Chapter 835 Big Railway Blueprint
“At present, our country’s railways are large but not strong, and many cutting-edge technologies still need to rely on foreign countries. Of course, the Ministry of Railways is currently actively promoting the training of my country’s railway talents and overcoming various technologies. It is estimated that it will only take 20 to 30 years to catch up with the international level," Andre said.
Ernst: "Technology is a process of accumulation and is not achieved overnight. This matter must be done steadily and there are no shortcuts. At the same time, I hope that the railway department will do the same. Sometimes the subordinate units should not try to save trouble and create problems." The idea that it is better to buy is absolutely unacceptable. You have to base yourself on yourself.”
Of course, Ernst said that in the 19th century, buying was the fastest way to break through technical barriers. , otherwise East Africa would not be able to develop today.
Of course, buying is also a technical job, and you must understand the technology, otherwise you will be fooled and you will only waste time and money.
In addition to buying technology, the other way to obtain technology is to "copycat". These two items are the "magic weapons" for the rapid development of East Africa's industrial field.
“Nowadays, the uneven distribution of railways is a very big obstacle to the construction of our country, especially the new land area and the reconstruction of the railway network. This is one of the focuses of development in the next ten years.” Ste said.
“Our country has a short history and a weak foundation, so it has a short time to develop railways. At the same time, based on the development of foreign railways, it is estimated that in the next ten years, East Africa should build at least 40,000 kilometers of railways to barely meet demand. ”
An additional 40,000 kilometers is equivalent to 60,000 kilometers. This value is almost equivalent to the 2,000 kilometers of railways built by parents every year.
East African families have little financial resources, have to make up a lot of lessons, and spend a lot of money, so they cannot rush for quick success in railway construction.
Of course, this is also related to the current world economic situation. The rapid development of railways in the 1970s was a good opportunity encountered by the economic crisis, and the world's steel production capacity was overcapacity.
Of course, the goal set by Ernst still tends to be conservative. After all, since the end of the South African War, East Africa's defense pressure has dropped sharply and military expenditures have been reduced.
Military expenditure has never been a small amount. For example, in order to develop its navy, the Japanese government invests more than 60% of its revenue in naval construction every year. It is currently the most militaristic country in the world.
The same is true for Germany. Today, the tonnage of the German navy has climbed to 190,000 tons. In the early 1980s, the two countries were still at the same level. Now Germany is about twice the size of East Africa, and the German army has maintained at four all year round. With around 100,000 troops, William II will expand the German Army this year, which is exactly twice that of East Africa.
Of course, Germany is also helpless. The standing army of France next door has exceeded 500,000, and there is a behemoth of Tsarist Russia to the east of Germany, so even if the German army doubles, it will be barely enough.
East Africa is much more comfortable in this regard. Now the tonnage of the East African navy has declined, only more than 90,000 tons, 30,000 tons less than in the 1980s, and the army was reduced to more than 200,000 tons after the South African War.
However, compared with the decline in the number of people, East Africa’s military expenditure has not dropped much, but it is mainly used to improve the level of military industry and improve the quality of the military.
For Ernst, disarmament is for the healthy development of the army, not for the abolition of martial arts. If Ernst is willing, the East African Defense Force can be as messed up as the US Army.
The U.S. Army has only 30,000 active troops and only 130,000 reinforced reserves. Of course, Americans do not need a large-scale army.
The tonnage of the U.S. Navy has increased to 240,000 tons, ranking only after Britain and France and before Germany. It is a typical "small army, big navy" pattern.
East Africa can only envy the size of the U.S. Navy. After all, in 1890, the United States had surpassed the United Kingdom to become the world's largest industrial country.
Compared with the economic strength of the United States, its navy is actually not too "luxury". For example, the French Navy, the second largest navy in the world, has a tonnage of more than 320,000 tons. The tonnage of the British navy exceeds 600,000 tons. From the naval tonnage, we can also see where the confidence of Britain and France to dominate the world comes from.
Even if France failed in the Franco-Prussian War, it would just lose its status as the European hegemon, and it would not change the strength of France as the second strongest country in the world. After all, the German army could still fight, but the navy was suppressed by Britain and France. Dead.
In fact, the tonnage of Tsarist Russia's navy is not small, and should be close to France. However, Tsarist Russia, like Germany, is geographically restricted. The main Baltic Fleet and the German Navy are all circulating in the Baltic Sea.
All in all, in the 19th century, military investment in various countries was a huge burden. Although countries were not as extreme as Japan, it would also have an impact on economic development.
Maintaining a certain size of army in East Africa will also drag down the economy, but it is within an acceptable range and is necessary. After all, there are still 20 million black people in the country. Without a sufficient army to suppress it, East African society will inevitably be cause adverse effects.
On the other hand, the economic value that 20 million black people can create can definitely feed back the East African economy. In this way, it is very cost-effective, which is equivalent to the black people sharing the military expenditure in East Africa.
You must know that Japan’s population is only 30 million, and the value that 20 million black people can create is far higher than Japan. After all, East Africa is not a resource-poor country like Japan. Even if black productivity is low, in the East Africa can also break through its original productivity levels under the whip.
This is especially obvious in the agriculture and mining industries. As for infrastructure construction, black people have also made great efforts, but the specific value is not easy to reflect.
Ernst said: "Railways and highways can drive the rapid development of steel and other industries, so railway construction should show an incremental trend every year to meet the development needs of East Africa. In the future, East Africa must build at least several national railway trunk lines, intertwined into a covering The national railway network. ”
“For example, Southwest Africa, although it seems of little value now, is large in area and rich in resources, so even Southwest Africa should build at least one main line railway to connect Walvis Bay and Connecting the interior. "
"The South Central Railway extends to Bloemfontein and Kimberley, to the west Kalahari Basin and north of the Orange River, as well as to Upington. The northeastern railway trunk line is of great significance to maintaining national defense security. "
"The northern Azande Plateau, the Great Lakes Region, and Somalia all need railway construction. The railway network in the central and eastern parts should also be improved. The central and eastern parts have already been improved. After the development, the urban population is large and a denser railway network is needed to promote sustainable economic development.”
“Finally, it is the eastern coastal area. Many countries will build railways along the coast, and the eastern plains of East Africa also need it. A north-south coastal railway will promote the economic development and linkage of coastal cities. ”
The coastline along the eastern coast of East Africa is more than 5,000 kilometers long. If a railway is built along the coastline, it will take at least 4,000 kilometers. Therefore, Ernst's idea is a huge project.
And if the coastal railway is built in the east, the same will definitely happen in the west in the future. Even if the natural environment in Southwest Africa is harsh, the railway line along the Atlantic Ocean in the west will not be less than a thousand kilometers.
Regarding Ernst’s words, East African officials have no doubt that East Africa can complete it, because railway construction capacity is an incremental process, just like the explosive growth of railways in the United States in recent decades. history.
East Africa is larger than the United States and has a larger population. East Africa is also much more dependent on railways than the United States. The United States has an endless central plain and a developed water transportation network.
This is what East Africa lacks, so East Africa attaches more importance to railways. On this basis, it is reasonable for East African railways to at least reach a level similar to that of the United States in the future.
(End of this chapter)