HANKOW
1001
the Hankow side of the river. There is a quasi-official coal-mining company in connection with the ironworks, the pits being at Ping-hsiang in Kiangsi. The coal is brought down in lighters from the railhead, fifteen miles above Changsha, The Wuchang Cotton and Hemp mills, together with the silk filarure, were leased by the Viceroy in 1902 to a company of Chinese capitalists for 100,000 taels a year, for a period of 20 years. Apart from the Hemp mill, which began operations in 1:04, under Japanese management, the concern is doing a flourishing business. A tannery was start- ed in 1906, and three flour mills. Other flour mills have since been erected, and the bean oil milling industry is also well established in the port.
During the last few years foreign interests at Hankow have undergone a marked development, the chief factor in producing the growth being the construction of 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, 1905, through traffic with Peking has continued without interruption. Early in 1906 "trains de luxe" 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 French, German, Russian, Japanese 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 measuring in all over two miles of river frontage. Houses and godowns have been springing up fast of late years and for some years yet Hankow will have to divert large simas out of all proportion to the value of its trade for converting swamps into building sites and destroying old buildings to make room for others more suitable to the requirements of a great city. The English Church was re-built, and consecrated in May, 1904. Antimony, lead and zine ores are crushed by machinery on the Wuchang side and exported. A large busi- ness is also done by a match factory, as well as by albumen factories. Several miles below the Foreign Concessions the Shell Transport Company, Limited, of London, have oil tanks for storing bulk oil, to be tinned on the premises. Two tanks have a capacity of 2.500 tons of oil cach. During the low-water season small tank-steamers bring the oil from Shanghai. The Royal Dutch Petroleum Company, Langkat, also has an installation. The Standard Oil Co. had three large tanks erected at the end of 1904. Each installation added another tank in 1906. An English Company commenced an export trade in frozen pork, eggs, poultry and game in 1999, the refrigerating plant costing upwards of £30,000.
Tea is the staple export, representing about one-sixth of the total. The net value of the trade of the port in 1912 amounted to Tis, 135,032,179 as against Tls. 117,957,484 in 1911.
The Hankow Race Club and Recreation Ground were incorporated in 1904, and since then has undergone a phenomenal development. At present it has more than 300 members who enjoy facilities unrivalled in any other club in China. The property of the Club, which at present is sufficiently extensive for a race course, an eighteen hole golf course, football and cricket field, and in fact room for every branch of sport indulged in by the members, is about to be enlarged, to permit the construction of a swimming pool and possibly a new grand-stand and stabling. Apart from this club, which is chiefly devoted to sport, there are the Hankow Club, the Russian Club and the French Club, which have splendid libraries, billiard rooms, bowling alleys, etc. The Hankow Golf Club, which was instituted in 1878 and is certainly the oldest club in the port, stills holds its own and boasts of a membership of considerably over 100. It is almost entirely devoted to golf and has well laid out links. There is also a Chinese Race Club with a course as good as any in China. Meetings are conducted under New- market rules, and the management is entirely in the hands of Chinese.