Chapter 835 Grand Railway Blueprint
"At present, my country's railways are large but not strong, and many cutting-edge technologies still need to rely on foreign countries. Of course, the Ministry of Railways is actively promoting the training of railway talents in my country and overcoming various technical difficulties. It is estimated that it will only take 20 to 30 years to catch up with the international level." Andre said.
Ernst: "Technology is a process of accumulation, not something that can be achieved overnight. We need to proceed step by step. There is no shortcut. I hope the railway department will do the same. The subordinate units should not try to cut corners. The idea of buying is worse than making is absolutely unacceptable. We must rely on ourselves."
Of course, Ernst was just talking. In fact, in the 19th century, purchasing was the fastest way to break through technological barriers, otherwise East Africa would not have developed to where it is today.
Of course, buying is also a technical job and you must understand the technology, otherwise you will be fooled and waste time and money.
Apart from buying technology, another way to obtain technology is to "copy" it. These two items are the "magic weapons" for the rapid development of East Africa's industrial sector.
"The uneven distribution of railways today is a huge obstacle to the construction of our country, especially the addition of new land areas and the reconstruction of the railway network, which is one of the key development focuses for the next decade," said Ernst.
"Our country has a short history and weak foundation, so the railway development time is short. At the same time, according to the development of foreign railways, it is estimated that in the next ten years, East Africa should build at least 40,000 kilometers of railways to barely meet the demand."
An additional 40,000 kilometers would be 60,000 kilometers, which is roughly equivalent to parents building 2,000 kilometers of railways every year.
East Africa has a limited financial resources, has a lot of lessons to learn, and costs a lot of money, so we cannot be impatient for quick success and instant benefits in railway construction.
Of course, this is also related to the current world economic situation. The rapid development of railways in the 1970s was a good opportunity to meet the economic crisis and the world's steel production capacity was in excess.
Of course, the goal set by Ernst is still conservative. After all, since the end of the South African War, the defense pressure in East Africa has dropped sharply and military spending has been reduced.
Military expenditure has never been a small amount. For example, in order to develop its navy, the Japanese government invests more than 60% of its revenue into naval construction every year. It is currently the most militaristic country in the world.
The same is true for Germany. The tonnage of the German Navy has now climbed to 190,000 tons. In the early 1980s, the two countries were at the same level. Now Germany is about twice the size of East Africa, and the German Army has also maintained a strength of around 400,000 all year round. William II will expand the German Army this year, which is exactly twice the size of East Africa.
Of course, Germany had no choice. The standing army of neighboring France already exceeded 500,000, and to the east of Germany was the behemoth Tsarist Russia, so even if the German army doubled its size, it would barely be enough.
East Africa is much more comfortable in this regard. The tonnage of the East African Navy has decreased to only more than 90,000 tons, which is 30,000 tons less than in the 1980s. The army was reduced to more than 200,000 after the South African War.
However, compared with the decrease in numbers, East Africa's military spending has not decreased much, but it is mainly used to improve the level of military industry and the quality of the military.
For Ernst, disarmament is for the healthy development of the army, not to weaken its own strength. If Ernst is willing, the East African Defense Force can be as bad as the US Army.
The U.S. Army has only 30,000 active troops and only 130,000 enhanced reserve troops. Of course, Americans do not really need an army that is too large.
The tonnage of the US Navy has increased to 240,000 tons, ranking only after Britain and France and before Germany. It is a typical "small army, large navy" pattern.
East Africa could only envy the size of the US Navy. After all, in 1890, the United States had surpassed Britain to become the world's largest industrial country.
Compared with the economic strength of the United States, its navy is actually not too "luxurious". For example, the French Navy, the second largest navy in the world, has a tonnage of more than 320,000 tons.
The tonnage of the British Navy exceeds 600,000 tons. The naval tonnage also shows where the confidence of Britain and France in dominating the world comes from.
Even if France failed in the Franco-Prussian War, it would only lose its position as the overlord of Europe, but it would not change France's strength as the second most powerful country in the world. After all, no matter how powerful the German army was, its navy was suppressed by Britain and France.
In fact, the tonnage of the Tsarist Russian Navy was not small, and should be close to that of France. However, Tsarist Russia, like Germany, was restricted by geography, and its main Baltic Fleet and the German Navy were both stationed in the Baltic Sea.
In short, in the 19th century, military investment was a huge burden for all countries. Although each country was not as extreme as Japan, it would still have an impact on economic development.
Maintaining a certain size of army in East Africa will also drag down the economy, but it is within an acceptable range and is necessary. After all, there are still 20 million blacks in the country. Without sufficient troops to suppress them, it will inevitably have a bad impact on East African society.
On the other hand, the economic value that 20 million blacks can create can definitely feed back to the East African economy. In this way, it is actually very cost-effective, as it is equivalent to blacks sharing East Africa's military expenditure.
You have to know that Japan's population is only about 30 million, and the value that 20 million blacks can create is far greater than that of Japan. After all, East Africa is not a resource-poor country like Japan. Even if the productivity of blacks is low, they can break through their original productivity level under the whip of East Africa.
This is particularly evident in agriculture and mining. As for infrastructure construction, black people have also made great contributions, but the specific value is difficult to reflect.
Ernst said: "Railways and roads can drive the rapid development of industries such as steel, so the annual railway construction should show an increasing trend, so as to meet the needs of East Africa's development. In the future, East Africa should build at least several national railway trunk lines to form a railway network covering the whole country."
"For example, Southwest Africa, although it seems to have no value now, but it is large in area and rich in resources, so even in Southwest Africa, at least one trunk railway should be built to connect Walvis Bay with the inland."
"The Southern Central Railway will be extended to Bloemfontein and Kimberley. A southwest-northeast railway line is also needed in the western Kalahari Basin and north of the Orange River until Upington, which is of great significance to maintaining national defense security."
"The Azande Plateau in the north, the Great Lakes region, and Somalia all need railway construction, and the railway network in the central and eastern regions should also be improved. The central and eastern regions have been developed, and the urban population is large, so a more dense railway network is needed to promote the sustainable development of the economy."
"Finally, in the eastern coastal areas, many countries will build railways along the coast. The eastern plains of East Africa also need a north-south coastal railway to promote the economic development and linkage of coastal cities."
The coastline of the eastern coast of East Africa is more than 5,000 kilometers long. If a railway is built along the coastline, it will take at least 4,000 kilometers. Therefore, Ernst's idea is a huge project.
Moreover, as the coastal railway is being built in the east, the west will certainly do the same in the future. Even though the natural environment in southwest Africa is harsh, the western railway line along the Atlantic Ocean is no less than one thousand kilometers.
East African officials have no doubt about whether East Africa can complete the project based on Ernst's words, because railway construction capacity is an incremental process, just like the explosive growth of railways in the United States, which is only in recent decades.
East Africa is larger than the United States and has a larger population. Its dependence on railways is also much greater than that of the United States. The United States has the vast Great Central Plains and a developed water transport network.
These are what East Africa lacks, so East Africa attaches more importance to railways. On this basis, it would be reasonable for East Africa's railways to at least reach a level similar to that of the United States in the future.
(End of this chapter)
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