Wild North America 1846

Chapter 671 New York General Strike

Author: Portuguese toothless

Chapter 671 New York General Strike

"go to bank."

As noon approached, Sir Liu Shunli did not dine in Guangliang Trading House, but walked out with a serious look on his face. After Uncle Zhong opened the car door respectfully, he gave a brief instruction.

Uncle Zhong didn't dare to ask any more questions. He just gave the driver and personal guard a wink, then followed the master and got into the car and sat in the back. The car started to make a half circle and drove out.

The white Chicago sedan drove all the way out of the Port Authority yard, passed the guard post and entered the street outside. Passing the Royal Navy Yard and the tram terminal between Eighth Street and Ninth Street, it soon approached the bustling New York Harbor.

Ferry Terminal.

Uncle Zhong endured it for more than ten minutes, and finally couldn't help but ask, "Master, did something unhappy happen to you?"

"It's nothing. The British orders have been greatly reduced this year. I heard that they were transferred to Robertson & Co. How is this really unreasonable?"

"Is the reason still the same as the previous two times? This is wrong. There will be no major military operations this year and next. The British won't show us shame?"

"It probably has something to do with the French. The British have always been the most stinky in the world. They remind us of his existence from time to time. Forget it, let's not talk about it." Sir Liu Shunli waved his hands in a bad mood.

Even if he is just an inconspicuous minority shareholder of Guangliang Trading House, the reduction in coal orders from the British will affect him, and of course he will not be happy.

As a Guangliang trading house with a strong military background, the British often vented some of their dissatisfaction through orders. For example, during the imperial army's invasion of Colombia and the Tang-Western War, the British significantly reduced coal import orders.

It’s not that we won’t import anymore, but that we will transfer the orders to others.

Robertson & Co. is a British-owned foreign company, one of the few large-scale commercial houses in New York that can compete head-on with Chinese-owned commercial banks.

The Appalachian coalfield in the United States is the most productive coalfield in the world. It is widely distributed in 7 states in the Northeast and two provinces under the Datang Empire. The coal exported is based on the futures price of the Chicago Board of Trade.

Lord.

Generally speaking, the coal exported this year is the order from last year, and the order this year is the export volume next year.

Long-term contract orders determined on the Chicago Board of Trade are mainly based on the delivery price at ports such as Chicago, Philadelphia, and New York, that is, the port delivery price.

If British coal importers want to transport coal back, they need to find a powerful merchant like Guangliang Trading Co., Ltd. to handle the coal export license, shipping, customs declaration upon arrival in the UK, etc., until it is delivered to the designated port for unloading.

The order Sir Liu Shunli refers to is this kind of transportation order with full-process services. Guangliang Trading Company has always been one of the main participants, and this long-term cooperation has lasted for more than 20 years.

Take London, UK as an example;

In the mid-1880s, London's population had reached more than 4.7 million, making it the most populous international metropolis in the world today. It was home to numerous factories. In autumn and winter, it was shrouded in constant choking smog, which was called the "Smog City."

All".

This "smog capital" consumes an astonishing amount of coal every year, up to more than 45.1 million tons, accounting for one-third of the UK's coal production.

London's countless factories and the cold autumn and winter seasons at high latitudes have resulted in an astonishing amount of coal for industry and residential heating. However, this is a metropolis with endless wealth flowing through it, and its consumption power is astonishing.

Therefore, it is also the largest market for U.S. coal exports, with an annual demand for imported coal exceeding tens of millions of tons.

Every autumn and winter

There is no end in sight for the coal-carrying ships on the Thames, which bring burning light and heat to the world's largest city and make many traders a lot of money. Guangliang Trading Company is one of them.

The UK is the world's second largest coal producer. However, due to the early start of industrialization, some old coal fields that were mined on a large scale in the early 18th century are facing resource depletion, and many of them have ceased production.

Some major coal mines also have limited capacity to increase production and cannot meet Britain's hungry needs, so large amounts of imported coal are needed to supplement it.

Nowadays, France is also one of the main importing countries of coal, which is a bit worrying to say.

France originally had no shortage of coal, but after its defeat in the Franco-Prussian War, Alsace and Lorraine, which were rich in coal and steel resources, were ceded to Germany. As a result, there was a large gap in domestic demand.

However, France's North African colonies had relatively poor coal and iron resources. Even though the colonies in Africa and Indochina were rich in coal and iron resources, the distances were too long and transportation costs were high.

It cannot compete with the cheap and high-quality coal and iron ore imported from North America, so it is also an importer of bulk resources such as coal, iron, copper, and oil.

"Bah, bah, bah..."

"Hey, man, get out of the way."

The crowds of people and many horse-drawn carriages in front blocked the road. The driver could only squeeze the rubber horn desperately, shout at the top of his voice, and move forward with difficulty in the crowds.

At this time, the guard in the front seat and Uncle Zhong in the back seat also stood up, with one vigilant hand on the revolver at his waist, and shouted to drive away the crowd to prevent Italian thieves and Irish thugs from approaching the convertible.

The passenger terminal of New York Harbor has always been the busiest, most chaotic place in the city and the place where most crimes occur. Hundreds of robberies, thefts, injuries or rapes occur here every day. Many young white people full of longing have just stepped off the ferry.

This kind of woman often goes missing at the passenger terminal in New York Harbor.

They may appear at dimly lit strip parties, in brothels or on the streets at night, or they may be sold to wealthy Chinese as concubines. Perhaps the latter is the best outcome.

Everyone can be lost, but it is normal to lose some carriages, luggage or other things.

The Garrison of the Tang Empire ignored local security cases and did not accept any criminal cases. Unless the kidnapping was too rampant under their noses, they generally would not interfere with the management of the New York Port Authority.

Seeing a car belonging to a Chinese nobleman stuck in the crowd, several Chinese policemen rushed over blowing whistles, causing the crowd to dodge and make way for a narrow road.

After passing this crowded section of road, the speed of the Chicago convertible gradually increased, and Uncle Zhong sat down with lingering fear.

When the cold wind blows, my back feels chilly.

It turned out that I had been nervous for a while and had sweated a lot on my back. Now the cold wind was naturally cooling me down.

Uncle Zhong's worry is not unreasonable. The security at the New York Port Authority Passenger Terminal is quite poor. There are many people who pull out guns and kill people or stab them with knives on the street. There are more than a dozen Irish or Italian gangs making money here, and each has its own territory.

.

If someone is really injured in the hands of these little Karami, there is really no place to cry.

More than 20 minutes later

The white Chicago convertible drove onto the bustling Grotto Street in Queens and turned into the yard next to the bank building at an intersection.

This is the location of the Queens Branch of the Royal Chang'an Bank. Because it is located at a bustling street, there are many people traveling from north to south. The nearby shops are very prosperous one after another, so there are many people of all kinds.

This is the stronghold of Sir Liu Shunli, where he can easily meet people of various identities, direct his subordinates to deploy operations, and collect secret information from all directions.

Not long after arriving here

Sir Liu Shunli received a piece of bad news that made him feel cold; 573,000 workers in New York City are conducting a general strike in tandem, demanding the implementation of an 8-hour working day. Currently, those actively joining forces include the New York Longshoremen's Union, the New Jersey Longshoremen's Union, and the New York State Longshoremen's Union.

The Construction Workers Union, Textile Union, Steel Workers Union, Craftsmen Union, Transport Industry Union, Tricycle Drivers Union, etc. almost include the major trade union forces.

American workers have been demonstrating for an 8-hour or 9-hour working day for a long time, and more than 100 demonstrations that have broken out in various places in the past few years are related to this.

The U.S. federal government passed a settlement in 1884 to legislate an eight-hour work day starting on May 1, 1885.

But in fact

No factory or company complies with this regulation. Workers have to work at least more than 10 hours, and some even have to work 14 to 5 hours. This makes workers increasingly angry.

No...trade unions in various industries have begun to organize a general strike.

The only good news is that the streetcar union did not participate, because the vast majority of New York City streetcar drivers are Chinese retired soldiers. This is a relatively stable job with good pay, so Chinese capitalists give priority to retired soldiers.

"So...how does the government respond?" Sir Liu Shunli was already ravenous with hunger. He sat at the table and prepared to eat a big meal. He raised his head with chopsticks in his hand and asked.

“The Western New York Business Owners Association has allocated US$30,000 to urgently purchase firearms. Similarly, the Grocery Store Owners Committee has urgently raised tens of thousands of US dollars to purchase additional firearms and ammunition for the police station. Other Chaoshan Chamber of Commerce, Jiangsu-Zhejiang Chamber of Commerce and Huguang Chamber of Commerce have also

Such actions mean that you are unwilling to compromise anyway!" the intelligence chief introduced.

"Oh, it's another bloodshed!" Sir Liu Shunli shook his head helplessly and began to eat with relish.

There are too many lice and it doesn’t itch.

This is the situation in the United States today. The government, upper class society, and capitalists are not sympathetic to workers' strikes, and are unwilling to follow the "8-hour work system."

Those were all promises made by the former US President Zhang Zongliang in order to win the votes of the grassroots people for the Liberal Party election. Why should the current government fulfill its promises?

So now the New York City Municipal Government and the Police Department have become highly nervous, and may have contacted the North American General Command and are ready to suppress the strike demonstration.

It's just that the scale this time is particularly large, and there will be no less blood shed, and no less people will die.

But so what?

This is the situation in industrial countries all over the world. Factory owners do their best to oppress and exploit workers. It is too common to work 10 hours or even 14 or 5 hours a day. Thousands of workers die of exhaustion in factories every year.

What's so strange?

Dingguo of the Tang Dynasty explicitly prohibited workers from working more than 10 hours. Many companies secretly worked overtime, but only paid more.

This kind of situation is repeatedly prohibited, and it is entirely caused by interests. It cannot be solved by a piece of paper or a few demonstrations.

Then why didn’t the Tang Empire have so many strikes?

This is not to say that the Chinese capitalists in the Tang Empire were benevolent, but because as a feudal monarchy, the Tang Empire did not have the freedom to march in the streets.

Those who want to march must report in advance, otherwise they will be severely punished for gathering a crowd to cause trouble, and the military and police will be dispatched to suppress them mercilessly.

On the other hand, it is because the Chinese are hard-working and hardworking. After experiencing such a difficult life in the mainland, their ability to endure has been greatly enhanced.

If you work more in the factory of the Tang Dynasty and get more money, your resentment will naturally not be so great, and you will not go against your boss everywhere.

The enslavement education of the Manchus for more than two hundred years still has some residual traces.

(End of chapter)