Chapter 23: The Beginning of a Career
New book uploaded, seeking collection and recommendation
"Jason, how is this rubber wheel made? Is there a physical object? Can this also be patented?"
"Jason, how did you make these rubber shoes? Have you applied for a patent?"
"Jason, rubber gloves and that condom thingy didn't apply for a patent either? It's not too late now, hurry up and apply for one."
Zhu Jishi introduced several rubber products of later generations to Kosper. Wilhelm asked him repeatedly, and the manager of Baring Bank was completely different from his usual wooden appearance when it came to business matters, he was a shrewd businessman who could discover all kinds of business opportunities.
"By the way, Jason, do you know where this rubber is produced and how it's manufactured?" After figuring out the rough production methods and uses of various rubber products such as tires, rain boots, gloves, and condoms, Kosperl Wilhelm's excited expression was replaced by a solemn one. "If vulcanized rubber really has so many uses, can its production keep up? If the output is too low to meet the demand for large-scale production of rubber products, then the value of the vulcanization patent will have to be greatly discounted."
Zhu Jishi nodded, after all, a businessman is a businessman, and he had spotted the most critical link in the rubber industry chain at a glance. He thought for a moment: "As far as I know, rubber comes from a plant called the rubber tree. As long as you cut through the outer skin of the rubber tree, the latex that flows out will become rubber after coagulation and drying. This rubber tree is native to South America, countries such as Brazil, Peru, and Colombia all have wild rubber trees growing there. I think since the rubber tree is a type of tree, it should be possible to cultivate it artificially in similar environments."
Planting rubber trees seems to be a good business too, historically there were many wealthy Chinese businessmen in Southeast Asia who made their fortunes from rubber plantations. Zhu Jishi thought to himself. However, he didn't have the energy to get involved in such a venture now, and wondered if this Kosperl Wilhelm was interested in spending ten or eight years on this big deal.
As the saying goes, it takes ten years to grow a tree. From collecting seeds, cultivating seedlings to growing into a rubber tree that can be tapped for latex, the whole process cannot be completed in less than ten years. Where can you find a way to make money quickly by selling heroin?
"Koschitz. William looked at Juzi's eyes eagerly, "Jason... I dare to say that planting rubber trees will definitely become a lucrative business! This business is much bigger than the 14-year (21 years in the United States) patent monopoly of vulcanized rubber. Why don't we do this rubber business together? Don't sell the vulcanized rubber patent to Baring Bank, and let's combine it with the patents for rubber wheels, rubber rain shoes, rubber gloves, and rubber condoms as an investment. I'll raise another ￡10,000 in cash, and we can set up a rubber company together, with you holding 50% of the shares. However, I want to be the general manager of the company. What do you say?"
￡10,000! By 1842, Zhou Ji Shi knew how much this ￡10,000 was worth. He often took leave and his weekly income from the hospital was only about ￡2, with a monthly income of no more than ￡8 to ￡9. By extension, his annual income was only around ￡100. This ￡10,000 could be equivalent to 100 years of his income.
"But my pharmacy also needs funding..."
Dr. Choo-choo hesitated to say that he no longer intended to do the doctor's job, which could only earn 2 pounds per week. Although this income was equivalent to ten or more times that of an ordinary British worker - it's really miserable for the working class in Britain at this time, laboring day and night like cattle, with a daily income of only 4 to 6 pence, and even if they work 7 days a week, they can only earn around 30 to 40 pence, equivalent to 1 shilling and 6 pence to 2 shillings, while 12 shillings are needed to exchange for 1 pound!
In contrast, in later European society, even famous doctors who opened their own private clinics could not earn more than ten times the income of ordinary workers, and most of their income had to be used to pay personal income tax.
In this era, the British Empire also had personal income tax, but the tax rate was really absurd. Those with an annual income of over 150 pounds only needed to pay a tax of 1 shilling, while those with an annual income between 60 and 150 pounds only needed to pay a tax of 3 pence... Compared to the high income tax rates of up to 50% in later European countries, Britain was simply a paradise for the bourgeoisie and middle class!
"Pharmacy? Jason, isn't it a pharmacy that sells heroin?"
When Zhu Jishi mentioned opening a pharmacy, Du Lan's wife suddenly became spirited. The miraculous effects of morphine hydrochloride and diethyl ether she had seen with her own eyes; if this stuff were sold in the pharmacy, it would be impossible not to make money.
Kosperl. Wilhelm frowned, "What is Hloein?"
"It's just diacetylmorphine, heroin is the name I gave to this medicine." Zhu Jishi thought of a certain French youth who had been poisoned and explained with some guilt: "The application of this drug is very wide, it can relieve almost all kinds of pain, and also be used to treat depression and asthma, I have done some experiments in the European hospital, the effect is very ideal."
"Ah..." Kosperl Wilhelm hesitated, "It sounds like it has a similar effect to opium. If we use it as collateral, hmm, that's not easy to evaluate. Right, Jason, how much money do you need to open the pharmacy?"
In this era, the pharmaceutical industry had not yet developed, so pharmacies that also functioned as pharmaceutical workshops were not a big deal. In comparison, the rubber business was much bigger, whether it was tires, shoes, gloves or condoms, all of which required setting up factories for production, just like textile mills, and therefore required a lot more capital.
Upon hearing this question, Zhu Jishi thought for a moment and casually gave an estimate, "Roughly... probably around 5,000 pounds."
"￡5,000? Do you need that much?" asked Kospel. Wilhelm was more familiar with business and calculated, "You don't need that much money, I've handled several loans for pharmacies before, none of which exceeded ￡5,000, and those were large pharmacies. If you're opening a small pharmacy, ￡2,000 is absolutely enough."
Zhu Jishi was stunned again. 2,000 pounds would be enough? Converted to silver, it's only 6,000 taels, which isn't even enough to open a decent Chinese medicine shop in China, is it?
"Jason, why don't we go into partnership and open a pharmacy?" Mrs. Durand suddenly suggested, "2000 pounds can be raised somehow, I have 500 pounds in savings, let Isabelle also contribute 500 pounds, and Dr. Blomshield wants to invest in some business, I believe 500 pounds is not a large sum for him either."
"I can also invest 500 pounds," said Cosper Wilhelm. His family had textile mills in Britain and large cotton plantations with several thousand black slaves in the southern United States, which was a wealthy family, otherwise where did he get the confidence to raise ￡10,000 and cooperate with Zhu Zhi-shi to do rubber business? Since ￡10,000 is not a problem, what's the big deal about investing an extra 500 pounds?
"Since Cosper has put up the money, it seems that the pharmacy business is a sure thing, Jason. Why don't I also invest ￡500?" Will Heming also smiled and patted his pocket, where his father, who had worked hard all his life to accumulate ￡1,000 from farming potatoes in Ireland, had given him the money to buy a lieutenant's commission, hoping that he would make a name for himself like their Irish countryman Hugh Gough. Unfortunately, before he could buy the commission, Will, the spendthrift, had squandered the money on a duel, so it was still intact."
Thus Zhuo Ji Shi successfully raised ￡2,500 in cash for his pharmacy.
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