Chapter 302 Investigation Team Continued
Hearing this, Wolfgang and others also relaxed a little. What Von der Leyen said is right, at least from the perspective of the city of Mombasa, it is similar to the surrounding area. The environment of other cities in the Middle East is not much different, and it is hard to say inland. However, if East Africa recruits so many immigrants, if large-scale diseases really break out at every turn, it will no longer be able to bear the losses in this area. Immigration also requires huge costs.
Wolfgang: "Your Excellency von der Leyen, compared to cities such as Mombasa and the Nairobi you mentioned, Dar es Salaam is the largest city in East Africa. Why don't you attract investment there? "
Von der Leyen: "Dar es Salaam is currently the largest city in East Africa, mainly due to historical reasons. It was originally Zanzibar's most important stronghold on the mainland, so it was developed early. To be precise, it is close to Zanzibar Island, and Zanzibar Island is the main body of the Zanzibar Sultanate. However, after the establishment of the Kingdom of East Africa, Dar es Salaam no longer has this advantage. The main body of East Africa is the mainland part. , Dar es Salaam is only an important port in East Africa, and its conditions are worse than Mombasa."
Wolfgang: "Where to start?"
Von der Leyen: "First of all, Mombasa is in northern East Africa. The distance to Mombasa from Europe and the Far East is closer than Dar es Salaam. I think you also understand what this means, especially after the opening of the Suez Canal, Dar es Salaam Salam is like Venice after the decline of the Mediterranean. It was replaced by a port on the Atlantic coast, and its status has further declined. Another point is that the economic structure in the west of Dar es Salaam is relatively simple, mainly growing food crops, so It is not engaged in grain trade, and it does not have an advantage compared to the Mombasa radiating area. That is to say, sisal processing is a comparative advantage industry, but Tanga City is mainly responsible for this aspect. I believe that your country has no advantage in investing in the sisal industry. . ”
Von der Leyen is right. The Austro-Hungarian Empire does not produce sisal, so its experience and technology in this area are naturally not as good as those in East Africa, although the sisal industry in East Africa has only been developed for a few years.
Wolfgang: "Transportation is indeed a big problem, especially ports. With the opening of the Suez Canal, to be honest, the ports along the East African coast have deviated from the main waterway. Only ports like Mombasa that are close to Europe are still There are some advantages. "
In terms of maritime transportation, fortunately, Africa is close to the Eurasian continent. If it were like South America, most of East Africa would be useless. It would be similar in North America. If it were Oceania, it would be even worse. Hell begins. Of course, when factors such as economy and resources are taken into account, the situation is very different. For example, Australia is now about the same status as Siberia, but in the future it will become a hot commodity due to its rich mineral resources.
Von der Leyen: "Do you plan to visit the specific conditions of the city of Mombasa next, so that you can have a more intuitive experience."
Wolfgang: "It's what I asked for."
At Von der Leyen's signal, officials from the Mombasa city government began to lead everyone around Mombasa.
Mombasa, as a free port, is divided into two areas. The inspection team just saw only the open area, so in addition to East Africans, you can also see many foreign sailors and businessmen. The business atmosphere is very strong, pubs, Casinos, shops are all available, and there are even Japanese-style "entertainment" venues, and most of their service staff are from Japan.
The west side of the open area is the real face of the East African city. Compared with the open area, it seems very shabby. Most of them are residential areas, including municipal governments and other administrative agencies. The number of pedestrians on the streets has greatly reduced, making it appear that Very empty.
“Most citizens mainly work in the east, so during this period, the western city is somewhat empty. It will be much better in the morning and evening, which is the time for commuting to and from get off work.” Von der Leyen explained. Wolfgang: "How many police are there in East Africa? I saw a lot of them along the way."
Von der Leyen: "This is also an important means to maintain order in East Africa. After all, public security is part of the living culture. In addition to public education, good public security also requires supervision. But don't worry, the East African police The bureau is not just a profit-making agency, but also a convenience agency that provides services to the public. In addition to fighting crime, it will also help citizens guide the way, publicize traffic safety and laws and regulations, and improve people’s quality of life and sense of security.”
Compared with Europe, there are indeed more police in East Africa, and they can deal with crimes, including thieves. For small touching problems, it is better to be strict with them, although the crime rate in East Africa is very low.
However, the current deepest impression of East Africans on the police is the huge number of penalties, including traffic violations, open defecation, littering...all kinds of trivial things. In Ernst's words, this is A necessary means to develop the quality of East African residents. The effect is not obvious yet, but in the future, when East Africans develop good habits, their power will be demonstrated. This is not a big deal. The vast majority of East African immigrants come from rural areas. They need to adapt to the living environment in cities. Compared with rural areas, cities have more rules. However, it is not enough time for these people to learn through education, but punishment can make them very easy. Grow fast.
After passing an intersection, a group of black-skinned workers appeared in front of everyone, clearing the sewers.
Von der Leyen said: "In addition to normal people, there are also a certain number of black slaves in East Africa. Depending on the project situation, we will use a corresponding number of black laborers, including if you build a factory in East Africa, you will also use some black people in the future. Reducing costs is one of the benefits East Africa provides to investors. As long as you pay a small material fee, you can get the main body of the factory building you want."
Wolfgang: "Including workers. Use them!"
Von der Leyen: "That's not the case. They can only be regarded as a supplement to part of the labor force in East Africa. The main workers are still East African residents."
Wolfgang: "Why. If we don’t use all black slaves directly, the cost will be lower!”
Von der Leyen: “This is related to the East African assimilation policy. Over-reliance on black slaves may cause backlash. We don’t want to be like the United States. There will be black people in the future.”
(End of this chapter)