CHINA
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all the cotton fabrics not classed above as plain, were imported to the value of Hk. Tls. 32,378,590, showing an increase of Hk. Tls. 4,973,982 over the value in 1906, the difference being chiefly due to cotton Italians and lastings. Cotton yarn has shared the fall in cottons to the extent of 267,803 piculs. Indian makes fell off by 200,000 piculs, or 10.87 per cent., and Japanese by 90,000 piculs, or 13.76 per cent.; but English yarn rose from 30,701 piculs in 1906 to 33,128 piculs, and the Hongkong pro- duct from 6,398 to 25,165 piculs. In metals there was a rise in net value of Hk. Tls. 2,652,430, caused by the increase in copper ingots, slabs, and ore (Hk. Tls. 3,992,746), tin slabs (Hk. Tls. 1,380,863), and 12 other items, the effect of which was modified by the fall in 22 items, including copper bars, rods, etc. (Hk. Tls. 447,041), unclassed copper (Hk. Tls. 1,315,786), and nail-rod iron (Hk. Tls. 403,971). As already stated, the importations of foodstuffs were very large. Of rice, 12,765,189 piculs arrived, against 4,686,452 piculs in 1906, the Kwangtung ports alone taking 9,893,232 piculs; and of flour, there was a rise from 1,784,681 to 4,414,383 piculs, fairly distributed among the northern and southern ports and Shanghai. The trade in flour, now well started, offers illimitable possibilities, but the foreign product will have to face strong native competition. The Hankow mills alone, on the authority of the Hankow trade report, turn out 33,750,000 piculs a year, the grain from which it is made being grown chiefly in Honan. Regarded from the point of view of origin, imports show but little change in the relative position of 1906. The value assigned to Hongkong has increased by Hk. Tls. 11,000,000, thereby merely adding so much to an unknown and disturbing factor. All the leading European countries show slightly smaller values; and the United States show a decrease of Hk. Tls. 7,532,733, which, in view of the almost complete suspension of their piece goods trade, is surprisingly small, and points to compensating prosperity in other directions. British Indian imports were main- tained, and Japanese had a slight set-back, traceable in part to Formosa tea.
"Exports. The value of the total exports abroad rose from Hk. Tls. 236,456,739 in 1906 to Hk. Tls 264,380,697, giving an increase of Hk. Tls. 27,923,958, or 11.81 per cent. The season was highly favourable to the production of tea, and larger shipments were made than have been seen since 1903. The year's exportations amounted to 1,610,125 piculs, valued at Hk. Tls. 31,736,011, an increase over the figures for 1906 of 205,997 piculs and Hk. Tls. 5,106,381. Leaf also regained some of the ground lost in recent years relatively to brick and tablet tea, the former having risen from 808,094 piculs in 1906 to 995,170 piculs. while the latter increased by only 18,921 piculs, from 596,034 piculs. Shipments for Great British direct-157,372 piculs-were nearly double those of the preceding year, and to the Continent of Europe, exclusive of Russia, they were 91,509 piculs, against 69,242 piculs. Shipments to Russia were also larger, and it is evident that the route via Russia Pacific ports and the Siberian Railway is gaining in favour at the expense of the older highways of trade. Indeed, so far as the old land route via Tientsin and Kiakhta is concerned, the Tientsin trade report finds reason to doubt whether any considerable portion of the tea sent that way (189,724 piculs in 1907) reaches Russian territory at all, the probability being that it is con- sumed mainly within the confines of China. The United States took 201,740 piculs, or 49,711 piculs more than in the preceding year. The silk market opened with ex- cellent prospects, based on low stocks and strong demand in European and American centres. The demand would not improbably have been able to absorb even the good crops which were universal in silk-producing countries had not the financial difficul- ties in America caused its collapse on both sides of the Atlantic. The value of silk and silk products exported froni China in 1907 was Hk. Tls. 89.084,034, or 25 per cent. more than their value in the preceding year.
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Shipping.-There were 217,932 entries and clearances, with a total tonnage of 80,109,424 tons. While the number of entries and clearances was exceeded in 1904 and 1905-the war years,-the tonnage total adds one more to a long and unbroken series of upward steps. There is a decline in British shipping, slight in itself (33,316,618 tons, against 33,450,560 tons in 1906), but more noticable as regards percentage of the whole (41.59 per cent., against 44 per cent.) German tonnage, as against 7,477,518 tous in 1906, was 6,639,767 tons, representing 8.29 per cent., in place of 9 86 per cent. The only foreign flags that show increase are the French and Japanese The former, whose tonnage on the Yangtze received additions about the middle of 1906. rose from 3,125,649 to 4,712,188 tons, while the latter has again made a great advance-from 11,376,430 to 15,598,213 tons, or from 15 to 19.47 per cent. of the whole. Over 1,000,000 tons were added to Japanese shipping by the new ports Antung and Dairen. Under the Chinese flag, a loss in foreign-type tonnage was made up by an increase in junk tonnage.