Persian Empire 1845

Chapter 105 Conference Debates
Charles saw many Iranian goods at the exhibition, and even the novelty of a telegraph machine. This was something that wasn't even common in France.

At Pezzeschien's invitation, the French ambassador sampled Iranian pistachios and walnuts, as well as local grape juice. Although he preferred Bordeaux and Burgundy, he found it incredible to be able to enjoy them here.

Iran's proactive openness has made Europe feel that the country is open to exchange, because by opening up, it will naturally want to develop trade, and they can promote their own goods, thus gaining more profits.

At this time, the government also brought them news that, in order to facilitate railway construction and operation, the Iranian National Railway Company was about to be established, with a legal operating capital of 1000 million rials. Simultaneously, it would publicly issue shares to raise funds, hoping that the public would actively participate in the purchase.

This news is a bit beyond the comprehension of the general public. What are stocks? What is fundraising? If you don't understand, just go about your business.

However, some people who have come into contact with the new economic ideas have realized the situation here. Railways are currently one of the most profitable industries. After owning railway company stock, they can just wait for dividends every year and increase their wealth.

However, this is just for show. If they were to actually issue stocks, no one in Iran would buy them. They haven't even developed the technology for a stock exchange yet, so the government will likely absorb the funds internally.

The government owns 70%, the Industrial and Commercial Bank of China (ICBC) owns 20%, and the savings bank owns 10%. A portion of this is invested through banks, providing them with a way to make money.

The Industrial and Commercial Bank of China (ICBC) has the fastest asset growth rate. Besides earning interest from lending to industrial and commercial enterprises, it also generates a portion of its annual revenue. Of course, foreign exchange business is also one of the bank's main businesses; it currently has four branches nationwide and plans to open one in Isfahan next.

In order to better plan the country's transportation, the Iranian government added the Ministry of Transportation, under which the Railway Authority is responsible for the planning of the country's railways, highways and shipping.

This is the third government department added since Iran's reforms, symbolizing the beginning of development in Iran's transportation sector. However, an additional department means a larger budget, so it seems the government will have to work harder.

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Today’s expert meeting was more lively than ever before, as more than one-fifth of the members submitted a motion hoping that the Iranian government would formally declare the abolition of all slave trade.

"As a civilized and powerful nation, it is a disgrace for our country to still retain the barbaric and backward system of slavery. We should abolish the slave trade so that we can align ourselves with Europe."

Members who support abolishing the slave trade have brought along a minority of religious representatives to submit their proposals, but opponents also have grounds for rebuttal.

First, slaves could fill a large labor shortage. Both industry and agriculture require a large labor force, and in the absence of significant population growth, slaves could fill this gap.

Secondly, slaves can effectively reduce labor costs. The price of slaves is half or even less than that of hired workers, and they can be used permanently by paying only a one-time fee, which can also increase economic development.

A member of parliament from Mashhad argued that slaves from Herat and Bukhara were a vital labor force for the country, and their loss would harm the local economy.

However, these two points are simply untenable. First, filling labor shortages requires free labor. Slaves can only fill some agricultural gaps; industry is unsuitable for slave production. Second, regarding costs, slaves are no longer suitable. Slaves lack purchasing power, while industry needs to sell its products. Free labor receives wages from various sources and then spends them, allowing circular factories to continuously produce goods, whereas slaves do not consume. Furthermore, with industrial development, the original system is no longer effective.

"As for your talk of reducing costs, that's simply a pipe dream. As far as I know, since the ban on importing slaves by sea, the price of slaves imported from Bukhara has skyrocketed by 30%, and it hasn't come down in the past few years. If this continues, I'm afraid it will soon reach astronomical prices."

Moreover, I have received information that in some parts of Mashhad, people have begun to replace slavery with free labor, which is sufficient proof that our proposal is correct.

The two sides argued fiercely at the meeting, but slavery was indeed a thorny issue. The Quran doesn't explicitly state that the slave trade is illegal, and slaves were sold in many places; for example, women from Circassia were very popular.

"Silence! Silence!"

The chairman of the expert panel, Bavind, tapped the gavel. "Today is for discussing the bill. I hope everyone can have a calm and peaceful discussion."

All members of the expert conference were selected from various places, and over such a long period of time, they have all experienced various forms of alliances and divisions, eventually forming various factions.

The Progressive Association has the largest membership, with 34 people. They are the government's main supporters and agree that Iran needs comprehensive reforms, while emphasizing Iranian native values ​​and Shia religious ideology.

Secondly, there are the members of the Economic Society, numbering 13, primarily composed of landowners from Mashhad and other areas. They advocate maintaining the status quo, but allow for certain changes in areas such as the military, provided these changes are conducted within the framework of the Quran.

The other associations had only a few members, and everyone felt that Iran needed to change, but how to change became the focus of their discussion.

Even landlords found the slave trade a burden; they could now engage in foreign trade and industry, which couldn't all be done using slaves.

However, for now, they're just fighting for their pride; they can't side with the Shah in everything. At least until the very last moment, they cannot yield.

"Your Excellency Speaker, Iran now needs to rid itself of a series of factors that hinder its development. The slave trade is no longer suitable for our country. What we need is industry and new weapons to counter the threat from Russia."

As you all know, Russia has long coveted Iranian land. They enslave the followers of Allah and plunder our resources. All of this warns us that if things continue this way, we will perish.

Now, some people are secretly colluding with Russia, attempting to prevent Iran from making changes. It seems this group has already revealed itself. "It's people like you who have thrown the country into chaos. How can the country be governed well with you all around?"

If a sudden personal attack angers the other party, isn't it a bit too much to accuse them of being Russian spies, no matter how much you insult them?
(End of this chapter)