Looking at the gray-haired old prime minister, Franz hesitated a little in his heart, and asked himself: "Is it really good to do this?" ”

Soon this idea was dispelled by him, and there was no room for indecision in politics. Besides, Prime Minister Felix seems to be very energetic and can handle government affairs with ease.

Franz, who misses the old, does not like to change people often, and the cabinet members have been working for more than 20 years, except for those who left early for physical reasons.

The stability of the top level ensures the continuity of the policy to the greatest extent. They have been responsible for Austria's rapid development over the years.

As for the issue of high merit and worrying about the cabinet becoming bigger, that is something that only mediocre kings need to consider, and Franz is not worried at all.

As long as it is operated properly, it is completely possible to turn the "meritorious master" into a good story of "sage and virtuous appearance", and most of the time the famous ministers are to set off the famous monarch.

Guide public opinion a little, the credit of the courtiers is that the emperor knows people and makes good use of them, and there is no need to compete with his subordinates for credit. Unless it's a bad place, you need to worry about it every day.

In this regard, Western emperors are much happier, and they don't have to worry about their subordinates rebelling when they become bigger. The sense of law has been deeply rooted in the hearts of the people, and now it is popular to look at the bloodline, not the world where the prince will have a kind of Xiangning.

Of course, the revolutionary parties are an exception, they are rebel professionals and cannot be generalized.

The information has been passed on to the cabinet, and Franz has long developed a tacit understanding with them for many years, and everything the emperor wants to do is the cabinet charge.

If you have any questions, you will first discuss them secretly in the palace, and only after the results of the discussion will you raise them in the government. In addition to the problem cabinet taking responsibility, Franz is responsible for the aftermath.

After reading the information, Felix said in the opposite direction: "Your Majesty, there is no problem in encouraging childbearing, but we have to consider the actual situation.

Judging from the current average income of the domestic population, theoretically it is not a big problem for a couple to support five or six children. But in fact, for some people, it is still very stressful.

Especially in the working class, once they have children, it is difficult for the husband and wife to work together, reducing the income of one child, and the pressure on the family will also increase.

At present, the regions with declining fertility in China are all cities with rapid industrial development. Due to the pressure of life, many working families do not dare to raise children.

If we want to increase the birth rate, we must first solve this problem. Otherwise, as the times develop, the number of workers increases, and the more difficult it will be. ”

The poorest people in Austria today are the working class, who may have incomes comparable to those of the peasants, but whose standard of living is far from comparable.

After all, the cost of housing and daily living expenses consume a large part of their wealth.

On the contrary, the peasants were more comfortable, and with the opening up of the colonies, the land contradictions in the country were completely resolved, and the per capita land area increased greatly, and their incomes also increased.

Most of the families have already repaid the land ransom in advance, and it is now the stage when the peasants are at their richest. But Franz knew that such good times would not last long.

As productivity develops, the gap between industry and agriculture will become larger and larger, and these advantages will soon be negated.

Now there are only few industrial products, and everyone's demand is also small. The income from the land is enough for daily expenses, but as people's needs increase, the money is not enough.

It is too difficult to increase the income from the land, and in fact, the income from the land is still in a state of continuous decline.

Just look at the tsarist government, which worked hard to farm, and in a few years the Russians will return to the grain market again, and then there will be a large amount of grain from Russia to hit the market.

Changes in supply and demand will have a direct impact on the price of food on the international market, which in turn will affect the profitability of Austrian farmers.

Franz has always been working on the rainy day. Increasing internal consumption is the most effective way, and policies to encourage fertility are the most advantageous measures. As the population increases, so does the consumption of food.

Franz asked directly: "What are the plans of the prime minister?" ”

With what he knew about Prime Minister Felix, since the problem was raised, the solution was ready.

Prime Minister Felix replied: "Your Majesty, it is not difficult to solve this problem, but the financial pressure will be a little great.

Prior to this, we have already introduced relevant laws, such as the legal situation mandating paid maternity leave and prohibiting dismissal, but this is a drop in the bucket.

After the child is born, she still needs to be taken care of, and during this period, female workers are unable to go to work normally, and usually after exceeding the paid leave, they will be suspended from work by the company.

It's good to have parents to help bring them, but these are all minority, and most of them are couples who take care of their children.

In that case, it is better to simply let the wife go home and take the children. A part of the government subsidy is provided to relieve their living pressure. ”

This is very German, and later generations of Germany also encouraged wives to take care of children at home, but I didn't expect this concept to exist in this era.

This concept is not advanced, but a practical need, the baby cannot be taken care of without people, otherwise the little one will starve to death when he comes back from overtime. For fertility activists, it is actually unemployed.

Franz has no opinion on the issuance of subsidies, and the wool comes out of the sheep. Since the company has already undertaken paid maternity leave, it can also be replaced by a tax form.

Paid maternity leave can be abolished and the government will directly issue maternity subsidies. The part of the tax shortfall will be borne by the government.

As for the reduction of the labor force, Franz was not worried at all. This is really not a big influence, in this era there are still mainly male workers, and the number of female workers in Austria does not exceed two million.

You can't have so many people having children at the same time, right? If it was, Franz wouldn't mind either. This subsidy is not long-term and is limited to a certain period of time.

After thinking about it, Franz said: "There is no problem with the issuance of subsidies, there is still time for this subsidy standard, and the cabinet will determine it as soon as possible." ”

Originally, Franz prepared flour, which was economical and affordable. The monthly subsidy is 20kg, which has been paid for 5 years, and the words are taken back again.

In terms of cost, direct distribution of flour is the cheapest. As a major grain producer, food prices in Austria have always been low.

If flour is supplied by the government, the monthly subsidy is 20 kg per person, and this cost can be controlled within 25 shillings, and the annual subsidy per person does not exceed 3 Aegis.

The purchasing power of the Aegis is so strong, 1 Aegis is about 3.66 grams of gold, if the purchasing power is not strong, there will be a problem. This is still because fertilizer was not born, otherwise the price of food would not be so high.

According to this figure, the five-year childcare subsidy is only 15 Aegis. Using 15 Aegis to increase the population by one is very cost-effective no matter how you look at it.

It's not that simple, and doing so can have a series of effects. For example, the price of flour in the market will be affected.

20 kilograms of bread made of flour and ingredients are enough for a couple to eat for a month, and everyone doesn't just eat bread.

Since it is enough to eat, there is naturally no need to buy it again. The business of selling flour has decreased, and the business of selling bread has shrunk.

Don't look at it as inconspicuous, but the market economy affects the whole body, and these changes will also involve other industries, and what the final consequences will be, Franz is not sure.

Taking the liberty of breaking the economic cycle system will definitely do more harm than good to a country. Originally, it was to save money, but as a result, the fiscal expenditure was saved, and the fiscal revenue was also reduced.

This account must be calculated carefully, and Franz naturally does not take the decision for granted. Wouldn't it be a big loss if the resulting reduction in tax revenue outweighed the savings?

Chancellor of the Exchequer Karl proposed: "Your Majesty, it is better for the local government to make specific policies, and we just need to guide them."

The situation is different in each region, and it is not possible to unify the standards. For example, in Vienna we can't reward housing, otherwise the city's population will explode in a few years. ”

It didn't take long for Franz to react, and it really couldn't be one-size-fits-all. These measures can only be used as a reference, and the conditions that the colonies can provide cannot be done in many parts of the country.

In Vienna, for example, if we were to emulate Newbrook, the biggest problem would not be the city's population explosion, but the bankruptcy of the government's finances.

Unless Franz, a big landowner, puts unlimited land and suppresses housing prices. Otherwise, according to the current price, it will be more than 20 shields per square meter, and 40 square meters will be 800 shields, and it will be difficult for the Vienna government not to go bankrupt.

It is unrealistic to suppress house prices, and Vienna is in a special situation. The name of the city that never sleeps has brought a brand effect. Unlimited land supply is even more nonsense, and if the infrastructure can't keep up, it's a disaster.

Another example is the difference between urban and rural areas, regional differences, and income differences, all of which need to be considered. If something goes wrong, it's not going to end well.

It is much better to let local governments formulate policies based on the actual situation. Different regions give different incentives, which is the most in line with the actual situation.

Anyway, it is related to political performance, and I am not afraid that the bureaucrats will not work hard. If you can't do a good job, you will be replaced by someone who can do a good job, and there is no shortage of officials in Austria now.

As a result, the cabinet has changed from an executor to a supervisor, and even has no responsibility. Even if the people are dissatisfied, they are only scolded by the local government.

After all, the standards are different from place to place, which is enough to prove that the central government's intentions are good, but the problem is that the local government has made mistakes in implementing them.

It is conceivable that in the future, the subsidy standard will be high in places with money, and low in places without money.

The birth rate of the population happens to be out of place, the birth rate is low in economically developed areas, and the birth rate is higher in poorer places.

……

While Franz was struggling to increase his population, a meeting was taking place at the Grand Hotel Vienna on the redivision of Europe.

What is surprising is that this international conference of low standards was attended by the foreign ministers of Britain and France. As the host, Austrian Foreign Minister Wessenberg could only preside over the meeting in person.

The foreign ministers of the three major countries gathered together, and the level of the meeting was raised all at once, which made the representatives of the various countries who came to play soy sauce very embarrassed.

Diplomacy also pays attention to the principle of reciprocity, and if the status is too low, there is no confidence to speak. In addition, small countries have no confidence in international diplomacy, and their voice has been compressed even more.

Fortunately, it is just a division of the European region, which in the final analysis is a matter of title, and it is a big deal to change the geographical term.

First of all, it was determined that geographical terms do not represent legal principles, and international conventions were signed. The meeting was very enjoyable without affecting everyone's actual interests.

The moderator, Wessenberg, was so pleased that just as he was about to announce the end of the meeting, a staff member came up to him and whispered in his ear.

Wessenberg, who was originally smiling, suddenly turned gloomy. The person who smashed the field came, and if it weren't for the fact that there were too many representatives present, he would have exploded on the spot.

It had just been decided by an international conference that Lombardy and Venesia belonged to the German region, and now the Italians were protesting outside.

The news leaked quickly, obviously because it was prepared for a long time. This was happening, especially under the nose of Austria, and put the Viennese government directly in a passive position.

……