that, the East African ports are the ultimate route from Europe to the Far East. The conditions are quite good, but East Africa has not yet had a navy to protect such a good coastline." Maximilian I emphasized.
(End of this chapter)
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
