Chapter 962: Schools, Factories, and Football Leagues
Joseph, for his part, didn't find Brienne's pace slow.
He knew they were in the process of standardizing the entire cabinet's responsibilities and procedures—a task that was anything but easy.
Historically, the British only first attempted similar administrative reforms in 1833, with initial results not appearing until 1854.
Of course, the British were trailblazers, having to figure everything out on their own.
Joseph, however, was providing a ready-made solution, so it certainly wouldn't take as long. Still, no necessary step could be skipped.
Once the cabinet was "standardized," efficiency should improve accordingly, and the pace of administrative reforms in the provinces and cities would accelerate.
The mention of "standardization" suddenly reminded Joseph of the Industrial Production Standardization efforts from before.
He had personally overseen it for about two months, and then Gensonné and Mirabeau had pushed it forward for another half-year before they even got the basics down.
In truth, the processes for administrative reform and production standardization were quite similar.
Joseph immediately addressed Brienne: "You can transfer Monsieur Gensonné to Paris."
"He has quite a few staff members who can alleviate your manpower shortage. Moreover, he's very familiar with drafting standard documents."
"Understood, Your Highness. I'll contact him shortly."
Brienne finished discussing the cabinet's administrative reforms and continued, "Your Highness, regarding your instructions for a unified entrance examination for the Royal University of Administration..."
"I'm truly sorry, but after my assessment, it would be extremely difficult to conduct a nationwide simultaneous examination."
"You see, cities like Paris, Reims, and Lyon might manage, but in places such as Foix or Guéret, the municipal officials might not even be literate. Attempting to organize hundreds, or even thousands, of people for an examination would undoubtedly lead to chaos."
Mirabeau added from the side, "They might sell the exam questions before the test even begins."
Yes, this was Joseph's "primitive French Civil Service Examination" design.
The Royal University of Administration set different admission scores for various specialties, with varying graduation periods. The positions after graduation naturally differed greatly as well.
A financial commissioner for a province would study for three years.
While some arduous positions only required two months of study.
Yet, at the very least, an entrance exam was required to qualify as a government official.
However, merely organizing the examinations had stumped the French government for now...
Hearing this, Joseph couldn't help but rub his forehead.
Ultimately, France was still an agrarian society, and its administrative organizational capacity was extremely low.
This was one of the reasons he was so eager to implement administrative reforms.
He considered for a moment, then said, "Then the cabinet will be responsible for dispatching people to various cities to oversee the examinations. Who usually handles similar matters?"
Brienne immediately replied, "Education and examinations are handled by the Church, Your Highness."
Joseph instantly rejected the proposal.
He knew the Church's people all too well. Entrust them with an examination for selecting officials, and they would openly hawk the test papers.
He sighed inwardly.
'It seems the reform of the education system must also be put on the agenda,' he thought.
The deeper the Industrial Revolution progressed, the greater the need for a large number of industrial workers who had received basic education.
Even for tasks like spinning thread or tightening screws, educated individuals were significantly more efficient than illiterates.
For that matter, the Church currently operated many free church schools. However, enrollment was entirely voluntary. Most French people preferred their children earn a few deniers in a factory rather than "waste" their time learning to read and write.
And even if they did attend church schools, they would, at best, only learn to read and write.
Furthermore, the Church would dedicate most of the limited teaching time—typically two to three hours per day—to theology.
Therefore, proper, fundamental Compulsory Education was essential.
Free from the Church's interference, focusing solely on secular subjects for children would be more efficient, and the financial cost should also be lower than church schools.
Joseph suddenly recalled that current church schools didn't seem to cost the government anything; the Church bore all the expenses.
'Wait, where does the Church's money come from then?'
From its land income and the Tithe.
This was also the theoretical basis for the Church's taxation: 'We are responsible for the nation's education, so of course, we need funds.' The other area the Church was responsible for was charity, such as aiding the homeless.
At this thought, Joseph narrowed his eyes.
'If education no longer falls under the Church's purview, wouldn't that be the perfect opportunity to abolish the Tithe, and even reclaim Church properties?'
'Hmm, having my mother handle charity would yield better results than the priests. At least Her Majesty the Queen wouldn't embezzle relief funds.'
Joseph jotted down 'Establish Ministry of Education' in his notebook, then temporarily set his thoughts aside.
After all, the Church's influence in France was still immense; any move against their interests required thorough preparation in advance.
Joseph looked back at Brienne and said, "Alright, let's have people from remote areas travel to the nearest large city for the examination. Each person will receive a travel subsidy of one to three francs."
This small subsidy naturally wouldn't cover the full cost of traveling to another city for the exam, but a larger subsidy might encourage people to falsely register just to pocket the money and take a stroll around the examination site.
"Yes, Your Highness."
After Brienne took his seat, Mirabeau began reporting on the development of the Rhineland—a key focus for the French government at the moment.
"Your Highness, the two quarries in Cologne and Koblenz have been completed, currently producing nearly two boatloads of stone per day."
Mirabeau glanced at his document. "According to the plan, production will increase to four boatloads before the end of this year. We've recruited 900 and 750 workers for each, respectively."
"The expansion of the salt mines in Palatinate is also largely complete, adding 360 workers."
"The potash salt mine in Donnersberg officially began operations last month, but due to the lack of processing plants, production is only 800 kilograms per day. We've recruited 400 workers. However, once the potash fertilizer processing plant is built, the workforce will increase to over a thousand workers..."
Joseph nodded slightly.
The industries he initially promoted in the Rhineland were all characterized by low investment, modest profits, but a high demand for workers.
While a few hundred workers per factory might not sound like much, the entire Rhineland region only had a population of 1.7 million.
Considering that each worker supported three or four family members, plus the livelihoods of those providing services to the workers, such as merchants or carters, these factories could sustain tens of thousands of people.
As their incomes were then spent on daily necessities, stability in the Rhineland region would be significantly enhanced.
After finishing his report on the factories, Mirabeau continued, "Your Highness, five clubs in the Rhineland region have now begun operations, with a total of 102 players. The league conducts a round every twenty days."
Yes, the league he referred to was the "French Football Super League."
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