Australian Storm 1876

  Chapter 364 The British Legal System

  This trip is near the end

  A group of high-level officials met in the large conference room of the Honghe Shipyard to discuss their opinions on the future development of military and civilian ships, and reached consensus in many aspects.

Today's Queensland is no different than before. The territory has expanded to Shangri-La Island, Sulawesi Islands and Borneo. There are tens of thousands of islands, large and small. With the in-depth development of large-scale population immigration and cultivation, various types of ships are undoubtedly transportation. The main force plays an important role in economic life and military affairs that cannot be ignored.

For the Coast Guard, the 8800-ton "Qinglong" heavy cruiser is undoubtedly the treasure of every fleet. It will not be easily dispatched. The 12 large steam boilers will burn every second. All are in British pounds.

  Normal patrols on islands and territories, the 960-ton Seagull 1 frigate is enough, and there is a surplus of power.

Therefore, each fleet needs to be equipped with an economical and cheap patrol boat. The main weapon is a 95mm rapid-fire gun and two machine guns. The displacement is about 300-360 tons. The speed requirements are not high, but the voyage is as far as possible. The better, the airworthiness should be strengthened, and the key is that it can be equipped with a lot of cheap.

This type of boat is called the "mosquito" class patrol boat. The estimated purchase quantity is 80. The price of each boat must be reduced to below 11,500 pounds. The entire procurement plan is worth nearly one million pounds. It will go through 6 annual batches. purchase.

  The role of the boat is to patrol and suppress smuggling, maintain the safety of offshore waters, combat illegal traders and small-scale sea bandits, protect fisheries and escort, undertake a large amount of daily duties, and free the main fleet from daily duties.

The military’s design indicators require that the “mosquito” class patrol boat has a capacity of 11 people, a one-week self-sustaining force at sea, a top speed of 15.5 knots, a range of 1,100 nautical miles/8 knots, and the main part of the hull is made of thin steel, and the cabin is made of wood. The superstructure is powered by a 3.5-liter diesel engine and includes a small sail mast for unpowered cruising.

  This tender plan will open tenders to shipyards in Queensland and the Red River Valley (mostly New South Wales). This cheap general-purpose patrol boat has a low price and a limited profit margin.

  For large-scale backbone shipyards like Red River Valley, they basically look down on such small pieces, but they can attract a large number of small and medium-sized private shipyards to participate in the bidding. After all, this is a good opportunity to enter the military's sight.

  The key is that this is a military tender. Once shortlisted, it will greatly benefit the reputation of the shipyard.

  Civilian

Due to the frequent transportation needs of inland rivers and coastal areas, it is necessary to develop civil ships with a large waterline load. There are six series of products of 180 tons, 350 tons, 400 tons, 600 tons, 800 tons and 1000 tons in the plan to adapt to different ports and Regarding the depth of inland waters, Australia focuses on coastal transportation, while Shangri-La Island and Borneo focus on inland water transportation, mainly through water transportation to communicate economic connections between cities and towns, and a variety of series of ships have been developed.

  For example, passenger ships with varying displacements, livestock ships, oil tankers, engineering ships, sand ships, fishing boats, ore ships, etc., to further drive the private economy into the water transportation industry, to be rich and frugal to meet the diverse needs of society.

As a large-scale backbone shipyard, Hongshan Shipyard will basically not participate in the manufacture of the above-mentioned small and medium-sized ships. Based on the successful 10,000-ton shuttle freighter as a template, they have expanded their product line with economic ocean navigation as the main demand, and designed 15,000 tons. Ocean freighters of 18,000 tons and 20,000 tons are called "Hongshan Class Freighters"

  15,000 tons is the 15,000-ton Hongshan wheel, and so on for others.

  At present, the brand-new ocean-going freighter product launched by Hongshan Shipyard has attracted the attention of shipowners in Europe and the United States, and has received water test orders.

Australia’s 19th Century United Shipping Company first placed an order for three "20,000-ton Hongshan-class" bulk carriers for the transcontinental wool trade. The large carrying capacity means lower personnel and transportation costs, and a single ship can earn more. .

  U.S. Higgins has ordered two 15,000-ton Hongshan class freighters, mainly for trans-Atlantic trade, in addition to French shipowners and Belgian shipowners...

  In view of the good reputation, reliable quality, and relatively low price of Hongshan-class ocean freighters over the years, it is expected that new ocean-going ships with expanded product lines can bring a steady stream of follow-up orders.

Large-scale backbone shipyards naturally have the pride of large-scale backbone shipyards. Hongshan Shipbuilding Corporation has set up shipbuilding bases in Beilun and Songjiang. It mainly produces large and medium-sized ocean-going ships with more than 3,000 tons. The most important thing is to complete the production of military ships.

The first is the construction of the "Qinglong" heavy cruiser and its subsequent sister ships. After having the corresponding construction experience, it is expected that the construction of the "majestic" class iron-clad battleship with a displacement of more than 10,000 tons for the Royal Navy of the British Empire will begin at the end of the year." The total number of ships under construction is three.

  Only relying on the current military business, Hongshan Shipyard can make hundreds of thousands of pounds in net income every year. With the civilian ship orders in hand, it is not a problem for the annual net profit to exceed 2 million pounds.

  But it must be clearly seen that the Red Mountain Shipyard is still a long way from the world’s top shipyards. Take the Royal Navy Shipyard in Portsmouth, UK as an example;

The first ship of the "Majesty" class iron-clad battleship it undertook was put on the berth on April 17, cut the first keel steel plate, and was launched on August 28 for outfitting. The British shipyard took only 4 months and 11 days. The construction of the main body of a large battleship with a displacement of 10,610 tons is completed, and the launching and outfitting is expected to take two and a half months.

  In other words, it only takes less than 7 months to be delivered.

  In contrast, Hongshan Shipyard’s "Qinglong" heavy cruiser, with a displacement of 8,800 tons, is expected to take 14 months, which is twice as long as the other party. If there is any difference in construction, the delivery date will be delayed.

This is not only double the construction time, but also reflects the accumulation of time in various aspects of the riveting process, the hull forming process, the lifting of large equipment, the accuracy of the reserved base, the site scheduling and construction organization, and the level of the shipyard technicians. With the accumulation of experience, it will slowly catch up with the world's advanced level. This process may take five years, ten years or even longer.

  The simplest example;

  The cutting of irregular steel plates, one centimeter more than one centimeter will cause big trouble when the hull is closed, and it will leave a safety hazard.

   Give another example;

  The heavy cruiser Qinglong must be equipped with armor belts below and on the waterline. In addition, the main battery, conning tower, ammunition depot, power compartment, coal storage tank and deck surface must be covered with armor belts of varying thickness.

Because of the traditional printed steel riveting process, the long steel riveting rods are more than two feet long, totaling more than 13,700 riveting rods. The huge hull is like a hedgehog filled with steel guns, requiring riveting workers. The steel plates are hoisted in place and firmly riveted one by one with a high-pressure riveter to form an indestructible armored defense belt.

The thickness of the armor belt is more than 300 mm to more than 400 mm, which is almost a foot to a foot and a half thick. The huge riveting rods that fix the armor belt must be riveted firmly, and no riveting, false riveting, leaking riveting, loose riveting, etc. Responsible accidents test the responsibility and ability of shipyard technicians very much.

   is gathered together bit by bit, and all the processes must reach the level of good or above, in order to build a high-quality iron-clad battleship.

  While everyone was discussing various tasks, Li Fushou chatted with the British shipyard manager Fox in private; "Hey...Mr. Fox, how is the reaction of those English businessmen in Melbourne now?"

"My Honorable Earl, I know what you want to ask, but unfortunately I don’t know anything about it, and I don’t care at all what the English businessmen are thinking or doing. To be honest, they are jealous of me, in private. Call me... the clown wagging his tail at the earl of the East, because they are jealous of my success, this group of **** English dogs." At this point, Mr. Fox suddenly reacted and said apologetically on his face; "Please forgive me. Dear Lord Earl, I can't help but speak of resentment. It is really embarrassing. I sincerely apologize to you."

   "No Fox, I can understand the jealousy passed from Melbourne to the Red River Valley, oh... By the way, how much did your annual salary plus share dividends last year?"

"Uh... a total of more than 57,000 pounds, this number will have a great increase this year, because you know, we are building the "Qinglong" heavy cruiser, and then we will build the "Majesty" class battleship for the Royal Navy. Steam engines, heavy-duty boilers and imperial 343mm main turrets are in place one after another, and the new civil ship products launched are very popular, and the new Beilun shipbuilding base is releasing production capacity, which will make this year's performance have a leap in growth. The growth will be about 45 to 50%."

   "Hehehe...no wonder they jealous." Li Fushou chuckled lightly and said casually; "Go hard and strive for more than 100,000 pounds in the past two years. Let them envy and hate."

"I think so too. Actually, I'm tired of these hypocritical and blindly arrogant English businessmen. Well... I feel that my character is more like an Oriental, emphasizing love and righteousness, and working hard, oh... By the way, dear Lord Earl, have I told you that I also married two Dongfang concubines. I gave birth to a healthy and beautiful son last year, and this year another concubine is also pregnant."

   "Harris, are you an old cow eating tender grass?" Li Fushou didn't care about it, and teased him smoothly.

  No matter what the consideration is, men who are willing to marry women are willing to marry. It is useless to care about whoever comes. It is a matter of natural origin and has nothing to do with nationality and extreme national feelings.

  Li Fushou does not care about these things. It is common for rich and powerful people in today's society to marry aunts and wives, and he has no intention of interfering.

  Society has its own rules of operation. Whether it is now or after 130 or 1300 years, people with wealth and power will always occupy more resources in society, which is also the driving force for social progress.

  Think about it, rich people must build luxurious mansions to marry three wives and four concubines. The enjoyment of big fish and meat over silk satin, in disguised form, has stimulated social demand and created more labor opportunities.

  In an immigrant society like Kunshan Lanzhou, when we first came to this vast and fertile land, everyone was on the same level. Why are some people rich and poor some years later?

  There is no need to complain about all this. A capable person stands out and becomes rich first, then he has the right to get more. This is the natural law of survival of the fittest.

  Compared with the class-solidified old Europe and the Eastern dynasty, which was born with dwarf, Queensland can be said to provide the most equal competitive environment. For the Chinese immigrants with the yellow blood, this is paradise.

  Harris heard Lord Earl’s ridicule and replied in a daze; “Uh...I like this metaphor. I like to eat tender vegetables, and I also like to eat veal steak and roast lamb. They are more delicious and juicy.”

  Li Fushou looked at Harris with a dubious laugh. This is so special that the brain circuit is not in one line. It shouldn’t mean that the old cow eats the tender grassland?

  Forget it, the topic is dead.

Harris barely counts as half a Chinese master. He likes to wear silk shirts, likes to drink tea, and he likes to go to the big theater to listen to dramas, but the understanding of Chinese can only be said to be half-imperfect, unable to fully understand the meaning of the literal meaning. .

  Chinese is too difficult to master without a few years of systematic study.

  In Queensland, where Chinese immigrants have an absolute dominant advantage, government officials are now required to be proficient in bilingual Chinese and English, otherwise, they will not be able to serve the immigrant group that accounts for more than 90% of the state’s population.

This has led to a sharp decrease in white public officials, and they are basically monopolized by graduates of the Young Eagle School. In addition, the graduates of the Red River Valley and the University of Brisbane (also all outstanding students from the Young Eagle School), especially the Royal Riding Of the police and tax officials, 90% are Chinese.

In this era of imperfect system, there is no such thing as lifelong employment except for being a slave for generations. Sheriffs and police chiefs still barely have a commission. The dismissal of the lower-level RCMP is a matter of one sentence, a copper penny. There will be no compensation.

  The only place white people have an advantage today is the legal profession. Compared with other industries, studying and proficiently using the vast legal documents of the British Empire is by no means a simple matter.

  Fortunately, many Chinese young people who study law have entered the judiciary, especially the Red River Valley which provides sufficient space for them to display their talents, and a group of young judges, prosecutors and lawyers have emerged.

In the University of Brisbane School of Medicine and Red River Valley University School of Medicine, many young Chinese students are receiving formal medical education. By July next year, the first batch of students will graduate and enter the society and enter various public and private hospitals. , To enrich the front-line strength of health care.

  As the social development of Red River Valley becomes more comprehensive and perfect, graduation from the original shortage of talents means getting a high salary and enjoying a respectable status. Under social self-regulation, the original shortcomings are being made up.

  The lonely yin does not grow, and the lonely yang does not grow.

With the influx of female immigrants, the demographic structure of the society that originally showed one-sided abnormal development has been quickly corrected, bringing stability and harmony factors. Every year hundreds of thousands of families are established, accompanied by children falling to the ground, which brings to the simple Chinese immigrants. With the warmth of home, I found my soul in this land of Australia.

  They are like dandelion seeds floating in the wilderness. They can take root and sprout in the right soil, open branches and leaves to thrive.

  In all fairness

At present, Queensland is far from being a free, democratic, fair and just democratic society. This colony under Queen Victoria’s administration is governed by the laws of the British Empire and the local regulations formulated by the Queensland State Assembly. It is a complete European feudalism. system.

  In the British Isles and the entire European continent, the conservative forces represented by the feudal monarchy and the enlightened forces represented by the bourgeoisie are full of contradictions, and a peaceful society is undercurrents.

People are born unequal, society is full of various inequalities, nobles oppress common people and control the dominant power in society, various business guilds will form deep-rooted forces to prevent new competitors from entering, suppress latecomers, and cruelly exploited by factory owners. Laborers and urban residents squeeze out farmers and herdsmen with empty pockets and can show their superiority in them...

Fortunately, Queensland, as a migration area, does not have the stinking problems of old Europe. There is no superior aristocratic class and deep-rooted guild forces in the city. After Li Fushou took control of the substantive power, it completely treated Chinese immigrants. Open all industries and encourage entry.

  It is this little kindness that has thoroughly inspired the enthusiasm of Chinese immigrants to start businesses, and has built this hot spot into a rising economic star that has attracted worldwide attention.

  In just over eight years

  Red River Valley and Brisbane have successively developed into Australia's top metropolises, leaving the original economic cities of Melbourne and Sydney far behind.

  There are both the outstanding business talents of the Chinese and the credit of the British. This cannot be denied.

  Why do you say so?

  Compared to the conservative Spanish royal family, the Austro-Hungarian royal family that stubbornly insisted on outdated traditions, the backward and decadent Ottoman Empire, the Tsarist royal family that was still in a serf society, the overly free and open third French Republic, and the British royal family was more enlightened.

For hundreds of years, the British royal family has passed many bills conducive to democracy in the struggle and compromise with the parliament, which promotes the continuous progress of society. It can be said that it is the legal system that best reflects the middle way of compromise in the world today. It is neither radical nor radical. Backward and conservative, the advanced nature of adapting to the times is far stronger than the "Law of the Qing Dynasty."

  To be honest, the Queensland State Assembly is only patching up under this legal framework, abolishing all regulations and bills that discriminate against immigrants, and providing local legal interpretations of the Marriage Law and the Education Law, nothing more.

  The entire framework is still British, and it has been completely inherited in Queensland. This complete legal system is indispensable for the harmonious and stable social order. It makes the government have rules and laws to follow.

  From this perspective, I really want to thank the British.

  (End of this chapter)