Chapter 244 Textile Trading
Taxation has always been an issue that merchants attach great importance to. Although most shipping companies in the late Ming Dynasty have adopted the tax-packaging system of Yahang agents, the taxes paid by maritime merchants have not been reduced. For example, when "Yongfeng Fabrics" ships fabrics from Jiangsu, Zhejiang or Fujian to Guangzhou, each ship must pay rates to the Guangzhou Shipping Department at the rate of ten taels per foot and according to the width of the ship. Generally, one ship of goods is The taxes that need to be paid are more than two hundred taels. A big cloth merchant like "Yongfeng Clothing Company" only pays almost ten thousand taels of silver in wages every year, which is really not a small amount.
You must know that this is only the rate collected by the Shipping Department and not the tax on the goods sold. According to the commercial tax regulations of the Ming Dynasty, "Yongfeng Clothing" must pay a tax of thirty to one when selling these goods in Guangzhou. Business tax. Calculated in this way, the tax burden for a shipment of textiles shipped from other provinces to Guangzhou is considerable.
For cloth merchants, this part of the tax losses will definitely be passed on to the price of the goods sold, and the ultimate bearers are the public or consumer groups such as the Cross-Travel Group. As a group with a huge demand for textiles, the Crossing Group would naturally not be willing to pay for a disguised blood transfusion to the Ming Dynasty's treasury. If they could manage to attract cloth merchants to Victory Port, it would be of great benefit to both parties.
Schneider seized the opportunity and explained to Shopkeeper Ma that the cloth merchants did not need to pay any water, land, or increase in rates to transport the cloth to Victory Port, and because these textiles were collectively purchased by the Haihan Executive Committee, they did not need to pay any additional taxes. There will be any transaction taxes incurred. Of course, this kind of generous treatment is not enjoyed for free. The price of these textiles sold to Haihan after arriving at Victory Port should be appropriately reduced by the cloth merchants.
Shopkeeper Ma blinked and asked: "If we can really save taxes, then the price can be negotiated. But what if there are too many cloths shipped to your port and you can't buy them all?"
Schneider said: "This is easy to handle. Let's just agree on a rough transaction volume first. How much cloth, yarn, and silk each month, and set the upper and lower limits of the transaction volume. As long as the goods you provide us are within this If the transaction volume is within the limit, we will accept the order.”
Shopkeeper Ma thought for a moment and felt that Schneider was right, so he asked again: "What kind of fabrics do you need every month, and how much is the quantity?"
Schneider smiled and said: "This is not urgent, because some of the fabrics we need are quite special. I want to ask shopkeeper Ma to see if they can be made first."
Because there were still technical details to discuss later, Schneider and He Xi stopped deliberately attacking Shopkeeper Ma at the wine table. After drinking and eating, the three of them moved to the study room, where the various types of Haihan glass stationery almost blinded Shopkeeper Ma. Many of the types had never been seen on the market - —This is the latest batch of samples sent from Victory Port. Because it has to comply with the exclusive agency agreement with "Furuifeng", the technical department has specially designed some new models and is preparing to sell them to businessmen outside Guangdong. To promote.
Seeing Shopkeeper Ma's dull expression, He Xi promptly presented him with a gift he had already prepared - a set of Haihan glass carved stationery. Such a set of things is worth at least a hundred taels of silver in the current Guangzhou market. As a gift, it is quite important. Shopkeeper Ma pretended to decline a few words and then accepted the gift with a smile.
For the General Office of the People's Republic of China, using glass products as gifts is undoubtedly an excellent public relations tool. This thing is cheap to make and sell for a high price. You don't feel bad when you give it away, and the other party is happy, and it also promotes Haihan's culture. The Guangdong Office in Guangzhou has made suggestions to the base camp to develop a series of glass gifts. The output does not need to be large, but it must have a unique shape, because only non-volume products can have higher value and are more suitable for the recipients to take home and collect. Or show off.
Schneider clapped his hands and asked his servants to serve tea and bring in fabric samples.
The first sample Shopkeeper Ma saw was gauze. There was no technical difficulty in making this kind of fabric with sparse warp and weft. Shopkeeper Ma just held it in his hand to look at it, and then confirmed with Schneider what the gauze was like. The required width means it can be customized. Schneider further subdivided the gauze into several different types according to the technical standards proposed by the executive committee, and placed an order for each type with the horse shopkeeper ranging from ten to more than a hundred pieces per month.
The gauze customized by Chuanchuan Group is mainly used in three aspects. One is medical gauze, mainly bandages. Although there is still some inventory of this thing, its shelf life is limited, usually two to three years. The relevant departments do not want to find out that the inventory has expired when it needs to be used heavily in the future, so it is always useless to start making relevant preparations in advance. It would be wrong. However, what "Yongfeng Cloth Co., Ltd." can only provide ordinary pure cotton gauze to Chuan Chuan Group. There is no hope for skim gauze in the short term - that thing must be imported from mainland China and made by itself. The kapok native to Hainan has short, soft fibers, poor spinnability, and is not easily soaked by water, so it certainly cannot be used in this application.
The second use is in the production of masks. Now as various industrial projects are gradually put into production, the physical protection of industrial workers is slowly attracting the attention of the Executive Committee. During Tao Donglai's last inspection at Heitu Port, Gu Kai suggested to him that labor protection measures for workers needed to be strengthened to prevent widespread occupational diseases in the future. At that time, Tao Donglai did not agree to Gu Kai's request. One of the reasons was that Chuanchuan Group itself did not have the ability to manufacture fabrics, and even simple labor protection equipment such as masks and gloves could not be manufactured by itself. However, as more and more industrial projects in Victory Port require protection, the requirements for labor protection tools have also been put on the agenda of the Executive Committee, and the procurement of raw materials has been handed over to the Guangdong Office in Guangdong.
The final use is in making mosquito nets. Due to the hot and humid climate in Sanya, there are many mosquitoes, which are a very deadly source of infection. In addition to stepping up work such as pest control and epidemic prevention, the medical and health departments also made requests to the Executive Committee, believing that it is necessary to purchase mosquito nets and gauze on a large scale and install screens on the doors and windows of houses to isolate them as much as possible. Mosquitoes - If possible it is best to make mosquito nets available to local residents. After research, the Executive Committee believes that although the project volume is relatively large, fortunately the raw materials are cheap. Considering the current good economic situation, there is no problem in spending a sum of money to protect the health of local residents, as long as it can effectively reduce the The morbidity caused by mosquito bites can actually save a considerable amount of daily medical expenses.
Although Shopkeeper Ma doesn't quite understand why Haihan people order so much gauze every month, but given the current interests, he will definitely not refuse this kind of door-to-door business. As for where the gauze would be used, since the Haihan people refused to take the initiative to say it, Shopkeeper Ma naturally wouldn't bother to ask. Although the price of gauze is very cheap, it can sell hundreds of pieces every month. The total amount in a year is still quite considerable. At least based on the current order volume, the amount of gauze required by Haihan people has even exceeded that of Guangzhou. of gauze sales.
The second fabric sample that Shopkeeper Ma saw was the canvas that was most urgently needed by the Travel Group. Canvas fabric has appeared in the West very early and has been widely used in the production of sails and tents since ancient Rome. In the 13th century, the craftsmanship of Western-style canvas was introduced to China. However, unlike the West, this thick and wear-resistant fabric was not widely used in China and was basically not sold in the market. However, Shopkeeper Ma is also a professional who has been in the industry for many years. As soon as he saw the fabric sample, he revealed its origin.
Schneider was not interested in listening to Shopkeeper Ma slowly analyze the current situation of the domestic textile market in Ming Dynasty. He was only concerned about one thing: "Can the same fabric be woven?"
"Yes!" Shopkeeper Ma responded confidently, and then added: "But this kind of fabric requires a lot of materials and man-hours, and the price will probably be more than twice as expensive as ordinary Songjiang cotton."
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"Price is not an issue, as long as you can produce the finished product as soon as possible, and the material can basically meet the specifications of this sample." Schneider immediately decided to finalize the matter after hearing Shopkeeper Ma's answer. Price is not the primary consideration for Chuanchuan Group. The current situation is that you can't buy goods with cash, so it's not the time to bargain.
After hearing this, shopkeeper Ma picked up the sample and looked at it again: "These are the two types, right? I wonder what your standard is?"
There were two types of canvas samples Schneider showed him. The first was the thick canvas used on sailing ships, which could also be used to make coverings and tents. The second, slightly thinner type is used to make labor protection clothing, backpacks, shoes and other items. It can be used directly as denim after dyeing.
Schneider explained: "Based on yarn count, weight, and width. We will not set a transaction limit for this kind of canvas for the time being. As long as your finished product meets these standards, how much can be shipped to Victory Port , we will buy as much as we can!” Shopkeeper Ma’s eyes lit up after hearing this: “Do these fabrics need to be dyed?”
"No, we will handle the dyeing ourselves. As long as you transport the finished products to Victory Port, you can get the cash immediately!" Schneider said with certainty. The chemical industry department has already produced a variety of dye formulas. The cost of large-scale dyeing of cloth by oneself is definitely much lower than that of these mainland cloth merchants. There is really no need to pay such unjust money.
Shopkeeper Ma has already made plans in his mind. It will take about ten days to send the news back to Hangzhou. It will take about five days to adjust the loom and trial-produce the fabric there. The gauze is okay, but the latter fabric is too thick and ordinary. The time it takes for a weaver to weave one piece of cloth will probably take three times that of Songjiang cloth. It will be about a month before the first shipment of finished cloth comes out of Hangzhou.
After looking at the fabric samples prepared by the Guangdong Office, shopkeeper Ma also asked his entourage to present the fabric samples he had brought. Shopkeeper Ma did not come empty-handed. He had also made efforts to inquire about the Haihan people before. Only then did he discover that this group of people had purchased a lot of bulk goods in Guangzhou. No matter what they bought, It was a large purchase. Even the 400-material sea-going ship was ordered for six or seven new and old ones. The purchase was extremely generous. This time I was lucky enough to be able to go to the door to sell. Naturally, Shopkeeper Ma was fully prepared to let his entourage The staff picked out two large wooden boxes of samples. However, he did not expect that the Haihan people would actually place an order for custom-made fabrics in huge quantities before he showed the samples.
Shopkeeper Ma brought two boxes of samples, one box of cotton fabrics and the other of silk fabrics. Cotton fabrics are mainly cotton produced in Songjiang Prefecture. Songjiang cotton is not just ordinary homespun cloth, but is divided into standard cloth, button cloth, thin cloth, fan cloth, Rongban cloth, Zhongji cloth, small cloth and three shuttle cloth. , Longdun cloth, cloud cloth, flying flower cloth, starched gauze cloth and many other varieties. The imperial clothes worn by the emperor were made of Sanshuo cloth produced in Songjiang Prefecture. Its price was nearly ten times higher than that of ordinary cotton cloth, with the unit price of each piece reaching about three taels of silver. During the Chenghua period of the Ming Dynasty, even one piece of this kind of three-spindle cloth could be used to buy 30 shi of grain. It was once used by the court to pay officials' salaries.
The samples of silk fabrics were also rich and colorful, including various brocades, lenos, velvets, silk satins, makeup flowers, etc. In a short time, the floor of the study was covered. Although Schneider and He Xi had been to the cloth exhibition several times, they had never seen so many samples listed one by one, and their eyes were dazzled for a while.
The current treatment of the naturalized citizens by the Cross-Training Group is to provide all-inclusive food, clothing, housing and transportation. There has always been a big gap in the required fabrics, but it seems that it is very hopeful that this gap can be plugged in the near future. If the amount of thin canvas provided by "Yongfeng Cloth Company" is large enough in the future, the civil affairs department can even use this fabric to make all the clothing issued to naturalized residents, directly unifying life clothing and labor protection clothing.
As for the dazzling array of silk fabrics, Schneider and He Xi were not very interested. They just asked shopkeeper Ma to leave a small sample of each silk fabric and wait for their own research before deciding on the type and quantity to order. For the current crossing group, silk fabrics do not have much practical use. The purpose of asking shopkeeper Ma to leave samples is just to let the military and police departments use the samples for combustion tests later to see which types of silk fabrics burn. It is the most fully obtained and has the least residue, and is most suitable for being used as a wrapping for the fixed charge package of artillery.
At this time, it was already dark and the city gate was closed. Shopkeeper Ma would definitely not be able to return to the city, so Schneider took the opportunity to stay overnight and asked Yu Xiaobao to take him to the guest room to rest. He also arranged for Shopkeeper Ma's entourage. Of course, Yu Xiaobao, who has been trained, will enthusiastically show Shopkeeper Ma the high-tech Haihan sanitary equipment, letting him know that Haihan people's emphasis on quality of life is not just reflected in the dining table and study room.
After sending Shopkeeper Ma to rest, Schneider asked other members of the Guangdong Office to call the study room and informed them of the results of today's negotiations with "Yongfeng Buhang". Everyone was very excited about this unexpected surprise, especially You Yihan from the Ministry of Shipping. Once the canvas supply problem was solved, the shipbuilding plan that had been troubled by the Ministry of Shipping for a long time could finally be implemented. Chen Tianqi recorded the agreement reached between the two parties one by one, then took the briefing to the confidential room to file it, and sent a telegram to inform the base camp of the good news.
Xiao Liang and Yu Yao took the silk fabrics and were about to find a place outside the yard to burn them to see the effect, but they were stopped by Sister Ma Yuma: "You are not in a hurry. At this moment, let me first Let’s take a pick!”
No one could refute Ma Yu's love for beauty. After all, she was the only female member of the Guangdong Office, and she was also the oldest in the Guangdong Office. They had to accommodate her in every aspect. So the two of them had no choice but to hand over all the samples of silk fabrics to her, and let her make gestures with them on her body, not knowing what kind of clothing she had imagined.
Sha Xi, who had been silent until now, suddenly spoke up: "Since Yongfeng Cloth Company can transport fabrics from Songjiang Prefecture and Hangzhou Prefecture to Guangzhou for sale all year round, does it mean that they have a way to transport by sea? ”
"Eighty percent of the ships in Fujian waters have paid protection fees for the 'Shiba Zhi'." Xiao Liang guessed: "At this time, most of the ships that can safely pass through the Taiwan Strait have paid the money to buy the way, otherwise they will be 'Shiba Zhi'" If Bazhi's people catch him, he will bring the goods to the ship."
Sha Xi shook his head and said: "Whether they paid the money to Shiba Zhi is not what I want to say. The key is this channel. Do you understand?"
"You mean, a safe maritime channel from Guangzhou to Jiangsu and Zhejiang?" You Yihan keenly grasped the meaning of Sha Xi's words.
"According to what we know now, the safe route of 'Furuifeng' only goes to Quanzhou. Going further north, they have no safety guarantee. Now that this route has appeared, it can just supplement the route north of Quanzhou. "Sha Xiyan explained succinctly: "When they return, they can take our goods and sell them to the north."
Schneider nodded and said: "Your idea is good, but at present, it has little practical effect on us."
Sha Xi stared and said: "Why?"
"We don't have that many goods to sell." Schneider shrugged: "The problem we are facing now is not sales, but production capacity. Whether it is arms, glass, or other chemical products, agricultural products, all production capacity is insufficient. The market in Guangdong Province is no longer enough, so extending the front line too long will have no practical effect on us.”
"But you can get a higher price if you sell it to the north!" Sha Xi still insisted.
Schneider looked at Sha Xi as if he were an idiot: "Now that we can't transport it to the north to sell it ourselves, how high can the price be to the agent? If it really goes up too much, they might as well go directly to Fulifeng 'The order has been placed. The best we can do now is to explore this path first, and when the time is right, we will send the ship to the north ourselves! ”
(End of chapter)