Development Conference II
"What are the current working conditions like for workers in brick factories and cement plants?" Victor then asked.
"Now, workers in brick factories and cement factories are paid by the day, at 4 Copper Piece per day."
"Working 30 days a month, the salary is only 1.2 Silver Coin. Isn't that a bit low? The labor intensity in the brick factory and cement factory is very high. I think it should be increased a bit."
Jimmy was somewhat skeptical of Victor's opinion.
"The lord is too benevolent. The factory workers are all Freemen have been allocated land. Adults are allocated 5 mu of land, minors 3 mu, and a family of 5, with two adults and three children, has 25 mu of land. Moreover, the land tax is only 30% of the land's harvest, which also includes the interest and principal of interest-free loans and land rent. These people rely on land income, and after paying taxes and deducting food rations, their net income each year is about 0.6 gold coins. During the off-season, they can also earn money at the brick factory and cement factory."
"Once they become Freemen, their standard of living will immediately improve, even surpassing that of the Freemen in Wood Fort Town. What more could they possibly want?"
"Human desires have no limits. I should advise the Viscount that his salary should not be increased."
Victor promoted Jimmy from a caravan worker to the position of brick factory manager, and even appointed him as the industrial manager after the former industrial manager was executed, giving him direct control over all factories except the Steelworks, Arms Factory, and Machine Factory.
Jimmy was deeply grateful to Victor for recognizing his talent and worked diligently, and Victor also recognized his achievements.
He also participated in several specialized business training sessions organized by Victor, taking them very seriously and making rapid progress, gradually becoming an important official in the territory.
Jimmy was extremely loyal to Victor, so when he had a problem with him, he brought it up directly at the meeting.
Jimmy recounted the estimated income of villagers near Riverside Village and then compared it with that of the Freemen in Wood Fort Town.
Victor was shocked to discover that the income of the Freemen in Riverside Village was higher than that of the townspeople in Wood Fort Town, and even higher than that of many soldiers. After all, an infantryman's annual salary was only 12 Silver Coin, while a hardworking Freemen could earn 15 to 18 Silver Coin by farming and working in factories.
Currently, many Freemen in Riverside Village have paid off their low-interest loans and mortgages provided by the territory ahead of schedule. They are also one of the Freemen groups that buy the most White Sugar, besides the military.
Victor also confirmed with Rabik that the White Sugar sold in the territory was much cheaper than the sugar sold to outsiders, at 1 Silver Coin per kilogram. Wood Fort Town and Riverside Village had the largest sales volume, selling 6 tons and 2 tons respectively. It should be noted that Wood Fort Town has a population of nearly 20,000, while Riverside Village only has more than 4,000 people.
These Freemen, thanks to their status as landowners and factory workers, have risen to the top tier of income in the territory, even surpassing ordinary government clerks.
Given that the current construction of the territory is nearing completion, although cement is still relatively scarce and some production capacity needs to be expanded next year, the brick factory's production tasks will definitely be reduced a lot next year, and it is estimated that it will mainly transform towards the civilian market in the future.
When it comes to bulk building materials like bricks, they are definitely less competitive than light teak and stone when transported over long distances.
If workers' wages are set too high, the brick factory will indeed face greater pressure, which will further reduce the competitiveness of the bricks.
"Sir, besides not raising workers' wages, I have another suggestion. The brick factory will definitely reduce production next year, while the cement factory will expand its capacity. I think it would be better to move both the cement factory and the brick factory to the Great Fish River. This would make it easier for the cement factory to obtain raw materials and also make use of the Freemen population on the north bank. Moreover, the Machine Factory, Arms Factory and Steelworks in Riverside Village need more labor, but the population of Riverside Village is limited and it is not suitable to continue to relocate people."
After listening to Jimmy's opinion, Victor nodded and said, "Jimmy is right. Since the North Shore is closer to the limestone mine, reducing the cement plant's production costs, and there are already too many factories in Riverside Village with a labor shortage, it's indeed time to relocate some factories. I'll put you in charge of site selection and relocation; as for wages, we'll do as you say, no increase."
Jimmy was able to be realistic and didn't just blindly follow Victor's wishes. Instead, he focused on the actual work situation, which made Victor think highly of him.
Victor was very satisfied with Jimmy's performance at the meeting, and he could give him more responsibilities in the future depending on the situation.
Next, Victor asked Bob to speak. Bob is now in charge of the Arms Factory and the Machine Factory. The previous head of the Machine Factory had passed away from a serious illness, which Victor regretted. There was no suitable person at the moment, so he simply let Bob manage both.
"My lord, after the raw material problem was solved, the Arms Factory's production capacity has skyrocketed this year, with a monthly output of 800 sets of half-body armor, 400 sets of chainmail, and 300 sets of iron-plated armor. This has enabled the entire territory's army to be equipped with leather armor. There are also more than 1,200 sets of various types of armor in the warehouse. I suggest that we sell a batch of them to the outside world."
At the Machine Factory, with a secure supply of raw materials, in addition to continuing production of Lord Alex's orders, the output of agricultural implements, especially heavy plows and curved plows, has increased significantly. The shortage of agricultural implements in the territory is about to become a thing of the past.
"Bob, you've done a great job. I'm very relieved to have these two factories in your care. Tony, your Commerce Department can look into options for exporting weapons."
Victor turned to look at Rafam.
"Rafam, you deserve the most credit for ensuring the steel supply to the territory. Please feel free to share any further ideas you may have."
"Sir, 80% of the wooden tracks from the Steelworks to the Iron Mountain have been laid, which is faster than expected. It is expected to be fully operational by the end of September. At that time, the Steelworks's production capacity will be fully released, with an estimated monthly output of 100 tons of steel and 500 tons of pig iron, which can fully meet the contract with the Gorn Trading Company of Commerce."
"The wooden tracks that have already been built, are there any quality issues?"
"Sir, we have tested half of the routes, and the transportation efficiency is four times higher than using only horse-drawn carriages. In the past week, the mine delivered 120 tons of ore to the Steelworks, which is about the same as in the previous month. If it is fully operational, it can transport 1,200 to 1,500 tons of ore per month."
"You need to collect data and organize problems from the trial operation, not only the track data and problems, but also the car data and problems. Summarize them and report them to the Machine Factory in a timely manner. All problems need to be resolved as soon as possible. As you know, the next step is to replace all the wooden rails with iron rails. The Steelworks can also start trial production of iron rails. Communicate with the Machine Factory about what equipment is needed. Bob, you also need to cooperate well with Rafam's work."
"Yes, Your Excellency." x2