TIENTSIN
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has been developed, in which tennis-courts, etc., have been laid out. The various British areas-known as the British Concession, British Extension, and the Extra-Mural Area-have been amalgamated to form one Municipal Area under a Council elected on a broad franchise. New land regulations have come into force, and it is stipulated therein that the new Council consist of nine members, of whom five shall be British subjects. Candidates must be nominated by two electors and all electors are eligible to serve on the Council. Voting is to be on a sliding scale; the minimum qualification for a foreign voter being the payment of Tls. 20 per annum in respect of land-tax or the occupation of premises of an assessed value of Tls.
480 per annum, and for Chinese the payment of Tls. 240 per annum in respect of land-tax or the occupation of premises of an assessed rental of Tls. 3,000 per annum--the discri- mination between foreign and Chinese electors being intended apparently to prevent the possibility of the foreign vote being completely swamped in an area set apart primarily for foreign residence and trade. The development of the various concessions continues to advance at a great rate; but the question of the terms required for the extension of Crown leases in the (original) British Concession-which have only 40 years to run-is agitating the holders of property there, for, until the actual terms are settled and published, the development of the area is, and will continue to be, retarded, to the advantage of the other concessions. Delay in settling this question is now assuming a greater importance than the question of the amount of the increased rentals, important as that is.
Upon the entry of China into the Great War in 1917 the Chinese Authorities took over the German and Austrian Concessions on the 16th March of that year, and both districts are now entirely removed from foreign control. Under the new administration the areas concerned are kept in excellent condition and the upkeep of roads and side-paths is provided for. General Yang I-teh, well known for many years as the Chief of Police in the Tientsin City, is directly responsible for the maintenance of law and order, and the police arrangements are said to be adequate and efficient. In the autumn of 1920 the local Chinese authorities also assumed charge of Russian Consular functions and the policing of the Russian Concession, leaving the Municipal Council to continue to function in minor municipal affairs. The nationalities of the owners of land in the Russian Concession, based on the assessed value, is in the following proportion:- American, 13.95 per cent.; British, 41.52; Chinese, 10.92; Japanese, 23.58; Russian, 8.19; other nationalities, 1.84 per cent.
A feature of Tientsin which arrests the attention of visitors is the open-air storage of cargo on the British and French Bunds, which have thus become in effect a "general godown." A great deal of confusion and congestion formerly existed from this practice, but the British Municipality has recently elaborated an excellent scheme whereby the Bund is divided into numbered steamer-sections and storage spaces, and the roadway is now kept clear of cargo. The result has more than justified expecta- tions, and the orderly storage of goods in marked-off spaces not only allows a proper control to be kept over all such cargo but has facilitated communications by keeping the carriage-way clear of obstructions.
The Racecourse is situated about 3 miles to the west of the Gordon Hall and comprises a very valuable property to which about 350 mow of land have recently been added. New betting buildings of reinforced concrete, which surpass anything of the description in the Far East, were constructed in 1921. Grand-stands for the members and for the general public are to replace the existing stand, and the course is to be widened and lengthened. It is proposed, also, to lay out a 9-hole golf course.
Distilling is one of the largest local industries; it is chiefly from kowliang (sorghum) or millet. Although a spirit, it is called "wine," and is exported to the south in large quantities. The manufacture of coarse unrefined salt by the evaporation of sea water is also carried on near Taku; the produce is stacked some distance down river at the first cutting, where all the salt junks now go. It was formerly stacked on the river bank opposite the British Concession, and sometimes gave off very offensive smells, rendering life a burden. The trade in salt is a Government monopoly. In 1909 the salt export was valued at nearly six and a half million taels. It is estimated that 200,000 piculs of raw cotton grown in the neighbourhood are absorbed by the local spinning mills. Of these there were six in Tientsin and vicinity in 1920, with an aggregate capital of $12,000,000 and a total of 132,000 spindles, shortly to be increased to 300,000. Five more mills, with 122,000 spindles, were in course of construction. The yarn produced is of 14, 16, and 20 counts. Carpets, shoes, glass, coarse earthenware, and fireworks are also made in large quantities in the city, but Tientsin is at present essentially a centre for distribution and collection rather than