A450
SWATOW
supplied all material, the rails and engines coming from America and the carriages from Japan. The construction of the line brought about a great inflation of land values.
Swatow has an electric light plant and a new waterworks was completed early in 1914, the reservoir being at Ampou, about eight miles inland. In the middle of 1919 a telephone service was introduced.
Swatow is by no means slow in the race with other China ports for im- provement. Road making and road widening are being carried out rapidly, and the public park at the back of Swatow is being gradually improved. Three Fire Brigades-well equipped with inodern apparatus-protect the town, two of these being financed by different charitable guilds. An Orphanage, organised after the Typhoon of 1922, a Poor Peoples Workshop and a Leper Station, besides the Mission Hospitals, are among the charitable institutions of the
port.
TRADE IN 1933
.
As Swatow is one of the principal ports historically associated with the emigr ational movement from South China to the East Indies, the prosperity of the settlers has the general effect on trade and their diminishing income, during the year under review resulted in an adverse balance for the port to over 100 niillion dollars, the total value of imports being 130.7 million dollars aud the total value of exports being only 30,4 million dollars. It should be pointed out, however, that these figures cover only that portion of trade for which the Customs have records. The comparative value statistics for 1932 and 1933 are as follows: direct imports from abroad, 59.8 million dollars as against 60.6 million in 1932; coastwise importations of Chinese produce, 70.9 million dollars as against 79.6 million; direct exports of Chinese produce to foreign countries, 17.8 million dollars as against 21 million; and exports of Chinese produce coastwise, 12.6 million dollars as against 10.9 million. Coastwise movements of foreign goods by any means of conveyance, and coastwise movements of Chinese cargo by road, rail, or junk are not recorded. From the figures available it would appear that the trade of the port declined in value by slightly over 6 per cent. The chief reason for this decrease is rightly ascribed to the declining prosperity in the Straits Settle- ments, Siam, and Netherlands India, seen in the return to Fukien of so many bank- rupt emigrants, the reduction in remittances from abroad, and the reduction in exports of Fukien produce to oversea settlers. One authority places the amount of emigrants' remittances to Swatow during 1933 at the comparatively low figure of 25 million dollars, but, accurate estimates in this connection are notoriously hard to obtain. As regards the port's other invisible assets, it should be mentioned that Swatow has a remarkably good market for its products, manufactured and otherwise, in neighbouring districts and that tlie outflow of trade to these regions does not conie under Customs recognizance. Other factors influencing business during the year were the failure of the rice crops owing to drought, the rather heavy and uncertain provincial: taxation levies, the new Customs Import Tariff with its higher rates on certain commodities, and the financial, stringency, arising out of the failure of some of the old-style banks and the dearth of silver currency as cover for local bank-note issues. Exchange rates were very adversely effected by the short silver stocks, and remit tance charges were as high as 22 per cent. for Hongkong currency and 10 per cent. for Shanghai currency at one period of the year. Apart from these factors, local conditions were favourable enough, as, except for the fear that Swatow might somehow become involved in the Fukien trouble, the year was characterised by its general peacefulness and the absence of political disturbances. Provided that these peaceful conditions continue and that the passing of the world trade depression brings back prosperity to Swatow's emigrants abroad, the completion of the Swatow- Canton highway, the extension of the telephone system in the district and by radio, to Canton, and the connecting up of most of the towns in the Chaomei area by motor roads augurs well for the future well-being of the port.
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