Leading Industries 2

Translator: Cinder Translations

...

Could it be that Earl Grayman intends to share the technology for manufacturing paper and porcelain with everyone?

Many people present had this thought crossing their minds.

But... could it really be possible?

If they put themselves in his shoes, possessing a unique technology worldwide that could bring enormous profits, and as a noble with sufficient power to deter those with clandestine intentions.

Would they foolishly share it with others?

"Earl Grayman probably just wants us to sell those things to even farther places, right? Although the current production is low, it will definitely increase in the future."

"Perhaps the count's intention is to provide local merchants with lower factory prices to support commercial activities in his own domain."

"Hmm... that wouldn't be bad either. We should be able to earn a lot from the price difference in transactions."

These were the thoughts of merchants like Bennett who hadn't yet engaged in buying and selling paper and porcelain.

Then they heard the following words:

"Some of you guessed correctly. I will, at the appropriate time, license certain technologies and techniques for your use, leveraging everyone's efforts to expand output within the domain."

As soon as the lord spoke these words, there was a stir among those below.

People no longer cared about formality, whispering and discussing in small groups, making the meeting hall lively.

...

Paul took the opportunity while the crowd below was discussing, to take a sip of water and clear his throat.

Technology diffusion and supporting industry had been on his mind for a long time. Although the inventions and sales of paper, porcelain, and harvesters had doubled the financial income of the lord's mansion, the corresponding expenses had also increased exponentially.

Daily military consumption, weapon manufacturing and maintenance, salaries for various officials and workers, as well as the vast expenses incurred in the extensive rural development of irrigation, all required a huge amount of money. The remaining amount of money was simply not enough to support the various follow-up plans in the lord's mind.

He had considered raising the prices of the items he sold, but these goods were not essential for life. If they were too expensive, people would simply not buy them, and they would continue to live as they had for thousands of years.

Take porcelain, for example. If people couldn't afford it, they could still use pottery, and they could still drink water and eat. That was how people had managed for centuries.

And then there was paper, a thin-profit, high-volume item. There was no need to hoard it; others could figure out how to replicate it through careful consideration.

After careful consideration, he set his sights on the power of the people and decided to support a group of strong "private enterprises" in Alden and Byerldine. Then the lord's mansion could collect more taxes.

But some industries still had to be restricted, such as mechanical manufacturing like harvesters, and future prospects such as steelmaking and ironmaking. Such "heavy industries" were to be firmly controlled by the lord's mansion to prevent technology leaks and to keep potential strong competitors at bay at this stage.

For instance, harvesters. Not only was manufacturing restricted, but even purchases were limited. Currently, only customers from Alden and Byerldine were allowed to purchase them. Only when the markets in these two places were saturated or when agricultural upgrades were completed would purchases by customers from elsewhere be allowed.

Of course, if someone from outside found a way to obtain and replicate a few machines, he wouldn't have much of a way to stop them. But he could at least prevent it to some extent.

Some things had to wait until he had established absolute superiority before letting go.

But for light industries like papermaking, porcelain firing, and planned industries like salt production, food processing, and textiles, there was no need to be too cautious. They could be opened up to private individuals now to increase tax revenue within the domain.

The scope of diffusion still needed control, limited to Alden and Byerldine, otherwise, it would be giving advantages to other lords.

After deliberation by the Council of State Affairs, the lord's mansion would control the above industries through technology licensing.

Private factories or workshops granted licenses would be guided by skilled craftsmen dispatched by the lord's mansion to oversee production and train apprentices. They would also be supervised by confidentiality personnel sent by the lord's mansion to prevent the theft of production techniques and technology.

As the number of workers mastering new technologies and techniques continues to grow, it has become increasingly difficult and also inhumane to manage them in closed environments as before.

Therefore, the Council of State Affairs is studying new management methods, with several current ideas as follows:

Strictly prohibit skilled workers from migrating to other regions, with heavy penalties or imprisonment for violators; Improve workers' conditions, establish a minimum wage for workers that both state-owned and private enterprises must adhere to, to retain talent locally; The Confidentiality Bureau categorizes sensitive technologies as confidential matters, strictly prohibiting their leakage. Workers or operators who possess these technologies are classified as personnel involved in sensitive matters, with enhanced control over them.

Paul hopes that through these measures, the emergence of figures like "Samuel Slter" can be delayed.

TL Note: Slater is known as the "Father of the American Industrial Revolution."

In addition to complying with confidentiality obligations, private operators must annually pay a technology usage fee to the lord's mansion. Such valuable assets cannot be given away for free.

Of course, if they develop new technologies and techniques themselves, they do not need to pay this fee.

Paul couldn't help but hope for a surge of invention and creativity on his own estate. To this end, he used the patent system from his previous life as a template, urging the Council of State Affairs to draft a "Patent Act" to protect the interests of inventors, believing it would soon be perfected and enacted.

Although the patent system in his previous life had various drawbacks and received criticism, such as weakening market regulation to a certain extent, restricting competition, hindering technological progress in some sense, and obstructing the widespread application of inventions and creations, it generally benefited more than it harmed. By using legal and economic means to encourage people to innovate and create, it promoted technological progress and economic development, which was also a significant factor in driving the Industrial Revolution in Britain.

...

After a brief discussion among the crowd, Paul summarized the contents of the technology authorization, including the obligations to be followed by the authorized party and the confidentiality regulations for sensitive technologies.

No one had any objections in their minds.

On one hand, obtaining exclusive technology from the lord's mansion was akin to a windfall, so if they didn't make some corresponding effort, they would naturally suspect it was a trap.

On the other hand, no one wanted too many competitors to appear. With the lord demanding prevention of technology leakage, everyone naturally welcomed this.

"Does anyone have any comments to raise?"

Having been the one speaking all along, Paul now wanted to hear the opinions of the people.

After a moment of silence, someone finally dared to raise their hand.

Paul extended his hand towards this person, gesturing for them to speak.

"Lord Grayman..."

The person raising their hand was Bennett. He felt a bit nervous, after all, this was his first time speaking one-on-one with the ruler of this land.

But he gathered his courage and continued, "If we are to invest in the industries you plan to open, we would need to procure facilities, purchase equipment, and hire workers. These are not insignificant expenses, so could it be possible..."

He paused briefly, then whispered the rest of his question, "...could it be possible to reduce some of the tax burden in the initial stages?"

As soon as these words were spoken, the great hall fell silent.

(End of the Chapter)