Chapter 301: The Austrian Business Delegation
Emptying Venice completely was impossible; going overboard would not be something Ernst would approve, nor would Austria-Hungary. What East Africa did was simply move the machinery belonging to the Venetian workers who had emigrated to East Africa so that they could continue working there. In fact, many Venetians who arrived in East Africa went off to engage in the grand enterprise of opening up new farmland, so the industrial requirements in Nairobi were not huge—just specialized.
Ernst's real intention all along was to have Venice become Austrian territory, preventing it from one day turning into an inland realm, rather than driving the remaining Venetians to oppose Austria or push for autonomy and independence. If Germany were turned inland, East Africa wouldn't worry, since Germany's main maritime access is basically the Baltic Sea. Britain and France can bottle up the German navy there or seal off the Strait of Gibraltar, forcing it to sail around Africa's west coast, making the distance far too great.
Meanwhile, for Austria-Hungary to reach East Africa, it mainly uses the Suez Canal, which also could be blocked, yet Austria-Hungary and East Africa both have countermeasures. Besides, the Suez Canal is crucial for so many nations bordering the Mediterranean and Red Seas that keeping it open and safe isn't East Africa's job alone.
…
Mombasa.
Today, Mombasa was especially lively. The city hall hosted a welcoming ceremony at the pier, and many government officials came, including East Africa's Finance Minister, von der Leyen, to greet the arrivals. At the dock lay a ship flying the Austro-Hungarian flag, from which emerged an Austrian business delegation.
Approaching them, von der Leyen said, "Welcome to East Africa, everyone! I am von der Leyen, Minister of Finance."
"Greetings, Minister von der Leyen. I'm Wolfgang, leader of the Austrian Business Delegation," replied Wolfgang while he glanced around, taking in Mombasa's surroundings. His first impression was that everything looked orderly—maybe even a bit rigid. The streets were free of trash or drainage, and the city felt somewhat empty because the roads were so wide and the houses so spread out.
Observing Wolfgang peering about, von der Leyen asked, "Mr. Wolfgang, what do you think of Mombasa at first sight? If there's anything you'd like to know, I can explain."
Wolfgang said, "Mombasa is fairly nice. Before coming here, I pictured countless scenarios of what East Africa might be like. Just seeing Mombasa alone has already surprised me."
Von der Leyen answered, "Mombasa is practically a brand-new city rebuilt from scratch. We want to integrate Germanic culture into this region of Africa. Feel free to think of this place as if you've come home."
Everyone in the Austrian delegation, all Germans themselves, clearly appreciated this. Then Wolfgang asked, "Minister von der Leyen, though Mombasa looks decent, why are the roads so wide and the buildings spaced so far apart, making it look underpopulated? Wouldn't this cause enormous waste?"
Wolfgang had traveled much of Europe. European cities generally have narrow streets, high population density, and buildings arranged for maximum utilization. So Mombasa's design struck him as extravagant.
Von der Leyen: "Well, part of it is that East Africa has more land than people, so land is not scarce. Another part is that our cities place priority on livability. You'll notice that though the buildings are spread out, there's also a lot of greenery. We call it a 'garden city.' It also leaves room for future infrastructure—storm drains, water pipes, streetlamps, signage, that sort of thing. Mombasa lacks these in many places for now because of limited funding, but we studied other cities' strengths and set aside enough space for Mombasa's long-term future. As for streets being so wide but the traffic so light, we figure that in time the population will grow, eliminating the need to re-plan everything."
Wolfgang partly accepted von der Leyen's explanation. He concluded they were thinking ahead, but at the same time, he still felt that in the present era, even Europe's largest cities hadn't done so. So wasn't East Africa's approach an administrative luxury—something ornamental?
He said, "You have a point, but East Africa's population is small. When do you plan to see this city realize its potential? Thirty years, forty, perhaps longer?"
Von der Leyen replied, "Right now, Mombasa has about sixty thousand inhabitants, second only to Dar es Salaam. Mind you, it's been just three years or so since our Germanic people established the city. That figure also accounts for driving out some of the local Zanzibaris. Essentially, by drawing in immigrants, we've increased Mombasa's population to roughly rival a mid-sized European city. So Mombasa's future is quite bright."
Sixty thousand might not sound like much by European standards, but in 1870, Berlin had only seven to eight hundred thousand, while Vienna around five to six hundred thousand. Of course, the reason Mombasa and Dar es Salaam each had so many people was that they functioned as East Africa's biggest transit ports, creating numerous jobs—just serving passing vessels and sailors. With Nairobi's upcoming boom, it too could cross fifty thousand, maybe a hundred thousand eventually—policy is powerful. Although East Africa's cities might give the impression of being on par with Europe in scale, most of them, beyond Dar es Salaam and Mombasa, are comparatively small. Right now, there's only Mombasa passing the fifty thousand threshold.
Wolfgang listened intently and found East Africa more interesting. "So, given that Mombasa's development is not bad for a city that used to be just a colonial outpost, I'm curious: how large is the urban population overall in East Africa now?"
City population implies labor force and markets. If East Africa can meet both conditions, plus having resources, that's all an entrepreneur needs. The Austrian mission was here under imperial orders, but they'd like to make a profit, too.
Von der Leyen didn't directly reveal the kingdom's entire capacity. Instead, he answered, "Currently, most of East Africa's people are in agriculture and rural areas. The cities aren't heavily populated, but we're setting up a Northern Industrial Belt anchored by Mombasa, Nairobi, and Kisumu. Combined, these three alone have a total of about one hundred thousand inhabitants. Among them, Nairobi, given the inflow of skilled workers from the Venetian War, might break one hundred thousand by itself. Surrounding farmland has around six hundred thousand residents."
Von der Leyen was essentially giving the Austrian group some statistics on Kenya alone. Even so, hearing "six hundred thousand" made the Austrian merchants' hearts race. Modern Greece, for instance, has only around 1.45 million. Meanwhile, the southern part of Kenya apparently not only has enough people but also abundant resources.
Continuing, von der Leyen said, "Besides that, we're organizing a massive cotton-growing effort in the north—not regular cotton, but long-staple cotton. Its quality may differ somewhat from Egypt's, yet not by much. We also have large farms, good farmland in southern Kenya producing sorghum, wheat, maize, and millet, plus the coffee plantations near Nairobi in what we call South Prussia Province."
He was describing the farmland near the Northern Industrial Belt, hoping to attract Austrian investment. The region possessed raw materials, farmland, and local produce. That was the main reason so many Austrian merchants had come.
Wolfgang: "This all sounds promising. Land is abundant, in the tropics. But I want to ask about local medical conditions."
Word is Africa's environment is harsh and disease is rampant. No matter the business, health comes first.
Von der Leyen: "No need to worry there. We invest heavily in healthcare and have done so from the start. Through sanitation and environment measures, we've drastically cut mortality. Our approach is close to Europe's. Take me, for example: I arrived in East Africa four years ago, and many of our officials and officers have lived here at least three years."
Even if he hadn't said so, East Africa's environment in that latitude is better than most places, being mostly in high-altitude regions. As for disease control, East Africa invests in hygiene, forcibly eliminates mosquitoes, and though they don't fully grasp the rationale, they manage to lower infection rates.
Add to that, in 1870, Europe itself lacks robust solutions for diseases—like how Vienna's World Expo in 1872 triggered a cholera outbreak killing thousands in that city. Meanwhile, East Africa's relatively dispersed population and strict oversight hamper large-scale epidemics. Their Minister of Health wields real authority, ranking in the top five of the government's hierarchy, showing just how seriously East Africa takes the matter. With telegraphs soon spreading across East Africa, controlling infectious diseases further improves.
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