Chapter 329: Two Hundred Thousand Pounds Transaction

Outside the smoking room of the banquet hall, several male servants of the Gladstone family were guarding.

Whenever a guest wanted to come here to take a puff, the servants would politely remind the gentlemen: "For various reasons, the smoking room is temporarily closed."

And when the gentlemen saw who was sitting inside through the glass on the door panel, they would also choose to go to another place to get some fresh air.

Harbor Master Reece Hurst, Liverpool Association Secretary General John Gladstone, and the most eye-catching young man at the banquet, Senior Superintendent of the Greater London Police Department-Arthur Hastings.

These three people only need to sit together simply, and they don't even need to explain more, they can already outline the theme of the story in everyone's mind.

Old Gladstone sat on the sofa with a glass of wine, and glanced at Hurst who was wiping his sweat next to him. With just one look, he guessed that Hurst was probably caught by something.

He thought for a while and quickly decided to abandon the polite words prepared in advance and get straight to the point.

"Mr. Hastings, I heard that you are very interested in the dock expansion project in Liverpool?"

Hurst frowned when he heard this, and he turned his head to look at old Gladstone, his eyes full of doubt.

He had just covered up the "health care" issue with great difficulty, and what did old Gladstone mean by lifting up another stinky stone in the toilet?

But old Gladstone didn't care what Hurst was thinking.

Compared with London, the political center of Britain, Liverpool completed the renewal of the power class as early as the last century. Perhaps in terms of the whole country, the traditional aristocratic forces still have a certain advantage, but in Liverpool, merchants, especially big merchants like the Gladstone family, are the ones who can really speak.

Even if old Gladstone can't directly decide the appointment and removal of the Port of Liverpool Authority, as long as he wants, he can make the Port Authority unable to do anything at any time.

It's just that most of the time, the Port Authority and the big business class are mutually beneficial, so everyone is unwilling to tear their faces for a little dispute.

After all, both sides are hurt, which is not in line with the profit-seeking nature of businessmen.

Arthur said, "Rather than saying that I'm interested in the expansion of Liverpool's docks, I'm more interested in the dock area. As we all know, mercantilism has been determined as Britain's basic national policy since the time of Queen Elizabeth, and it has been almost three hundred years to this day.

This policy has brought a large number of docks to Britain and built many port cities like Liverpool. As a history student, I have always liked places with a long history.

And my interest in the docks has not diminished since I became a policeman, but has become stronger and stronger. You are in the import and export business, so you should also know that the docks have always been a high-incidence area for various illegal and criminal acts. Among these crimes, there are violent and non-violent ones."

Louis, who was taking notes on the side, couldn't help but pull up his mouth when he heard this.

If an ignorant outsider stood here, he would definitely not understand what Arthur meant. They might even think that Arthur was just chatting casually.

But the same words fell into the ears of old Gladstone and Hurst, and the taste changed.

The violent dock crimes mentioned by Arthur are easy to understand.

But what does the non-violent crime at the dock refer to?

Everyone knew that it was nothing more than the dock expansion project funds and land acquisition fees. Perhaps Arthur also included smuggling and underreporting of customs duties.

Hester didn't know how far Arthur had found out, so he didn't dare to speak easily.

But old Gladstone had learned from his son that Arthur had already suspected the dock expansion, so he was more or less confident when he spoke.

The old man smiled and asked, "You have been staying in the hotel next to the old dock these days. How do you think Liverpool's dock compares with London's?"

"Oh! Very good!"

Arthur praised, "High standards, strict requirements, both in scale and construction standards, can be compared with the West India Dock in London. And I heard that there are three large docks like this in Liverpool. How should I put it? If Liverpool develops for a few more years, London's position as the largest port in Britain may have to be handed over. I can only say that the additional investment made by the Public Works Committee in Liverpool is really spent on the cutting edge. Not to mention a penny, not even a farthing was wasted."

Hurst's face turned green when he heard this, but old Gladstone was still calm and unhurried.

As for the reason why he was so calm, it was not difficult to guess. It was nothing more than that he did not take advantage of the dock expansion.

Although the Gladstone family was also keen on real estate investment, most of the plots they bought were concentrated in the swamps along the Mersey River. By the way, that is also the direction of Liverpool's urban development in recent years.

However, although old Gladstone disdained such a simple and crude low-level method of directly making money from the project funds and government land acquisition funds, there were always idiots in the Liverpool Association who liked to do so.

As one of the decision-makers of the association, he had to come forward to help everyone settle this matter.

He was thinking about discussing this issue in depth with Arthur, but before he could open his mouth, he heard Arthur's voice again.

"However, although the docks in Liverpool are very gorgeous, I also find that the health standards and building specifications in the Liverpool slums are unbearably poor. Although I have only been here for a few days, if you insist on me giving The city council has a suggestion that perhaps the next time it considers public works projects, improving the water and drainage systems in slums should be at the top of the list.”

"Um?"

When Old Gladstone and Hester heard this, they couldn't help showing a look of confusion.

What does it mean?

Lift it high and put it down gently?

Click on the dock expansion project and then not mention it?

Hester couldn't understand Arthur's purpose, so he could only respond safely: "I will give your feedback to the city committee."

Upon hearing this, Arthur took out the map directly from his jacket pocket and laid it out on the table.

"Feedback alone is not enough. Liverpool's City Council and Health Committee had better come up with a reasonable plan for slum renovation. Although I have the title of anti-smuggling commissioner on my head, everyone should understand that my visit to Liverpool this time is In order to solve the cholera problem. Now, the poor sanitation conditions in the slums have seriously affected epidemic prevention. If the rapid spread of cholera in the slums cannot be prevented, it will be useless even if I catch all the smugglers. I said it, look here..."

In just a few minutes, Arthur introduced all the results of his work today to the gentlemen present.

"this……"

"I have to say, Mr. Hastings. Perhaps this disease is really caused by water source problems as you said."

"The Central Health Commission had previously discovered that cholera was spreading along canals. At that time, everyone thought it was caused by inland shipping. Now it seems that it is not only a problem of infected sailors, but also partly due to water quality?"

"If that's the case, wouldn't all cities in Britain be unsafe?"

Old Gladstone and Hester each suspected the cause of cholera, but Arthur's words gave them reassurance.

"With the amount of water in the canal, even if pollutants are mixed into it, it should be diluted quickly. And the specific cause of cholera is left to the British medical authorities to worry about. The only thing we can be sure of now is One point is that the cholera outbreak in Liverpool is likely to be related to the chaotic and dirty water supply system. I just want to know whether the Liverpool Municipal Council has the ability to renovate the water supply system in the cholera area in the short term. and renovation.”

When Old Gladstone heard this, he said decisively: "If what you just said is true, then I am willing to convince the members of the municipal committee on your behalf."

Hester also said: "The urban construction engineer in Liverpool is the child of a friend of mine. Regardless of public or private life, I am willing to supervise and accelerate their design progress for you and compress the construction period as much as possible. But..."

As soon as Arthur heard the word but, he immediately smelled something bad: "Is there any difficulty?"

Hester replied: "Mr. Hastings, this municipal project is not something that the city council and the municipal committee just need to nod and agree to. Although we are willing to launch a public fundraising campaign, compared to such a large project, it is so small. Donations are only a drop in the bucket.

Especially now that it is the end of the year, Liverpool's local financial balance is completely insufficient to support such a large-scale renovation of the slums. You just mentioned the dock expansion project. For a public project of this level, we have to apply for central assistance funds from the Public Works Committee in London to be able to build it. "

Alexandre Dumas was surprised when he heard this: "Liverpool is one of the richest in Britain. Could it be that the local finance can't even spare money for urban reconstruction?"

Hearst laughed and said: "Mr. Dumas, you are joking. Liverpool is indeed rich, but Liverpool's wealth is due to import and export trade, so most of our taxes are concentrated on tariffs. According to the fiscal The ministry stipulated that all British tariffs should be handed over to the central finance for distribution.

The main revenue of Liverpool City Council is property tax and part of the commercial tax that needs to be shared with the central government. This small amount of funds will be gone after the city government's necessary recurring expenditures on public security, health, courts, transportation, etc. are compiled every year. So whenever we have to arrange major public works, we have to apply to London for funding. "

Louis, who had deeply studied the financial operations of France during the Napoleonic period, couldn't help but ask when he heard this: "Hasn't Liverpool ever thought of issuing local government bonds?"

As a senior member of the city council, Old Gladstone replied: "Of course we have thought about it. But London keeps a very close eye on local debt issues. According to regulations, local governments cannot issue bonds alone, but must first submit them to the public in the House of Commons. After the Engineering Committee submits an application and obtains approval, the Ministry of Finance can issue it on its behalf.

Moreover, although on the surface the Central Council and the Ministry of Finance have not set a limit on local government debt, in actual implementation, they have a certain idea. For a big city like Liverpool, the overall debt is basically locked at 100,000 pounds, and it cannot exceed one penny. For some smaller cities, it is usually 50,000 pounds or less. "

Hester also nodded and said: "In recent years, we have applied for the issuance of 90,000 pounds of urban construction bonds for the expansion of the pier. If we want to issue a new bond now, it is estimated that it will be difficult to persuade the Ministry of Finance and the Public Works Committee to let go. "

Arthur frowned more and more when he heard this, and tapped the coffee table with his fingertips: "Why does the Ministry of Finance take local debts so seriously? Liverpool only lends 100,000 pounds. Is this too little?"

Little Gladstone, who had been listening quietly, suddenly said: "The reason is very simple, but it is also very complicated. First of all, because Britain's current total debt scale is already very large, Hastings Sir, do you know what the current national debt of Britain is?"

"Total amount?" Arthur recalled the data he saw when he went to the Ministry of Finance to ask for money: "I remember that Britain's central fiscal revenue last year was 51.3 million pounds... In terms of national debt..."

"51.3 million pounds?" Alexandre Dumas exclaimed when he heard this: "Damn it! You British guys are so damn rich!"

Heine also sighed: "Prussia owes 31 million pounds in foreign debt alone. I thought this was a large amount before, but compared with Britain's fiscal revenue, it doesn't seem to be a large amount."

"It's really not that big," replied Little Gladstone: "Because Britain now owes 26 Prussias money, and our national debt is 783 million pounds."

"How much?!" Dumas was stunned and said: "Damn it! If I had known that you owed so much money, I shouldn't have bought British public bonds in the first place. For 783 million pounds, it sounds like you might default on the debt at any time."

Louis couldn't help covering his mouth and sighing: "Who can tell me what Britain has done and why the government owes so much money?"

Gladstone smiled helplessly and joked: "What else could he have done? After all, it depends on your uncle, Mr. Bonaparte. Before the Napoleonic Wars, Britain's debt was only 40 million pounds. But to fight the Napoleonic Wars, we spent 900 million pounds, so now it is like this.

In addition, Mr. Dumas, you don’t have to worry too much about the public debt. At the peak of our debt in 1816, the total national debt was close to 900 million pounds. Now there is only 783 million pounds left. The British government’s repayment ability is actually quite strong. "

"900 million pounds spent on the Napoleonic Wars?!"

Alexandre Dumas originally thought that he was already quite rich, but he still could not imagine how huge a fortune 900 million pounds was: "Oh my God! Now I finally know how Napoleon died. He was beaten to death by you with money." of!"

Louis smiled and said: "To put it this way, I feel a little proud."

Gladstone also smiled: "You do have reason to be proud of your uncle."

Louis smiled and shook his head: "So, why have Britain and France been at war for so many years? If you let the Duke of Wellington go to my uncle with a check for 900 million pounds, he might just surrender. ”

Gladstone held his head and said: "At the beginning, who knew it would cost so much money? If someone could tell the members in Parliament before the war started that this war would cost 900 million pounds, I would dare I guarantee that no one will agree to go to war."

Old Gladstone said seriously: "I am better than those MPs. I have opposed fighting that war from the beginning. If I hadn't been smart when I was young, I would have gone bankrupt too. During the Napoleonic War, , Liverpool’s import and export business is not generally bad. I also had a merchant ship captured by the French navy.”

At this point, Old Gladstone jokingly said to Louis: "Young man, if one day you go back to inherit the throne of France, remember to compensate me."

When Louis heard this, he also joked: "Sir, based on the friendship between us, I will definitely agree to compensate. But if that day comes, the compensation plan may not pass the level of the Paris parliamentarians."

"That's right." Alexandre Dumas tugged at his collar seriously and said, "At least I definitely disagree."

Arthur frowned and asked: "Speaking of which, isn't it too outrageous to spend 900 million pounds on the Napoleonic Wars? Louis, how much did France spend during the war?"

Louis replied: "It's quite a lot, but it's certainly not exaggerated to the extent of 900 million pounds. I think a third to a quarter would be enough."

Since he had targeted the Trade Commission when he first entered politics, Gladstone knew quite a bit about finance.

He explained: "Britain's expenses are huge. On the one hand, our expenditure on each soldier is much higher than that of France. The salary of ordinary soldiers in Britain is twice that of France. The supplies of the Royal Navy have always been the highest." Standard. In addition, we are also responsible for a lot of financial aid to the allies. Austria's Metternich just issued a declaration of war against France and received millions of pounds of war aid and massive amounts from us. Weapons and uniforms. During the most difficult years of the Napoleonic War, British aid even accounted for 80% of Prussia’s national income.”

"I knew it!" Heine said angrily: "The finances are supported by the British, the weapons are shipped from Austria, the courage is given by the Russians, and only the two legs on which it walks are its own. Prussia really can't do anything!"

Arthur glanced at the angry German youth punching the air, and did not continue to talk to him. Instead, he leaned on the sofa and said: "Okay, now I finally understand why the Ministry of Finance is so cautious about local bond issuance. However, there is no way we can make them let go? After all, ghetto reconstruction is a good thing for everyone, and it is not a war period anymore. We can’t help Prussia, but we can’t help Liverpool, right?”

When Gladstone heard this, he pondered for a while, and then said: "Actually, it's not necessarily impossible. As my father just said, the so-called local debt ceiling is not actually on paper, so It cannot be regarded as a hard and fast rule. In other words, as long as the Ministry of Finance can be put under enough pressure, they will relent sooner or later.”

"Is it pressure..."

Arthur stood up and looked at the moonlight outside the window and was silent for a while, then slowly said: "Of course I can give you pressure, but I need everyone to work together. I originally just wanted to slow the spread of cholera in the slums. Just prove it to Congress, but since the Ministry of Finance is involved, just delaying the spread is not enough.”

Hester asked softly: "Mr. Hastings, do you want to..."

Arthur turned around slowly while holding the wine glass: "Please tell me something. I would like to discuss a business deal with the Royal Navy, the Customs Department, the Customs Department, the local police agency of Liverpool, and the Municipal Council."

Hester asked cautiously: "What are your needs?"

Arthur said: "I need their full support. In the next time, I want them to devote a lot of resources to epidemic prevention work."

Old Gladstone took a puff of his cigar and puffed out a thick stream of smoke from his nose: "What is your purpose?"

Arthur said word for word: "At this moment, I need Liverpool to hand over a result of zero growth within half a month."

Old Gladstone asked again: "What about your quotation?"

Arthur raised the wine glass, and the smooth wine sloped inward along his throat.

The wine glass fell to the ground, and Arthur's voice sounded.

"It is expected that the initial investment of 200,000 pounds will be carried out in the Liverpool urban renewal plan, and subsequent additional investment is to be determined."