Time flies, and in the blink of an eye, it is 1953.

In late January, Hong Kong will meet.

John Keswick of Jardine Matheson Taipan, Swire Taipan Schyoke, George Madden of Wheelock Taipan and other senior executives of Hong Kong and foreign companies gathered together to discuss a matter.

It turns out that with the development of global shipping, these foreign companies that do shipping feel great pressure. For a long time, the foreigner fleet only thought that the Chinese fleet was a shrimp soldier and shrimp general in the sea.

Now, the number of ships registered in the port this month alone is as high as 50,000 or 60,000 tons. At the same time, it is rumored that the fleet of global shipping has surpassed the fleet of various foreign banks.

This made the arrogant foreign bank leaders in the past have to examine the development trend of things and gather together to discuss.

The elder Madden is no longer proud of his former glory, and he plans to return to his London headquarters and hand over the Hong Kong business to his son Madden Jr. But before leaving, he was still unconvinced by Lin Zhichao, thinking of the previous gambling contract, he had lost to the fullest, and he was very unhappy.

"Ladies and gentlemen, according to reliable sources, Global Shipping has more than 300,000 tons of cargo ships, which have achieved real-time communication of global radio waves. At this point, I don't think we have any of them! Old Madden threw out the topic.

John Keswick said, "It's really going fast! The most odious of all is HSBC, which actually supported a Chinese shipowner to compete with our British fleet, which is an act of treason. ”

HSBC has always regarded shipping as a 'black book', and it is impossible for the fleet of foreigners to lend money, but it is only to lend to Chinese. Obviously, this caused everyone's anger.

Schyoke said: "Then why did HSBC choose to lend to this Chinese? I think there must be a reason, HSBC is not a philanthropist, they are a bank, and they only have profit in their eyes. ”

Everyone looked at Old Madden, which means that you have dealt with Lin Zhichao, you should be clear.

"It is said that HSBC's Sandas appreciates that Global Shipping has a large number of long-term contracts in Japan and has obtained a letter of credit from the Bank of Japan, so HSBC feels that the risk is low," said the elder Madden. ”

Everyone thought about it, but soon everyone frowned.

Wouldn't it be a fool's errand to lease to the Japanese for a long time, giving up 30% of the profits.

Not cost-effective!

Moreover, now that Global Shipping has established credibility in Japan, even if they imitate it, it is obvious that it will not succeed.

John Keswick gets to the point: "At the end of the day, we need to limit the growth of global shipping, otherwise it will affect our fleet." In just this month, Global Shipping has opened up three ocean routes, sailing around the world, and each of them is a 10,000-ton ship, which has an impact on us. ”

Several other foreign bank executives nodded one after another, and they must not let the Chinese stand on everyone's head completely in shipping.

"Global shipping has grown so fast that in just three years, it has surpassed the fleet we have built up in 30 years. If this continues, the fleet of global shipping will only get bigger and bigger, and at that time, our fleet will be difficult. ”

"Makes sense! There should be restrictions on global shipping, and they should be told that Hong Kong is still ourgeons. ”

For a while, everyone was indignant, but a little helpless.

Because everyone couldn't think of a good way for a while.

put pressure on the Hong Kong government, but everyone heard that Lin Zhichao and the Hong Kong governor have a close relationship, and their wives are even colleagues; It is obviously even more impossible to shoot black guns, and the outlaws in Hong Kong are all Chinese.

"We can put pressure on HSBC by acting simultaneously in London and in Hong Kong, and say that they are 'mutiny' and support the Chinese shipowners and not the British fleet," Keswick said. Once the source of funds for global shipping is cut off, then how can he develop? ”

As soon as the words fell, everyone was pleasantly surprised, obviously this was a good idea. After all, HSBC is a British bank, and if it is under double pressure from London and the Hong Kong government, it will inevitably stop lending to global shipping.

And those who do shipping know that capital is the last word in development.

Seeing everyone passing, Keswick immediately said: "In view of the large increase in the fleet of global shipping, we at Wharf also plan to adjust the rental price of the warehouse, of course, we will treat everyone equally, and the price will increase uniformly." ”

Old Madden's face was green, Wheelock did not have its own wharf and large warehouse, and the urn said in a loud voice: "The price of Wharf's warehouse is already a little expensive!" ”

Keswick simply ignored it!

Schyoke added: "Our Blue Chimney also plans to adjust the price slightly, of course we are definitely cheaper than Wharf, who called us a little worse!" ”

Keswick wants to draw a knife!

Hong Kong's deep-water wharf is the largest in Wharf and has the largest number of warehouses, so 70% of Hong Kong's large cargo ships have to dock at Wharf. Moreover, Wharf does not only manage piers in Tsim Sha Tsui, but also many other places.

The gathering was completed in an atmosphere that was both united and centrifugal.

Lin Zhichao came to the wharf of Wharf and personally saw off one of its new ships to leave the port to complete the shipping task; For a while, emotions such as excitement and heroism poured out in my heart.

This time, six 10,000-ton cargo ships joined, and three cargo ships still signed three-year long contracts, but the price fell a lot; At the beginning of 1951, the rent of three 10,000-ton freighters could reach 280~3 million US dollars a year; But today, Japanese shipping companies are only willing to pay $2 million a year.

The price is not high, nor is it low, but it is indeed a good market; If it is in the second half of the year, I am afraid that it will only be a long-term annual rent of 150~1.8 million US dollars.

But in any case, shipping is still the highest rate of return, and even real estate is far from comparable. The premise is not to encounter a cold winter, otherwise even if you are not in debt, you may lose money on raising a boat; If you are in debt, the chance of bankruptcy is greatly increased, and the price of important ships can fall out of the sky.

Global Shipping has added three ocean routes this month, both in Europe and the Americas, and for a time it also has a considerable proportion of fixed routes and one-way short-term charter cargo ships, which are about less than 30%. These ships still earn more than long-term charter ships with the same carrying capacity.

After the ship left the port, Lin Zhichao drove to the intersection of Nathan Road and Campari Road opposite Kowloon Park, which was the former Miramar Hotel, which is currently only a small hotel run by a Spanish priest, with only a few dozen rooms in total.

In 1949, several Spanish priests founded the hostel to accept clergy who had been expelled from the interior. Later, the clergy went to work in dioceses in various countries, and the priests' hostels were gradually developed to the public, and the proceeds were used as funds for the Church.

"Boss" Hu Zhaoxu greeted him and greeted.

Lin Zhichao got out of the car and said while playing the priest's hotel: "Manager Hu, how much area does the priest's hotel have?" ”

Hu Zhaoxu thought for a while and said: "The appearance of less than 100,000 square feet is difficult to visualize, but it can be estimated that it is about the same as the area of the Peninsula Hotel." It's just that the Priest's Inn is not well built, so it looks so-so. ”

Lin Zhichao thought that if he won this land, he could build the Lin family's first five-star hotel, the Shangri-La Hotel, by the end of the 50s, and in the early 60s, he could open his doors to welcome guests and become the hotel triumvirate alongside The Peninsula Hotel and the Mandarin Hotel.

But to be honest, the geographical location of this land is still a little worse, mainly because it is not near the sea, and it is not Central in Hong Kong. And the Shangri-La Hotel will be the signature hotel of the Lin family, which seems to be a bit wasteful.

After thinking about it, Lin Zhichao decided not to think about the future first, and had to take down the land and property first. For the rest, I'll think about it later.

"I'm going to buy the Priest's Inn, what do you think should be done?"

Hu Zhaoxu said: "If they come to the door directly, the priest will definitely not agree, after all, they don't value money very much, and it is inconvenient to talk about the transaction directly." In my opinion, we still have to work the Chinese Catholics. However, it is also possible that the priest will not sell it. ”

Lin Zhichao nodded, the Priest's Hotel is not the same as the 'Causeway Bay Church Site', it can also generate a steady stream of wealth, which can be used for the church's funds.

"You have to find a way to see if this Spanish Christianity allows business, and if it is doctrinal, you will be fine. Got it? ”

Hu Zhaoxu nodded and said, "Understood"

Some simple small schemes are not immoral, they can only be said to be supporting justice.

The news that foreign banks in Hong Kong jointly complained to London that HSBC only helped Chinese shipowners and refused loans from British shipowners, was suddenly reported by the media.

For a while, there was a lot of uproar in Hong Kong, and the huge fleet of global shipping resurfaced and was talked about.

After Lin Zhichao heard this kind of news, he asked Sandas to inquire about the news at the Deep Water Bay Golf Course, he couldn't let this kind of news spread, sometimes although public opinion is public opinion, but the consequences may not be 'public opinion'.

Before playing, Lin Zhichao invited Sandas to visit the construction site of No. 79 Deep Water Bay by car.

Looking at the hot construction site, Sandas sighed: "I didn't expect that you are going to open your own palace in Deep Water Bay, and the cost must be expensive, right?" ”

Don't look at the relationship between the two, it is Lin Zhichao who has a request for Sandash, but Sandash is only an HSBC executive after all, and his annual salary is only a few thousand pounds at most; Of course, these British executives and high-ranking officials are very spending, they can afford to play golf, enjoy Hong Kong clubs and other benefits.

Lin Zhichao said with a smile: "It's just the budget of a 10,000-ton second-hand freighter!" ”

Sandas said with a 'haha' smile: "Yes, after all, you now have about 44 cargo ships of about 10,000 tons, and this strength is even the envy of Huidefeng, Jardine Matheson, and Taikoo." ”

These foreign companies still only have a deadweight of more than 200,000 tons, because even if they make money, they do not necessarily expand their fleets, but diversify their investments. Nowadays, the development is not as good as global shipping, but it is necessary to use small means.

Lin Zhichao did not rush to discuss this topic, but said: "What do you think of this position?" ”

Foreigners in Hong Kong also believe in feng shui, and even world-class architects from Europe and the United States must follow the guidance of Chinese masters and ask them to evaluate the merits of the plans. When a foreigner's company opens, it usually starts with worshipping the gods of China, setting off firecrackers, lion dances and singing.

The HSBC building was completed and opened before the Anti-Japanese War, and it was lively all day long according to Chinese customs. On the birthday of Confucius, the HSBC Tower is lit up with lights and Cantonese opera singers are invited to sing for the public. HSBC's 'Treasure of the Town' is a pair of Chinese-style bronze lions, cast by Chinese artisans in Shanghai.

Later, the third-generation building of HSBC was pushed to be rebuilt, and a Chinese feng shui master was specially invited to choose a good day and an auspicious day and a designated place for the bronze lion to be moved - otherwise, it was worried that it would take away HSBC's wealth.

Sandas said with a smile: "Although I don't know much about feng shui, I think it should be a good location, and the only regret may be that there are non-high-ranking officials living here who are very rich." But now that you come to live, I'm afraid it will drive the residential value of Deep Water Bay. ”

Lin Zhichao was stunned, he didn't expect Sandas to be quite good at talking, yes, when he retires in the future, he will build him a third-generation HSBC building made of gold and give it to him as a gift.

"Haha. In fact, Deep Water Bay and Repulse Bay are very livable, and I believe that this area will become one of the most luxurious residential areas in Hong Kong in the future. Hong Kong will become more and more prosperous, and the wealthy will seek 'exclusive' residential areas, such as The Peak, and the Shouson Hill, Deep Water Bay, Repulse Bay and so on in the south of Hong Kong. ”

Sandas nodded, but was not envious, HSBC's senior executives lived on the top of the hill, and there were many garden villas for the executives to live in.

The two then returned to the Deep Water Bay Golf Club to play golf.

With Lin Zhichao's superb skills, Sandas was also secretly surprised by Lin Zhichao's learning ability, as far as he knew, Lin Zhichao's work was busier than him, but he practiced his golf level very well.

Sandas was the first to hold back the matter, and said: "You asked me to play golf, I'm afraid you are asking about the outside about many foreign companies complaining to the London government, right?" ”

Lin Zhichao said calmly: "Indeed, I want to ask you how the senior management of HSBC deals with this kind of thing?" ”

Sandas said with a smile: "I can only say that HSBC is a bank, and since it is a bank, not a charity, or a government department, it is natural to consider the benefits. Although HSBC's senior management is a little worried about the impact of this incident, it will not change much of its strategy. Of course, we at HSBC are still conservative about shipping loans. ”

Lin Zhichao nodded, although this answer was a little vague, he still speculated that HSBC may have been affected a little.

He is not a person who sits still, so he said: "I want to build a 10,000-ton freighter in a shipyard in the UK, and I want to ask HSBC to do the loan." What do you think? ”

Sandas's eyes lit up, and he quickly understood Lin Zhichao's thoughts.

Originally, Global Shipping had a certain credibility in the British business community, because many of its cargo ships were purchased in the UK; Now, if Global Shipping builds a 10,000-ton freighter in the UK, it will win the gratitude of the British government, and senior officials at the level of ministers or deputy ministers will participate in the launching ceremony, because heavy industry is a very important part of a country's economy.

At the same time, HSBC took out a loan for the ship, and the young man used an ingenious way to deal with the crowding out of the foreign banks.

Terrible!

"I don't think that's a problem! After all, the total assets of Global Shipping are more than 20 million US dollars, and there are many long-term contracts, so the strength of the bank has reassured. It's that you don't think about it, a new freighter is often the cost of three old second-hand ships. And, as far as I know, the shipping market is not so strong anymore. ”

Lin Zhichao said with a smile: "Global Shipping can easily exceed 500,000 tons of deadweight this year, and there will be no excessive debt, so I am also considering building new ships and entering the field of oil tankers." In short, Global Shipping will not be overly indebted. ”

Of course, Sundash knew that the finances of Global Shipping were healthy, so he didn't say anything.

This is how it was decided - Global Shipping went to the UK to build a 10,000-ton cargo ship, and the price in the UK was $1.8 million ~ $2 million; Global Shipping only needs to contribute 2% of the capital, and the rest will be loaned by HSBC.

The money for building a new ship is generally an advance deposit, and then the final payment of the ship is paid after it is built. In general, it takes about a year and a half to build a ship.

(End of chapter)