Chapter 607 Wool Industry Chain
The night wind passed through the rugged rocks, making a whistling sound.
Mist spreads up from the mountains and forests, covering this overly simple country church on the edge of the village.
From the outside, except for a truss on the roof, there is almost no difference from an ordinary armed farmyard.
The church is also not very luxurious. Green moss grows on the corners, a moldy wooden floor is spread on the ground, and the low ceiling exudes a damp wood smell.
In front of the simple stone altar, there is a main podium and two rows and four rows of seats, which can barely seat about 50 people. This is the size of this old church.
At this moment, the pointed roofs were shrouded in darkness, and a weak candlelight shone between the window lattice and the door, which Ansel had specially lit.
For this prayer meeting, he abandoned the oil lamp and lit the few beeswax candles left.
Unfortunately, compared to Ansel’s expectations, he actually came to this prayer meeting. The number of people meeting was not as large as expected.
"Are there only these fifteen people?" Bryson looked at the sparse crowd on the bench and couldn't help but ask Ansel, "Are you late?"
Ansel didn't care too much: "Henderson is selecting members of the Wolf Hunt. Anyone with strong labor at home will basically go."
Since there are many forests in the mountainous county, the same will happen. A large number of beasts were born, including wild boars, wild wolves, foxes and even monsters.
Wild boars will knock over wheat, wild wolves will attack humans, foxes and martens will eat chickens and ducks, not to mention monsters.
So the knight takes the wolf hunting team to the forest to hunt wild beasts every year, and the people who accompany him can get 20%-30% of the income from the wolf hunting.
So there are a lot of mountain people who are fierce and good at fighting and archery. It is not without reason that they become mercenaries and serve as the source of Meliati's infantry.
But there are about 20-40 members of the wolf hunting team every year, and they are selected by the village head every year. Naturally, the villagers are not willing to miss this opportunity.
Despite the temptation of salt, only 15 of the 22 members of the mutual aid team sent people, and many of them were fathers and brothers who went to the Henderson home and sent their own brothers.
As for the rest, they are either too weak to participate in wolf hunting, or they have offended Henderson and will not get a position even if they go.
After learning the reason from Ansel, Bryson slapped his forehead first, and then smiled to himself. Sure enough, if you really want to break conventions and traditions, how can it be so easy?
“Okay, let’s get ready and let’s start.”
Fifteen believers were sitting around in twos and threes. It was already early September, but they had already put on animal skin vests and woolen trousers.
When they saw Ansel walking up to the altar, they immediately fell silent and stopped discussing the matter of wolf hunting.
Clearing his throat, Ansel announced loudly to the fifteen believers:
“Dear believers of the Holy Lord and our parishioners, at this moment, we are gathered here. In the simple but holy church, not because of the cold outside, It is because of the call of the Holy Lord and the enthusiasm in our hearts.
Perhaps only a few people are present today, but as the scripture says: Wherever two or three are gathered together in my name, there will be. I am among them.
The Holy Lord does not judge our piety by the number of people, but by the faith and actions in our hearts.
However, today I not only want to share the Lord’s words with you, but I also have a piece of news that I need to inform you.
Have you seen the wool behind me? I was wandering around the village during this period and found that almost everyone had a spinning wheel in their home.
It is a pity that we can only borrow and buy wool from armed farmers to weave and make clothes every year. It is idle for most of the year. It is a pity. "
Speaking of this, Ansel changed the subject: "You obviously have textile technology and tools, but you can only stay here and cannot exchange for wealth. We Holy Daoists have always believed that labor creates value and exchange Create wealth.
You have labor and technology, but no capital, and I happen to have capital. I wonder if we can use the model of processing with supplied materials in exchange for wealth?
Winter is coming, and the superior order just bought a lot of wool, so I took some of it and wanted to give it to you to spin into thread and then ship it out for sale.
For every pound of yarn you spin, I pay half a dinar for less than 18 counts, and three-quarters of a dinar for more than 18 counts. ”
The so-called yarn count is the thickness of wool yarn. According to the definition of the empire, one pound of wool spun into a thread of 840 yards is called 1 thread, and spun into 10 threads of 840 yards is called 10
That is, the higher the count, the finer the yarn will be spun
Generally, 18 counts are used as the limit. The upper ones can be made into thick Kras cloth, used for jackets or jackets, while the lower ones can only be made into blankets and the thickest winter wool pants.
Of course, there are more advanced 28-count or even 58-count upwards. Most of the high-end fabrics woven with 58-count yarn are used as underwear and undershirts for nobles.
That cannot be spun by a hand spinning wheel.
The limit of a household spinning wheel used in the countryside can spin 30 threads. Even Horn's star-casting gear cannot spin more than 58 threads due to unstable efficiency and mechanical structural problems.
Seeing that the mountain people below were still stunned and confused, Bryson couldn't help but explain: "Brother Ansel gave you wool for free, and your mother-in-law used the spinning wheel to spin the yarn in a day. If the thread is bad, he’ll give half a dinar, and if it’s good, he’ll get an additional 50%. It’s yours, understand?”
"Oh, oh, oh."
"Wouldn't it be over if you said so earlier?"
"Similarly, Brother Ansel, what are you doing with so many cultural papers?"
< br>It was only then that the mountain people suddenly realized what was happening. The enthusiastic speeches that Ansel expected did not appear. Instead, they began to talk in low voices.
After they chatted privately for a long time, one of them was elected. He stood up coquettishly: "You spent money to buy wool, spun the thread for us for free, and bought it for us for free after spinning. How can you be so embarrassed?"
For these mountain people, the transportation fees for buying wool from other places are a lot of money, and how to sell it after spinning it into thread is a big trouble.
Every time he buys or sells, he has to be severely beaten by merchants. Someone like Ansel, who has clearly marked the price and even has no cost risk, is obviously at a disadvantage.
It’s just that it’s autumn now and the winter is tough. They really need more income, but they can’t lower the price or refuse against their will.
Ansel quickly waved his hand: "Don't be embarrassed, this is what I should do. This is my political achievement."
Speaking of this, Ansel was equally embarrassed, because according to the calculations of the Evangelical Chamber of Commerce, the cost of wool should account for about 35% of the total cost of manufacturing woolen cloth.
The purchase price of wool obtained by Ansel was 1.1 dinars per pound of wool. In other words, the cost of converting each pound of wool into cloth should be about 3.1 dinars.
Ansel only took out 0.5-0.75 dinars from the cost as processing fees, and at least 1.2-1.3 dinars for transportation costs and losses, which eventually fell to the sacred weaving of the Holy Arms. The machine worker had only 0.05 dinars.
But the problem is that the gear looms of the Holy Arms are very efficient. A rural spinner can spin 9 pounds of thread in 10 days, and the 9-pound thread reel loom can be woven in an hour.
The scroll loom driven by the Holy Wheel is 40 times more efficient than the human loom.
A village weaver earned 0.5 dinars a day for weaving, while a worker in the Weaving Workshop of the Holy Armory earned 0.5 dinars an hour (an actual daily wage of 3 dinars).
A piece of kras cloth 12 yards long and 1 yard wide sells for 27 dinars, using 7.2 pounds of wool, and the total cost is 22.3 dinars.
Horn put it directly on the market. After excluding miscellaneous expenses, each piece of cloth had a net income of at least 4 dinars.
But Horn would not do this, because a Kras cloth jacket uses 2-3 yards of material, costs 6.75 dinars, and sells for 12-14 dinars.
Based on the experience of Jeshka’s wife, the businesswoman Isolde, in supplying ready-made military uniforms to the army, Horn has successively set up several ready-made garment workshops with assembly line workstations in the Fort Joan workshop area.
He is confident that he can reduce the production cost of each piece of clothing to 1 dinar. Incidentally, he can also reduce the selling price of each piece of clothing to less than 10 dinars. In this way, he can earn 10 dinars from a piece of cloth. net income.
As for the guild of Fort Joan of Arc, I'm sorry, the craftsmen in the city are under your control, but the industrial area is outside the city, which is the territory of the Salvation Army.
He spent 4,000 gold pounds to purchase 4,000 loads of wool, which was distributed from the gravel plains to South Mound County to spinners in hundreds of households to be woven into thread, and then transported to North County and then sent to the Holy Arms Court for weaving. It is made into cloth, and finally goes down the river to the castle of Joan of Arc to be turned into ready-made clothes.
Finally, these ready-made garments will be transported in all directions along the course of the Naoan River.
4,000 dans of wool is equivalent to 56,000 pieces of cloth. If it is processed into clothing and hats and then sold, it can earn an income of about 4,660 gold pounds.
In fact, if the canal in South Mound County can be opened, transportation and loss costs can be reduced further, and if Horn transfers the spinning process to the machinery of the Holy Armament Hall, then profits can increase again.
It’s just that Horn is not prepared to do this. Profit is not the end but a means. The purpose is to revitalize the economy of the Thousand River Valley.
Through spinning, the mountain people in South Mound County can earn about 15 dinars more income every month. At least they will not be so difficult during the pain period of the four-field rotation reform.
Ansel told them a hundred times that the Holy Doctrine was free and equal, but the trust they won was not as good as actually increasing their income.
This effect is even better than Horn’s preaching.
And this also has a huge advantage. When Horn announces dredging the river to build a canal in the future, he will just say: "The canal is open, and the processing fee will be increased by 20%. Who is in favor and who is against."
Don't say it. Henderson, even if the Sheriff objects, there is no chance.
When the time comes to recruit labor, both the enthusiasm for work and the opposition from the public will be much smaller, because they not only work for Horn, but also work for themselves.
Just like the good harvest in Langsand County last year, it was because various 100-household districts built and repaired a large number of water conservancy and irrigation facilities at extremely low labor costs, and because the efficiency of collective work increased.
It's a pity that the mountain people still didn't understand Ansel's explanation, so they had to rely on Bryson to translate: "The wool was bought by His Majesty the Holy Sun. There are not enough craftsmen in the city, so you can help me." , if you do well, Brother Ansel will be rewarded as Archbishop, do you understand?”
After saying this, the mountain people understood that it was better to earn less money in exchange for political achievements. They immediately patted their chests and promised: "Don't worry, you are a good person. You are much better as a bishop than that Urrison."
Squatting on the ground or sitting on the horses, these mountain people rubbed their hands, and the fire in their eyes was about to ignite the wool piled in the corner.
This group of farmers is the poorest group in the manor. They don't have a few dinars of surplus all year round.
The spinning wheel at home is stored in ashes. On weekdays, I just pick some hemp and flax and make some clothes for myself.
But now their own agricultural income is not affected, and their wives and daughters who can't do heavy work at home just go to spinning.
A person can spin 0.9 pounds of thread a day, and can earn an extra 15 dinars for 30 days a month, which is more than 1 gold pound a year. Who wouldn't be jealous of this?
“But Brother Ansel.” A villager stood up, “We have other things at home on weekdays, such as threshing, harvesting, repairing houses and hunting wolves, as well as housework. , It seems there is no time.”
When the villager said this, Bryson, who was still nodding and smiling, was stunned.
Yes, these villagers have to do a lot of work all year round. They have to sow and make wine in the spring, plow and harvest in the summer, thresh grain, cut firewood and hunt wolves in the autumn. Only in winter do they have leisure.
It’s no wonder that the mountain people are addicted to alcohol and gambling. During the long and gloomy winter, their cheapest and most nerve-numbing form of entertainment is alcohol.
These agricultural activities often require the whole family to work together, and peasant women and children have no time to spare. Where do they find the time to spin?
Under the sad and solemn eyes of everyone, Ansel laughed: "Why don't we have time? If there is no time, where will we find the time to gather here?"
< br>Looking around, Ansel opened his eyes Spreading his arms, he said: "Isn't this our mutual aid team? You said, our farmers' mutual aid team can't just be called this all the time. What name should we give it?"
(End of Chapter)< br>