738
SHANGHAI
It com-
Dock at Pootung, at the lower end of the harbour, measures 450 feet on the blocks, 50 feet wide at bottom, and 134 at top, is 80 feet wide at entrance between pierheads, with a depth at high water springs of 22 feet; the works connected with this dock cover an area of 16 acres; the Cosmopolitan Dock, on the Pootung side about a mile below harbour limits, is 560 feet long on blocks, and 82 feet wide at entrance. The International Dock is a new and larger dock. All steamers and most sailing vessels now discharge and load at the various public and private wharves. The premises of the Associated Wharf Companies have a frontage of about three- quarters of a mile. The Chinese Government has an Arsenal, Dock, and Shipbuilding establishment at Kaoch'ang Miao, a short distance above the native city. menced as a small rifle factory in 1867. The Great Northern Telegraph Com- pany's cable was laid to Shanghai in 1871, and that of the Eastern Extension Com- pany in 1884, and in 1906 was opened a German cable line connecting Shanghai with the American Trans-Pacific line at Manila: there being now three distinct lines of communication with Europe. An overland line to Tientsin was opened in December, 1881, subsequently extended to Peking, and in 1894 connected with the Russian land lines through Siberia to Europe. There is also a line west to Kashgar and south as far as Laokay on the Yunnan border, there connecting with the French Tonkin lines and to Bhamo, connecting with the Burmah line. During the operations in 1900, the Allied Powers found it necessary to be independent of the Chinese landlines, and submarine cables were laid connecting Shanghai with Kiao- chow, Weihaiwei, Chefoo, and Port Arthur. A railway constructed by a foreign company was opened to Woosung in June, 1876, but after running for sixteen months it was purchased and taken up by the Chinese Authorities. During the short time it was running the passenger traffic alone covered the working expenses leaving sufficient profit to pay a small dividend. Towards the close of 1895 consent was given by the Throne for the construction by the provincial authorities of a line of railway from Shanghai to Soochow, a distance of about eighty miles. This is now in course of construction, the portion between Shanghai and Woosung having been opened to traffic on 1st September 1898. On 9th October, 1904, the control of the line was taken over by the Chinese Imperial Railway Administration and vested in the Board of Commissioners of the Shanghai-Nanking Railway. The Shanghai terminus is too far from the Settlement to permit of the lines being of any use in handling cargo from Woosung. The line is to be extended to Chinkiang and Nanking. In April, 1904, the first sod of the Shanghai-Nanking line was cut by H. E. Sheng Kung Pao, as Director General of Railways. On November 18th, 1905, a section of twelve miles to Nanziang was opened to traffic and it is expected that the service to Soochow will be opened in the autumn, and perhaps to Nanking in the next year, 1907. A scheme for Tramways in the settlement had often been put forward, but up to 1896 was refused sanction by the ratepayers. In more recent years a change has come over the views of the ratepayers and in 1906 a contract was signed with the well-known British firm of Messrs. Bruce, Peebles & Co. to provide the Settlement with electric tramways. There are several locally owned lines of steamers running on the coast and the river Yangtsze. Many manufactor- ies under both native and foreign auspices have sprung up of late years, and would have done so in large numbers long ago, had it not been that the native authorities offered strong opposition to any manufactures under the control of foreigners and tried to strangle the importation of foreign machinery. Although the right under the Treaty to import machinery is quite clear, the British Government hesitated to enforce it; but the Japanese, in the treaty of 1895 which closed the war, obtained the insertion of a clause specially authorising its importation. The consequence was that five cotton spinning and weaving companies were floated, one under the auspices of Messrs. Jardine, Matheson & Co., one under those of the American Trading Company, one under the management of Messrs. Ilbert & Co., one by Messrs. Arnhold, Karberg & Co., and one by Messrs. Fearon, Daniel & Co., who have built mills of from 40,000 to 60,000 spindles each. With the number of mills working and others in course of construction, the place is rapidly assuming the appearance of a thriving district in Lancashire. At the present time there are nine Cotton Mills in operation, with about 187,000 spindles, and four Chinese-owned, with about 146,000 spindles. It is probable, how- ever, that not more than an average of 60 to 70 per cent of the foreign-owned spindles are at work at one time, taking slack and busy periods together. The mills however, have not proved so profitable as was expected owing to difficulties connected with the supply of the native raw material and the increased cost of labour, In consequence of this Messrs. Fearon, Daniell & Co's. Yah Loong Mill was closed and the machinery sold by public auction in December, 1901. Recently the mills have been
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