L.F-Hist.Novelist Chapter 32 New England Development Fund
Chapter 32 New England Development Fund
What are the benefits of becoming a town administrator or councilor in a colony?
The answer might surprise you!
In the North American colonies that believed in self-government, town officials and councilors had the power to form town executive committees and town councils.
The municipal administrative committee has the power to organize the militia and appoint administrative officials such as sheriffs, treasurers, tax collectors, land commissioners, and education commissioners;
Town councils, without violating colonial laws, can formulate local public regulations and social norms such as tax rules, land ordinances, and school education charters.
In theory, unless the local town administrator openly rebels against the king, or the town council passes local ordinances that violate colonial laws.
Otherwise, the colonial governor appointed by the King of England would have no right to interfere with the appointment of local town administrators, and the colonial assembly would have no right to interfere with the regulations and ordinances passed by the town assembly.
Rhode Island and Connecticut, as the only two self-governing colonies in North America at present, where the colony's property owners elected a governor and then the king approved the governorship, were undoubtedly more free.
Based on Chen Wenbin's historical knowledge, the North American local towns under this self-governing model were quite similar to the small vassal states of the Western Zhou Dynasty!
As long as they don't rebel or resist taxes, the wealthy New World families who control these local towns are the real kings and local emperors in their own constituencies!
They controlled military power, administrative power, financial power, educational power, land, and even religion (some wealthy families in the New World were priest families). They were ten times more powerful than the regional military governors of the Tang Dynasty!
No wonder the British levied a little sugar tax and stamp duty in the New World, along with additional taxes to support their troops and sell expensive tea, and the New World immediately rebelled!
If he had that kind of power, Chen Wenbin would have rebelled too!
You, George Hanover, are merely a descendant of a Holy Roman nobleman, and are subject to the constraints of the Council. We, on the other hand, are the true kings of the New World!
What makes you think you can take money out of my pocket?
I'll give you face and call you Your Majesty; if I don't, you're just a German scoundrel!
The British themselves are well aware of this fact.
So why did the British, who are known for their inhumane behavior, repeatedly choose to back down and compromise when faced with resistance to the Sugar Act, the Stamp Act, and strict crackdowns on smuggling in the North American colonies, only to be severely humiliated by the Boston Tea Party and forced to send their army and navy to the New World to suppress it?
Because those local tyrants in North America really do have power!
Moreover, being British themselves, their various schemes and common tactics were immediately seen through by the elites of the New World, who couldn't handle them at all!
With nearly three million people in the North American colonies and the aid from Louis XVI of France, the best option for the British was to get these living fathers of the New World to independence as soon as possible, and then try to control North America through economic means.
Many incomprehensible phenomena in human society can often be explained by analyzing them using the logic of interests and power, because interests and power are the true underlying rules governing the operation of society.
Having figured out the governance model of the North American colonies, Chen Wenbin became even more attentive to the construction and operation of Robin City.
This is his capital to speak loudly in the Rhode Island Colony Council and the Continental Congress in the future, and to protect his life and fortune!
Therefore, after receiving the dividends, Chen Wenbin increased his investment in Robin City. He not only purchased two thousand acres of wasteland as reserve land, but also built a dock and warehouses along the river, hired workers to level roads, divide streets, and plan residential areas, dock commercial areas, and industrial areas.
Knowing he lacked sufficient funds to fund the city's development, he used the occasion of celebrating the official establishment of Robintown as a town to invite the shareholders of Providence United Industries, along with some wealthy New England families and businessmen, to his estate.
On the morning of September 21st.
In a large classroom at the newly built Robin Science Academy (an upgrade of Providence Science Academy), more than fifty well-dressed gentlemen sat below the stage, listening intently like students as Chen Wenbin described the new project on stage.
"...The success of the Jenna Spinning Machine and Providence United Industries demonstrates to us the enormous benefits of invention, innovation, and investing in new things!"
Chen Wenbin pointed to the numbers on the blackboard on the right with the wooden stick in his hand and emphasized:
"2107 new Jenna spinning machines! Over £100,000 in sales – that's the miracle we've created in the last month or so!"
500 of them have already been delivered to the UK, poised to begin a new miracle!
The enormous sum of £100,000 exploded like a bomb in the minds of the gentlemen in the audience!
They no longer cared about gentlemanly restraint and immediately started whispering among themselves, asking others about it. In particular, the dozen or so shareholders of Providence United Industries were all blushing with pride and smugness when they were asked questions!
How could I not be pleased?
In just over a month, their investment tripled or quadrupled, they made an incredible fortune!
However, in their moment of triumph, these shareholders are now filled with regret!
What is there to regret?
Of course I regret not throwing in more!
At the time, they were very concerned about the company's valuation, feeling that £40,000 was too high, so each person only invested less than £500 on average.
But when they received their first dividend from the company, and the spinning machine factory was able to produce dozens or even hundreds of Jenna spinning machines every day, without exception, they all regretted it so much that they slapped their thighs!
Therefore, when they heard that Chen Wenbin was preparing to hold a meeting to further raise funds for the company and introduce new investment projects, everyone rushed to Robin City without any hesitation... They were afraid that if they missed this opportunity, they would live with regret for the rest of their lives!
Chen Wenbin scanned the crowd below the stage, taking in the expressions on their faces.
The pride and regret of the old shareholders, the greed, expectation and envy of the new investors... the powerful magic of money has clearly completely enveloped these people.
After they had gradually digested the information and quieted down, Chen Wenbin spoke again, pointing to Captain George Mills sitting in the first row below the stage and laughing:
"I think many of the gentlemen here know my friend Captain Mills, don't they?"
"George! Say hello to everyone!"
Upon hearing this, Captain George's face broke into a wide smile. He stood up with a beaming smile and, in the manner of a gentleman, nodded to those around him.
"...George was my savior and one of the first shareholders willing to invest in the new spinning machines, so I gave him 10% of the shares, when he had only put up 300 pounds in equity!"
After Captain George sat down, Chen Wenbin remarked in a seductive tone, "Even after a round of financing, George still holds eight percent of the shares in Providence United Industries!"
A gentleman from Virginia once offered to buy one percent of his shares for eight hundred pounds, but George still refused to sell!
He told me that even if you gave him a thousand pounds to sell one percent of the company, he wouldn't sell! Because holding shares in the company would create more and more wealth for him!
I think he's right, because just two weeks ago, he received £2,400 in stock dividends from the company, which far exceeds his initial investment!
The reason I've invited you all here today is not only to invite more new shareholders who can help the company become stronger, but also to offer you gentlemen a new model for investing in the future!
There's no need to worry about company operations, the safety and inheritance of assets, or paying exorbitant prices. All we need to do is pool our wealth and strength to create a new wealth miracle…
At this point, Chen Wenbin picked up the chalk, turned around, and forcefully wrote a line of clear English words on the blackboard—New England Development Foundation!