New Gods of North America.

Chapter 748 Progress
Since price fluctuations directly affect the profits of restaurants and workshops,
Late that night, Wayne returned to the dock area and immediately began making arrangements, sending people to several major local markets before dawn to gather information.

If necessary, the detective agency should immediately stockpile sufficient reserves.

To avoid being caught off guard even after knowing inside information in advance.

The first batch of beef cattle shipped from Kansas still has a considerable number of live cattle. Initially, the farm consumed one head per day, but as the utilization rate of various scraps gradually increased, internal supplies became more abundant, and people were less eager for meat, and consumption at restaurants also began to stabilize, now consuming about one head every two days.
Therefore, Wayne is not too worried about beef at the moment. The first batch of beef cattle was transported without any problems, and the beef cattle, live pigs and wheat that will arrive a month later should also be on track without any issues. Calculating the time, it should be able to continue, and at least it will not affect the internal meals of the detective agency too much.

In the short term, pork and flour will be affected.

The fresh meat used in the former has a short shelf life, and the daily supply in the local market is limited. The hot dogs and luncheon meat produced by the workshop cannot be made without it; otherwise, it would be economically unfeasible. In that case, it would be better to let the restaurant temporarily close down.

Although the latter has a relatively long shelf life, turning "wheat" into "bread" requires two processes: grinding and baking. The mills in the workshop can no longer grind flour, and the bread consumed by restaurants is outsourced, which is limited by the local market's production capacity.

In fact, long before the Middle Ages in the Old World, "mills" were a monopoly in various territories. At this time, America was still not completely free from its history, and this aspect was still included in local property taxes and public service fees.

That's why Wayne started with "out-of-town supply" of meat, putting wheat last, and even planning to process the wheat into flour locally later. This means that whether he built his own mill or hired someone to do it, he would have to pay a "processing fee" to the local area to avoid some trouble.

This is why many estates still retain their own mills to this day.
People with status can produce and sell their own flour, and at most they only need to pay a local tax periodically. However, if they want to sell flour in large quantities, there are many "etiquette" and "tricks" involved. If outsiders rashly intervene, it is easy to cause a lot of trouble.

The results that the agents then reported back left Wayne somewhat speechless.
The price of pork in the market has not fluctuated much at the moment, but flour is even more strange. The price dropped slightly today, but it is either limited or out of stock.

Bread can actually be kept for a while after baking, but Wayne and the restaurant have requirements for its freshness. It won't be soft after a couple more days, and after a week it's fine to use as a teething toy.

The standard diet of poor people in the Old World consisted of hot soup and bread because dark bread that had been left out for a long time was hard to chew and, without water, was almost "unpalatable".

So Wayne had no choice but to settle for second best, sending a team of agents to various places to purchase enough flour.
We must at least try to stockpile enough wheat to ensure basic food needs are met before the next batch arrives from Kansas, and then ensure the restaurant's daily operations.

There's relatively little need to worry about the drying room; as long as there are raw materials, we can always find a place to process them.

If all else fails, they can make dumplings for themselves in the workshop. Anyway, as long as there is food at home, they won't panic.

After buying enough flour, the next step was pork.

Fresh meat is difficult to preserve, but sausages and bacon can be, and they can be kept for several days longer if made into luncheon meat.

It's a pity that the cannery hasn't officially started operations yet, otherwise I could work overtime to stock up on canned goods for a year and a half.

Wayne received the check just last night, and before he could even enjoy it, it was handed over to become a procurement fund.
After making initial arrangements for food security, Wayne turned his attention back to other matters.

"Speed ​​up the recruitment and construction of the cannery? You plan to finish it in a few days?" Previously, it was always Luke Matthew who urged them to speed things up, but now Wayne is turning the tables, feeling that the other party's actions aren't fast enough.

Luke Matthews, on the other hand, had the qualities of a professional manager. After listening, he didn't ask for reasons, but only for requirements.

"The sooner the better. The supporting equipment and canned semi-finished products at the Brooke factory also need to be expedited." Since they were all acquaintances, Wayne didn't stand on ceremony, and was also a little curious, "Haven't you received any new information from the Fisk family?"

Luke Matthews recalled briefly: "Aside from that banker's matter, there doesn't seem to be any other inside information lately. The cannery's raw material supply is handled by you in Kansas, and since you don't sell locally, it shouldn't be affected too much, right?"

Well……

The cannery won't be affected much, but the detective agency also has workshops and restaurants...

Okay, so this initial information was indeed brought over by Luke Matthews.
Wayne could only blame himself for not having a rich enough imagination.

Having learned from his mistake, Wayne followed up with another question to fill in any gaps in his knowledge: "As a local from the South, what specific impact do you think the bankruptcy of a commercial bank might have on the local area?"

Luke Matthew thought for a moment: "Some small and medium-sized businesses may experience cash shortages, and some investors and depositors may go bankrupt as a result. The impact on the lives of the middle class and those who are struggling to make ends meet may be slightly greater, while the impact on the poor and the wealthy is estimated to be much smaller?"

Ok?
Wayne paused in surprise for a moment, then quickly realized that he had been somewhat misled by his experience in modern society.

Oh right.

In an era when most ordinary people primarily received weekly wages, and dockworkers even generally received daily wages,

How can citizens living near the poverty line afford to invest and save money in banks?
Even bars do the worst business the night before payday.

For small and medium-sized businesses, if they cannot pay weekly salaries or provide working capital, their businesses may simply shut down, and they may even face urgent debt collection from banks and creditors, which would be adding insult to injury.

But Luke Matthews is clearly not entirely right either.
Employees working for small and medium-sized businesses may not face the threat of bankruptcy or debt, and could potentially weather the storm by changing jobs. However, if their weekly wages are cut off, they might soon struggle to even afford food. If they cannot find new employment within a certain period, they may then be unable to pay their rent.

The difference between "city" and "town" is significant. Even the poorest townspeople can at least survive temporarily by clinging to their dilapidated wooden houses and the crops in their fields. However, some city dwellers have to pay for public carriages even for their daily commute.

Wayne thought about this, feeling both worried and trying to be optimistic.

Richmond doesn't have just one commercial bank; surely those powerful families wouldn't be involved in something that extensive...

(End of this chapter)