African Nationhood

Chapter 173 Internal Affairs Meeting-Industry, Commerce and Mining
  Cai Shaoji sat down again, and Shi Jintang nodded to Shi Jinyong, who got up and came over with a roll of paper.

The first thing to hang is a general territory map, which lists the mineral resources that have been proven so far.

"Entrusted by President Shi to take care of the mineral resources under the company's jurisdiction, we organized several prospecting teams in the past year and conducted prospecting trips in the two indigenous kingdoms.

The gold mines that have been mined so far, in addition to the Nawakabu gold mine and the second gold mine in the Namib region, the remaining ones are the Kingdom of Matabeleland and these large, medium and small gold mines near Bulawayo City. Mine.

But 200 kilometers northeast of Bulawayo City, we have discovered a large gold mining belt.

The gold ore storage here should be no less than the giant gold mine in the Nawakabu Gold Mine in Jinshan Town. "

As soon as these words came out, everyone present couldn't help but sigh. When Mr. Shi insisted on attacking this kingdom, some people were still a little confused.

It turned out that Mr. Shi had seen through all this a long time ago, endured many adverse situations, captured Bulawayo first, and occupied the entire kingdom.

It turns out that Mr. Shi has seen through everything a long time ago. The Kingdom of Matabeleland is really a treasure!
  Shi Jintang is not surprised by this. The gold mines in Zimbabwe are by no means what have been discovered so far. Later generations have proven that the country's gold mining belt almost runs across the entire country, with a total gold ore reserve of 1300 million tons. Where is that?

Moreover, there is a "big rock wall belt" rich in various metal minerals in Zimbabwe.

This country is truly a country sitting on a mine cart. Unfortunately, its leaders are unreliable and have turned the country into a mess.

Shi Jinyong suppressed the scene and continued to speak.

“In addition to exploring this gold ore belt, we also discovered iron ore near the diamond mine in Gweru Town. The iron ore here is of medium quality, but it can also meet our needs in the initial stage.

In addition, we have also discovered that there are a large number of high-quality coal mines with huge reserves in the northwestern part of the country and the Kariba area near the Zambezi River in the north.

In addition, we also found limestone deposits in the Kariba area, which can be used to build cement plants.

In this way, we already have most of the mineral resources needed for industrialization within the Kingdom of Matabeleland. "

Shi Jinyong's explanation gave many company executives at the venue a deep understanding of the importance of the Matabeleland Kingdom.

“The mineral resources in the Kingdom of Lunda are also rich, but there are more copper resources in this kingdom.

The copper resources in the Katanga Plateau alone will be ten times that of Meibu City in the Namib Region (Namib Chumebu Copper Mine). "

This sentence made everyone present sigh again, another treasure.

The copper mine is no worse than the iron mine, and besides, it is a giant copper mine.

“We have also discovered a lot of iron ore in the Kingdom of Lunda, and there is a large hematite belt near the Katanga copper mine.

The iron ore here is rich, with an iron content of 62%, which is really an unexpected surprise.

After talking about the copper and iron mines, a large number of coal mine belts have been discovered in the southern part of the Lunda Kingdom. The coal grades in these areas vary from high to low and require detailed exploration.

Regarding these important minerals, our industrial and commercial mining department’s opinion is that the company can develop them on its own or allow them to be mined by external capital, which will be beneficial to the company’s development.

Among the gold mines, copper mines, iron mines, and coal mines under the company's control, there is still a dazzling diamond mine left.

Currently being mined are the Golden Hook Port (Port of Lüderitz, Namibia) in the Namib region, and two diamond mines near Gweru Town (City of Gweru, Zimbabwe).

These three mines are operating well, and British capitalists and receivers from the British royal family have arrived and have begun to take over operations. "

Shi Jintang instructed Shi Jinyong to conceal the diamond mine in Bechuanaland (Botswana) so that it would not be exposed. The diamond mine was temporarily unavailable to add icing on the cake.

The gold mines in Matabeleland (Zimbabwe) are not of high grade, mostly in the range of 1-4 grams, and are not considered rich, so the news spread that he is not afraid of gold mines.

If the British or other Europeans wanted to come to gold mining, he would welcome them at any time.

You have to pay taxes when you open a mine, and you have to pay taxes when you mine gold and export it.

In addition, he can make money by renting out black slave labor, so why not?
  ……

"After talking about mining resources, let's talk about industrial development under the company's governance.

After several years of land reclamation and development, the company has now completed the industrial layout of rough processing of livestock fur, and can perform primary processing of cattle, sheepskin and wool.

At the same time, the export value of cattle, sheepskin and crocodile skins has grown rapidly.

From zero exports when the company was first established, to last year's output value of 4 million yuan (400 million pounds), this is a huge progress for the company.

But compared with the Cape Colony next door, we still have a lot of room for improvement. "

（英国人在开普殖民地通过输入美利奴种羊，畜牧业产值1822年才2万镑。    到了1862年的就已达到了2500万镑，1885年已经超过3000万镑了。）
  “In addition to animal husbandry, the output value of several directly owned factories of the company has also made great progress.

在1883年到1885年短短2年间，工业产值从之前的1亿多元军票，跃升到现在的8亿多元军票产值。

The reason for such great progress is not only the demographic dividend brought by population growth, but also the factors of opening up surrounding power markets.

The four forces of the Orange Free State, the Republic of Transvaal, the Cape Colony and the Natal Colony have maintained friendship with us, allowing our industrial products to be sold in the above four countries.

Among them, stiff-collar stand-up shirts, cigarettes, fish, luncheon meats and canned fruits are our star export products and have experienced significant growth in several major markets.

In addition, after the construction of our three joint cement plants, the annual output of cement is 8 tons, which is in short supply.

The other two shareholders have expressed their intention to expand the capacity of the cement plant, and the three will increase capital.

Plans to expand capacity to 20 tons.

The Martini-Henry rifles produced by our arsenal are exported to South America and Southeast Asia, and we can export about 3 units every year.

Compared with the strong production capacity of the arsenal, this sales volume is still too low and far from meeting the requirements.

However, the British mainland has placed a large order for us to purchase Martini-Henry rifles and bullets. We are rushing to produce them and strive to complete them as soon as possible. "

The order from the British mainland was won by Shi Jintang. The British War Department had completed the research and development of new rifles and new bullets last year (1884).

However, it will take 2-3 years to prepare for the official launch.

The local arsenal is currently being renovated, but the huge overseas colonies still need Martini-Henry rifles, so these orders will flow out.

When Shi Jintang negotiated with Sir Bannerman, he specifically pointed out that he would undertake this part of the order.

Some of the orders he secured included 50 Martini-Henry rifles and 1 million matching bullets, worth 580 million pounds (Note 1).

The production lines in the UK were to be replaced, so Shi Jintang took the initiative to take on the task of dismantling the production lines and transferring production.

In addition to being shipped to Southwest Africa, the dismantled production lines will also be shipped to the Herstal weapons factory in Belgium.

The Belgian arsenal had just opened and was in urgent need of a batch of orders to keep the factory running.

In addition, it can also be used to hone workers' skills and accumulate experience for the subsequent production of shell guns and Maxim heavy machine guns.

The transfer of local production lines will be completed before the end of this year, when Nanhua Company will become the exclusive manufacturer of Martini Henry rifles.

The British mainland does not need Martini-Henry rifles, some are needed by the country.

The whole world has entered the era of smokeless gunpowder, and it will take at least 3-5 years. This period of time is enough to make a quick buck.

……

“In addition to arsenals, our overseas trade has now achieved leaps and bounds.

Among them, bicycles, cigarettes, stiff collared shirts and lighters have become our key export products, with an output value of 10.5 billion yuan.

In addition, the company's Peninsula and Oriental Steam Navigation Company's annual revenue can reach 30 pounds. The main source of income comes from transporting immigrants to the Australian government, and can transport 2 to 3 people every year.

We intended to develop a service for transporting black indentured laborers in addition to British immigrants.

In addition to the above, the company also has a large amount of stock income, and the overall income level continues to rise.

Last year's revenue reached the military level of 2 million yuan.

As new cars are introduced to the market, the company's stock income will have greater room for improvement. "

Note 1: The price of the Martini Henry rifle is 4.5 pounds, and each bullet is 0.0033 pounds.

This price is my estimate. If any book friends have different opinions, they can put forward their opinions and then revise them.

　Please subscribe, collect, monthly tickets, recommendation votes. ,

　　Thanks to book friend Oh Uncle for your monthly ticket encouragement!

　　
  　
  (End of this chapter)