SWATOW
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A427
work was commenced on the line in 1904. The line, 28 miles in length, was opened to traffic on November 25th, 1906. The contractors were Japanese, who 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.
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Swatow has an electric, light plant and a new water works was, completed early in 1914, the reservoir being at Ampou, about eight miles inland. In the. middle of 1919 a telephone service was introduced.
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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 modern 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.
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TRADE IN 1935:
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Weather conditions in the Swatow district were not, generally favourable. Unseasonable rains damaged the first crop of rice and of certain fruits; only the sugar-cane farmers reaped a rich harvest, having also extended their acreage during the year. Trade, especially in imperts, was handicapped by violent fluctuations in exchange, high premiums on silver due to snitggling,
In conse and a lack of uniformity and stability in local paper currency. In quence, business was forced into speculative chauffels, while the making bi contracts with outside markets was rendered more difficult. The end of the ' year, however, brought certain alleviation by the nationalisation of silver and stabilisation of exchange, though temporary disruption of the market resulted through apprehension of the success of this measure combined with a shortage of paper currency, a situation. which was met by a local extension of the circulation of silver for a limited period principally to facilitate, settlement of overseas remittances. Merchants. certificates, which by thir time had completely replaced native bank notes, and which, were being walle received on the market, finally exchanged at 3 per cent. discount with national currency. When bank failures, which were few, occurred, every effort was made by the Chamber of Commerce to effect a settlement favourable to credi-. tors Currency disabilities notwithstanding, the value of trade during the year under review reached a total of 130 million dollars, an increase of 5' million dollars over the previous year. The comparative values' in the various categorici according to Customs statistics are as follows: "direct 'foreign imports, 128.5 million dollars as against 26.4 million for the previous year's direct exports to foreign countries, 17.2 million dollars as against 15.9 million; coastwise importations of Chinese merchandise, 62.6 million dollars as against 66.4 million; coastwise, exportations of Chinese produce, 21.7 million dollars as against 16.6 million. The increase in the first section was unfortunately to the disadvantage of the port, being accounted for almost entirely by import- ations of foodstuffs, mainly rice, owing to the failure of local crops and the closure of the alternative source of supply of the native product, the Yangtze Valley. In many other respects the market for foreign goods was apathetic. Sulphate of ammonia contributed not inconsiderably to the volume of imports, having benefited by the removal of the local tax carly in the year. The firm demand for sheer and other linen is reflected in the improvement in the drawn-thread work trade; also, the construction of the Kityang Sugar Factory necessitated heavy importations of machinery and materials. Sugar, cement, and petroleum products were entirely eliminated from the statistics by provin cial monopolies and restrictions, while other items suffered from heavier taxation and competition with native manufactured articles. The drawn- thread work and cross-stitch trade alluded to above-Swatow's principal handicraft again experienced a very successful year of trading Rising
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A25