[ASneakyFox]

I like how they changed the name from autonomous zone to zone of employment and economic development and then it got passed.

I sense it'll end up being a sweatshop farm and the "employees" will be paid so little that they won't be able to leave.

The us used to allow small towns like this. Employees would get paid in company minted currency. Then they'd only be able to shop at stores and restaurants owned by the company. This sort of thing is of course illegal now.

[praxeologist]

That's crazy. How did they get the people to go there? Did they trick them somehow?

[huxley]

If you worked in a remote area doing logging, mining or fishing, the use of company stores and company scrip was quite common once upon a time:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Company_scrip

Scrip was theoretically exchangeable for cash, but because these company towns tended to be hard currency poor, you'd never get anything close to face value, so you spent it in the stores provided by the company.

Both the wages and prices were set by the company so the worker had little choice but to accept it or find their way back to more populated areas and likely unemployment.

[lotsofmangos]

You load 16 tons and what do you get? Another day older and deeper in debt. St Peter don't you call me cos I can't go, I owe my soul to the company store.

[seanflyon]

"Sixteen Tons" by Tennessee Ernie Ford

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L2tWwHOXMhI

[davidw]

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Company_store

[yardie]

That sort of thing continues with boutique retail clothing. They pay you and then require you to buy this years line.