CHINA
547
The total carrying trade, foreign and coastwise, in 1924 was divided amongst the different flags as under:-
Entries and
Clearances
Tonnage
Values
Percentages Tonnage Trade
British Japanese
Chinese
American
48,886
55,715,925 Tls. 1,535,646,690
39.39
38.71
26,294
34,759,884
""
981,764,422
24.58
24.75
....
94,751
33,288,363
""
914,760,679
23'54
23:06
6,435
6,359,589
196,412,856
4.50
4'95
""
French
German
Russian
Dutch
Italian...
2,380
2,185,806
""
97,535,461
1.55
2.46
539
2,085,968
""
56,864,139
1:47
1:43
183
....
176,197
""
56,073,354
0.12
1:41
Norwegian.
1,544
2,079,533
34,875,213
1.47
0'88
547
1,799,828
33,855,673
1.27
0'85
1,021
599,513
19,927,176
0'42
0'50
Portuguese.
2,912
1,046,046
12,429,605
0.74
0:31
"
Danish
246
....
616,026
12,214,568
0:44
0.31
""
Chilian
360
234,050
}}
5,562,360
0'17
0.14
Swedish
122
238,172
4,023,760
0.17
0'10
Non-Treaty Powers..
95
127,659
19
3,518,202
0:09
0:09
Polish
44
87,604
1,982,267
0:06
0 05
;)
Spanish
23
32,664
""
76,285
0'02
Total......... 186,382
141,432,827
وو
3,967,522,724
100'00
100'00
Mr. L. de Luca, Statistical Secretary of the Chinese Customs, in his annual report on the Trade of China says, inter alia:—
"The year 1924 has been a trying year for merchants in general, obliged as they were to contend with many obstacles and to carry on their business under great difficulties. It opened peacefully, giving hopes of prosperous trade, and, in fact, during the first six months the Maritime Customs revenue showed an advance of over 4 million Haikwan taels as compared with the same period in 1923; but from July onwards a series of calamities intervened, with the result that for the second half of the year the Customs were able to show an increase of only some 2 million taels, which is symptomatic of the general conditions of trade during that period. The first obstacle to trade was created by the heavy floods in July and August, which all but paralysed it, interfering with the means of transportation and causing a severe famine in the northern provinces. Following closely on this calamity came the political crisis and the outbreak of war around Shanghai and around Tientsin and Chinwangtao. During the last decade China has never been completely at peace, military operations con- tinually interfering with the development of trade in some province or other of the Republic; but so vast is the area of China that, as a rule, warfare in one part of the country would have little or no effect in other parts, and trade would continue successfully in the more peaceful provinces. In 1924, however, the political crisis, which culminated in the overthrow of the President of the Republic and the establish- ment of a Provisional Government in Peking, affected directly or indirectly all the principal trade centres-Tientsin, Hankow, Shanghai, and Canton,-interfering with the means of communication and creating financial difficulties, so that the con- sequences were widely felt throughout the country. Other adverse factors, moreover, were to be found in the ever-increasing lawlessness, brigandage, and piracy which distressed almost every province, and in the heavy provincial taxation, whereby some of China's industries-as, for example, the match industry in the South-were seriously interfered with. In addition to these domestic drawbacks, China's trade was hamper- ed by conditions abroad-the crisis of the French franc, the depression of the leather market in the United Satcs, and the general cconomic condition of Europe,-all com- bining to hinder the expansion of the export trade. That the result has been, on the whole, so successful as to show an increase in the Customs revenue of over 6 million Haikwan taels and an increase in the total value of the foreign trade of 113.6 million Haikwan taels is once more a proof of the resilience of the Chinese people, whose industry under adverse conditions and power of recuperation are deserving of the highest praise and augur well for the country's future once a peaceful period has set in. Nevertheless, the figures published by the Maritime Customs do not appear to be in keeping with the general feeling of depression which was a characteristic feature of