RE:: [email removed] (T. L. Hayes)
Subject: (1971) Trade
"Ok picture it, the Imperium, 1101, the TL Megacorporation discovers a planet
dripping with raw materials. Duke Hayes, the president and owner gets the
official governmental OK to exploit the planet for all its worth (I pulled
some strings of course). The atmosphere is poisonous, the soil is so
metalic that it won't support any editable plants. The corporation set up a
colony to mine the planet. Since its a waste to send empty ships to pick
up the raw material I send full ships! Ships full of food, water, clothes,
anything I can sell. This way I get some of the money I'm paying them back
and my ship's make money going *both* ways! Keep in mind that I am paying
these people a small fortune to live and work here under these conditions."
"Because this is a long term project the miners marry and have children or
bring their families with them (for the promise of money "Honey, its only
2 or 3 years then will be rich!" except I'm charging outragous prices for
basic goods and the miners never make much of a profit). The children
grow up thinking of this as home. But I'm getting a head of myself."
Yes, you will be shipping supplies to the mining colony instead of
deadheading. However, I think that you underestimate the amount of cargo
space available for supplies. Setting up a colony requires *lots* of
equipment, and supplies. Any extra cargo space would be devoted to mining
and refining equipment. Once the colony starts producing refined material
instead of raw material, the amount of cargo space available will drop like
a rock, yet the colony will be larger and require more supplies. I duobt
that there will normally be surplus to create a homey atmosphere, unless the
place already provides most of the raw requirements of life, so that there
is room for extra imports.
As an aside, that kind of equipment do you imagine Traveller has for taking
raw material, ie water, ice, sand, rock, hydrocarbons, gases, and producing
air, water, food and fuel? Or will all of this have to be imported? I
don't recall seeing much in this vein in Traveller. I assume that fusion
fuel can be refined as on starships, that water can be purified from water
and ice, and that air can be made from water and oxides. what about food?
I suspect that if synthesized food is possible, it will be de jour in the
mining colonies.
"Once things are going smoothly, I set up manufacturing facilities because
it cheaper to make the stuff here then to export the raw materials. This
requires more people and more support people to do the mining, manufacturing,
starport services, schools for my employee's children etc, etc. Boom! Planet
pop is now say 4-5 (not bad). There is minimum self support because of the
poor conditions for growing food. Now that there is a starport however those
damnable independant traders start showing up with their cheap foodstuffs and
other supplies so I must lower my import prices to avoid loosing money. Now
my miners are really begining to make money, tangable money that is. By now
many have invested many years in the company and this is their home (such as
it is) and they don't want to leave."
This is about what I consider par for the course for a mining colony to
eventually develop into an industrial planet. Either the company will
specialize in exporting widgets, or framisis's which are always in need on
the planet will start being made at the colony.
Also, though, I believe that a large number of young adults will leave the
place if it does not show promise to them, and go elsewhere. For a small
colony this may more then offset any population increase.
"By this time I have made a pile of money and maybe others have successfully
petitioned for access to the planet and I loose my monopoly so I start selling
off all the things I own on the planet while it still is a monopoly (mostly).
Some I sell to other corporations, some the my former workers who now live
there. Since this is now an employee owned operation they can do what they
want but they are unlikely to leave because now they "own their home" in a
manner of speaking. So more time passes and more children grow up here
thinking of this as home. Some leave, some don't. Living is not so hard now
because lots of cities have been built to house all the people. Doomed parks
and gardens have been created by the people who live there so maybe some of the
food needs can now be met locally (but it is expensive since you need to purify
air and water and probably import the original soil). It may still be cheaper
to import food especially considering the amount of money that can be made on
the manufactured exports (no over head for pollution control or the like)."
As long as the basics of life can be produced on the planet, inculding
synthesized food for the lower masses.
"Maybe this is not the best explaination for why a "worthless" planet would
have a sizable population but it shows the idea. Don't under estimate the
power of the mind to accept "home". Many people don't leave the places
they were born and raised in even here on Earth today. Long term projects
will create families and communities that may be totally supported by
imported products. Why set up agriculture on a planet you (the megacorp.)
intend to throw away when your done? For the employees? Get serious there
are millions of people who will work for these wages! Let them import food!"
It's a plausible scenario, given some premises. How common will it be,
though? I believe tht it will only take place on the most favorable
planets. As with current development, the best places will be developed
first, ie the planets that already have some of the resources needed.
TLH
Jim.