LAPPA
A463
TRADE IN 1936
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The year witnessed a sharp decline, in the trade of the Lappa district. General economic depression prevailed in the interior, with a weakening in the purchasing power of the people. There was much rain in the early part of the year, with a long spell of drought in the latter part. Crops in the district suffered heavily, while a typhoon in mid-August caused a great set-back to many industrial and agricultural centres along the coast. The total value of the foreign import trade was $3.7 million only as compared with $7.7 million in 1935 and $18.3 million for the year 1933. The value of direct exports of Chinese products was slightly higher. With the excep-. tion of iron plates, salt fish, and kerosene oil, there was a general decline in all staple imports. The more noticeable decreases were in iron bars (46,905 to 38,298 quintals), cuttle-fish (82,797 to 7,641 kilogrammes), rice and paddy (507,627 to 115,718 quintals), gasolene (656,237 to 307,087 litres), lubricating oil (238,121 to 168,072 litres), coal (21,475 to 3,882 metric tons), and bran (19,585 to 2,862 quintals). The decline in the figure for imported rice was due to the imposition since August of the full import duty rate instead of the reduced rate ruling under the regime of the South-west Political Council. The Sunning Railway ceased importing coal by junks via Malowchow. The increase in the importation of salt fish from 68,257 to 86,658 quintals was due to the particularly good season. The increase in imports of kerosene oil from 42,029 to 332,796 litres was a result of the closing-down of the distillation plants in Kwangtung owing to the heavy duty on liquid fuc and the effective check on the smuggling of this commodity into the interior. Tow-boat traffic experienced a bad year, while there was a considerable decrease in the shipping figures for junks.
DIRECTORY
# Kung pak kwan CHINESE MARITIME CUSTOMS (Lappa District) 64, Avenida Republicas, Macao
Commissioner-H. W. Bradley Assists.-Ho Pao Shen, Yong Se Chie, Yuan Fu-chang and Kim Lai Hung
Tidesurveyor-C. H. Davis
Actg. Asst. Tidesurveyor-P. Lee Boat Officers-W. H. P. Weston, Hsu Chen Ning, F. S. Jump, Kuo Chien Hsun and Chan Chao Mou
Examiners--A. A. Simoes, Lin Lai Twan, Ip Lai Chuen, Chang Chiu and P. Wu
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