HANKOW
853
During the last few years foreign interests at Hankow have undergone a marked development, the chief factor in producing the growth being the construction the Lu Han Railway, a trunk line connecting Hankow with Peking, the contract for which was let to a Belgian syndicate in 1897. It was opened in November, 1905, when trains passed over the Yellow River Bridge, which was immediately closed again as unsafe. Since December 19th 1905, through traffic with Peking has continued with- outinterruption. Early in 1906 "trains deluxe" were started. The line has diverted much of the traffic that went by water to Chinkiang. Germany, France, Russia, and Japan have since 1895 acquired concessions, and the British concession has been extended. The German, Russian and British have Municipal Councils. Thus while there was formerly a bund of only half a mile in length, in front of the British concession, there is now a continuous line of concessions ineasuring in all over two miles of river frontage. Houses and godowns sprang up fast in 1904 and wells were bored. The English Church was re-built, and consecrated in May, 1904. Messrs. Vrard & Co. a few years ago imported and erected, on the Wuchung side of the river, machinery for crushing antimony ore, which is dried, packed in bags, and exported abroad. These have recently been taken over by Messrs. Carlowitz & Co., who are making large additions to the plant. Antimony, lead and zinc ores are crushed. A large business is also done by a match factory as well as by albumen factories. Messrs. Arnhold, Karberg & Co., who are agents for the Shell Transport Company, Limited, of London, have erected on the foreshore, several miles below the Foreign Concessions, oil tanks for storing bulk oil, to be tinned
on the premises. Two tanks
tanks have
a capacity of 2,500 tons of oil each. During the low-water_season small tank- steamers will bring the oil from Shanghai. The Royal Dutch Petroleum Company, Langkat, has followed suit and erected an installation. The Standard Oil Co. had three large tanks erected at the end of 1904. Each installation added another tank in 1906.
Tea is the staple export. The total export in 1906 was 932,508 piculs. This in value represented about one-sixth of the exports. Opium was imported to the extent of 305 piculs in 1906 as against 262 piculs in 1905 and 253 piculs in 1904. It is computed that 70 per cent. of the opium used at this port is native grown drug; the import of the foreign article is declining. The trade under the transit pass system is larger at Hankow than at any other port, but it is steadily declining. In 1904 its value was Tls. 5,956,453, or about three millions less than in 1903. In 1905 it dropped a further million and a quarter, and again in 1906 to Tls. 3,909,397. The net value of the trade of the port in 1966 amounted to Tls. 97,142,377, against Tls. 111,043,046 in 1905 and Tls. 107,449,374 in 1904.
DIRECTORY
AIRD, ROBERT, M.B., CH.B., Med. Practitioner
和協 Hip-wo
ANDERSON & Co., ROBT., Tea Merchants
C. Schlee (London)
H. Schlee (Foochow)
Ed. White
A. M. Lester
記瑞 Sui-ki
ARNHOLD, KARBERG & Co., Merchants,
Tel. Ad. Karberg
W. Herensperger, signs per pro.
W. Goetz,
P. Houben
H. Griffin
E. Schröder
H. H. Richter W. Poltrock
do.
A. Brandes, hide inspector H. Stadtlender, do.
F. T. Singer,
do.
T. Betinez, assistant godownman
O. Tessenoshn, hulkkeeper, Ham-.
burg-Amerika Line
Agencies
Shell Transport & Trading Co., Ld. Asiatic Petroleum Co., Ld.
Magdeburg Fire Insurance Co.
ChinaTraders' Insurance Company, Ld,
South British Fire and Marine Insce.
Lancashire Insurance Company
Hamburg America Line River steamers
渣禮 Lee.Zo
ASTOR HOUSE HOTEL
A. Schröder, proprietor
Mrs. A. Schröder
E. Gotthardt, manager
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