SHANGHAI
105
bottoms, import and export, for the last four years, as given by the Customs Statistical Department, being :
1887...Hk. Tls. 138,234,600, at Ex. 1.54, Mex. $212,881,284, at Ex. 48. 10d., £33,550,069
1888... 1889... 1890...
"
"
146,917,846, 145,649,999, 145,145,106,
"
1.54, 1.54,
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""
39
1.54,
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"J
$226,253,483, $224,300,998, $223,523,463,
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""
48. 8 d., £34,510,390 4s. 84d., £34,440,156 58. 2 d., £37,647,012
This was in spite of the rapid and heavy fall in silver, which necessarily restricted business. The value of foreign Opium imported in 1890 was Hk. Tls. 279,013 less than in the previous year and Hk. Tls. 1,886,044 less than in 1888 and for several years pre- viously there has been a falling off, owing to increased production of and demand for native opium, the quality of which is now much superior to what it formerly was and the taxes on which are very much lighter than on the foreign drug. The import in 1881 was 51,522 chests, which gradually declined to 36,003 chests in 1889 and 34,447 chests in 1890. The imports of Cotton Piece Goods in 1890 were 25 per cent. more than in 1889, while Woollen Goods and Metals showed a slight decline. There was a falling off in the export of Black Tea of 82,938 piculs, and in Brick Tea of 29,211 piculs and an increase of 6,542 picals Green Tea compared with 1889. The decline in two years has been 97,080 piculs Black, 12,279 piculs Green, and 113,926 piculs Brick Tea. The export of Silk in the same year amounted to 39,699 piculs and 58,306 piculs waste, etc., against 53,803 piculs and 63,288 piculs waste, etc. the previous year, and 48,653 piculs and 51,367 piculs waste, etc. in 1888. The import trade in Foreign Goods for 1890 may be summarised as follows:-
From Great Britain
...
Tls. 22,978,155 17,674,297
From Hongkong
From India
10,294,092
From Japan
...
...
6,789,931
From United States
3,530,207
3,041,074
From Continent of Europe
From Straits
From British America From Australasia From other Countries
...
Tls. 1,047,944
612,178
219,658
238,470
Hk. Tls. 66,426,006
Of the total an amount to the value of Haikwan Tls. 52,046,305 was re-exported, namely to the Yangtsze ports Hk. Tls. 23,351,263, to the Northern ports Hk. Tls. 20,510,242, to Ningpo and Southern ports Hk. Tls. 6,089,749, to Japan Hk. Tls. 394,351, to Hongkong Hk. Tls. 624,188, to Great Britain Hk. Tís. 239,588, to Russian Manchuria Hk.. Tls. 251,571, and to other Foreign Countries Hk. Tls. 24,932, leaving a balance for local consumption and stock of Hk. Tls. 14,379,701.
The following were the values of the principal classes of goods imported:- Cotton Goods. Tls. 31,591,039 Sandalwood Tls. 558,179
Sharks' Fins Tls. 204,366 Machinery
Opium
Metals...
12,523,251 4,230,391
Timber Ginseng
...
466,947
433,311
201,437 Soap and Perfumery. 194,945
...
Woollen Goods
2,564,741
Matches
333,325
Brass Buttons
194,307
Kerosine Oil ...
2,316,504
Wine and Spirits
304,230
Window Glass
169,285
Coal
...
1,866,969
Birds' Nests
270,390
Clocks & Watches
166,238
Seaweed
...
744,426
Needles
***
268,883
Cardamoms
•
151,681
Dyes, Aniline
725,033
Sugar...
...
258,344
Sundries
... 3,927,871
Biche de Mer...
669,836
Mushrooms
...
240,683
Pepper...
625,961
Leather
223,433
11,354,230
6,667,899
Cotton Raw
Sugar Rice
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n
(Free) (Tribute)...
...
Paper Straw Braid Medicines Tobacco...
...
...
5,868,719
Tls. 887,159 Cloth & Nankeens 1,077,437 Cotton Clothing 865,634 Hides & Horns... 818,147
Hk. Tls. 66,426,006
Imports to the value of Tls. 1,269,897 were sent to the interior under Transit Passes; Metals, Kerosine, and Coal being the principal articles thus conveyed. The imports in foreign bottoms of native produce not re-exported amounted to Hk. Tls. 7,883,415.
The total values of Exports and Re-exports of Native Produce to Foreign Countries, Hongkong, and Chinese ports in 1890 were:-
Tls. 15,661,263 Wool
Silk Tea... Silk Piece Goods
...
Rhubarb
...
Tls. 300,586 Lily Flowers, dried 295,072
Cuttle Fish
291,846
Fans
286,662
4,671,170 Beans & Beancakes 771,731
Nutgalls
282,142
...
3,058,892 Hemp
727,501
Grass Cloth.....
275,803
1,408,706
Vegetable Oils
693,057
Books Printed...
246,531
661,211
Furs & Fur Rugs
644,927
Musk......
181,485
2,172,700
Wheat...
638,082
Fungus
177,851
...
2,009,176
Chinaware
444,143
Sundries
3,765,006
1,501,755
V'icelli & Macaroni 384,939
1,384,673
Wax ...
359,550
Total Hk. Tls. 70,835,69