SHANGHAI
133
Maritime Customs supervision. An export of the native growth to foreign countries has now commenced. Owing to the increased silver cost the import of Cotton Goods and Yarn, which for several years had shown an annual increase in quantity of over 25 per cent., fell greatly in 1893, but the value in 1894 was 20 per cent. over that of 1893, and there was a further increase of 5 per cent. in 1895, while the year 1896 shewed the astonishing increase of 523 per cent. over its immediate predecessor. Woollens increased by 36 per cent. in value in 1891, with a further increase of about 7 per cent. in 1892, but declined 3 per cent. in 1893, and 25 per cent. in 1894, rising again by 9 per cent. in 1895, and by over 57 per cent. in 1896. Metals imported increased by 10 per cent. in value in 1891, remained about stationary in 1892 and 1893, increased 11 per cent. in 1894, but declined 5 per cent. in 1895. As with most other foreign imports there was, however, a remarkable rise in 1896, the value in that year being 441 per cent. greater than in 1895. The import of Kerosine Oil was 35,179,205 gallons in 1891, 21,027,848 gallons in 1892, 28,751,050 gallons in 1893, 43,314,254 in 1894, but fell to 29,716,480 in 1895, rising, however, to 42,821,383 gallons in 1896. American declined in 1895 to less than half of the import in 1894, namely from 36 to 16 million gallons, but increased to 254 million gallons in 1896, while Russian case oil increased from 4 million gallons in 1894 to 7.85 in 1895 and 7.83 in 1896, and Russian tank oil from 3 in 1894 to 5.85 in 1895 and to 7.65 million gallons in 1896. The importation of Sugar was 247,894 piculs in 1892, 1,137,353 in 1893, 1,284,414 in 1894, 1,083,257 piculs in 1895, and 908.474 in 1896; of this 417,695 was refined, almost entirely from Hongkong. The value of machinery imported in 1892 was Tls. 231,937, in 1893 Tls. 651,453, in 1894 Tls. 1,029,670, in 1895 Tls. 1,674,288, and in 1896 Tls. 1,643,163. Trade in 1894 and 1895 was seriously hampered from various exceptional causes, referred to under the heading of China, but as regards imports 1896 greatly exceeded the figures for any previous year, and amounted to 130 million Haikwan taels, or £21,683,051.
The total export trade in 1896 amounted to 86 million tuels, of which native produce to foreign Countries aggregated 55 million taels, a decrease of 15 millions on the 1895 total. Of this decrease Raw Cotton accounts for 64 millions, Raw Silk 51, Filature Silk 14, Silk Piece Goods 13 millions, and Tea nearly one million. The import of silver fell from 36.6 million taels in 1895 to 6.6 in 1896.
The following tables show the export of Tea and Silk for six years:-
Tea- Black Brick Green
1892...
11
1893... 1894... 1895... 1896...
"
"
1891...piculs 283,178 289,689 269,730 281,739 291,339 353,910 304,267 338,028 358,631 412.694 151,850 175,398 217,425
Silk 205,914 1891...60,743 187,995 | 1892...61,160 234,072 1893...57,674
Wild
Waste Cocoons
8,925
41,186
7,325
9,173 39,864
3,316
6,034 40,628
6,887
230,215
1894...60,657
9,909
48,191
6,703
240,689
1895...68,384
10,065 37,743
7,973
9,487 25,877 7,939
The Import trade in Foreign Goods for 1896 may be summarised as follows:- From Great Britain Hk. Tls. 42,738,204
From Straits and Australia Tls. 2,399,134
| 1896...46,329
From Hongkong...
From India
From United States
+
27,421,723
From British America
...
1,947,332
23,027,056
From other Countries
166,883
...
11,726,393 10,295,347
From Chinese Ports
442,471
A
Cotton Yarn
19,756,574 | Soap
Opium
18,727,450 Matches
Metals
Kerosine Oil...
7.190,032 5,444,855 Woollen Goods... 4,569,039
Sugar
3,808,515
Coal
2,608,218
Machinery
1,647,935
Dyes and Colours 1,397,472
Ginseng.
1,133,771
From Continent of Europe
From Japan and Formosa 9,933,761
The following were the values of the principal classes of Foreign Goods imported during that year:-
Cotton Goods. Tls. 44,720,240 Seaweed ...Tls. 562,229
488,938 ... 479,652 Needles
473,838 Wine, Beer, Sp'ts. 455,994 Tobacco, Cigars, &c. 441,823 Leather and L. Gds. 409,506 Sharks' Fins
378,187 Glass and G'ware 373,205 Mats and Matting 361,977 Beche de Mer... 347,907
Hk. Tls.130,098,304
Cotton (Raw) ...Tls. 316,712
Pepper
311,539
Household Stores
272,702
Mushrooms
264,245
Medicines
...
261,415
Braid...
259,875
Cardamons
250,208
Fans
224,529
Indigo
197,242
Lamps & Lampware 194,878
Vermilion
***
***
Sandalwood
842,245
Paper
347,066
Sundries
186,856 8,409,137
Timber
764,882
Silk & Silk Goods
324,482
Birds' Nests
...
574,535
Clocks & Watches
318,399
Total Hk. Tls.130,098,304
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