SWATOW
821
attempts were made to pass through its gates. In 1866 a visit was made under more favourable circumstances, but it is only within very recent years that the population has refrained from annoyance and insult to foreigners within its walls. In 1862 the lease of a piece of land was applied for and granted to the British Government on the north bank of the river about a mile from Swatow, but so strong were the demonstra- tions of the populace against it that the matter fell through. Foreign residences, however, commenced to spring up here and there, and many of them are consequently somewhat scattered, though the majority are in or near the town of Swatow. The yearly increasing traffic of the port has led to much over-crowding on the narrow strip of land on which it is built, and since February, 1877, no less than 21 acres have been reclaimed from the sea, the greater part of which is now covered with shops and houses, The climate of Swatow is reputed to be very salubrious. The town occupies, however, an unenviable position as regards typhoons, on account of being opposite the lower mouth of the Formosa Channel, and it has on many occasions been subjected to all the violence of these terrible storms, which almost every year sweep across the lower coast of China. The population of Swatow is estimated at 35,000.
A Chinese syndicate with a capital of two million dollars obtained the necessary sanction for the construction of a railway from Swatow to Chao-chou-fu, and as there are no formidable engineering difficulties to encounter it is anticipated that the line will be completed at an early date. Its length will be 32 miles, and there will be seven intermediate stations. The contractors are Japanese, who supply all material, the rails coming from England, engines from America and carriages from Formosa. construction of the line has brought about a great inflation of land values, as well as a notable influx of Japanese traders.
The
The foreign trade of Swatow has never been large, but of late years it has shown a slight increase. A considerable trade is done in sugar. The China Sugar Refining Co. of Hongkong have a large sugar refinery here, but work has for some time been suspended. The import into this sugar-producing district of sugar from the Hongkong refineries showed an increase in 1902 that has been justly described as stupendous, the Hongkong product being cleaner and even cheaper than the native product. The increase in the import, which is shown in the returns for 1902, as compared with the figures of the previous year, are given in the Report of the Commissioner of Customs as follows:-"Brown Sugar, from 215 to 5,397 piculs; white sugar from 999 to 14,532 piculs; and refined sugar from 5,486 to 22,368." These figures were not fully main- tained in 1903 and 1994, but the total import in 1903 was 31,063 piculs and in 1904, 34,843 piculs. The export of Sugar in 1904 was 592,974 piculs of brown and 473,564, piculs of white, which is not nearly so large as the returns of a few years ago. A large beancake factory was also started in 1882. The net value of the trade of the port, coming under the cognisance of the Foreign Customs for 1904 was $49,280,786 as compared with Tis. 43,792,227 in 1903; Tls. 44,590,171 in 1902, and Tls. 44,425,745 in 1901.
IL 15
1 Tey-kee
BRADLEY & Co., Merchants
Thomas W. Richardson
Robt. H. Hill
A. Macgowan
A. Forbes (Hongkong)
G. A. Richardson (Shanghai)
F. Bevington
A. Thompson
J. M. da Cruz
Agencies
DIRECTORY
Hongkong & Shanghai Banking Corpn. National Bank of China, Limited
Mercantile Bank of India, Limited British North Borneo Company
Shan Steamship Company Peninsular and Oriental S. N. Co. Shire Line of Steamers Ben Line of Steamers Nippon Yusen Kaisha
Osaka Shosen Kaisha
Kian Guan Line of Steamers Shell T. & T. Company Line Lloyd's
Royal Insurance Company
China Fire Insurance Co., Limited Standard Life Insurance Company New York Life Insurance Company Manufacturers' Life Insee. Company Tokio Marine Insurance Co., Ld. Asiatic Petroleum Co., ïd.
REMINGTON TYPEWRITERS are the Standard Everywhere.