A33)
CHINKIANG
The former British Concession was formally handed over to China on 15th November, 1929, and all undertakings of the former British Municipal Council, such as electric light and waterworks plants, have been taken over by Chinese companies who now supply the concession with electric, power and water from their installations in the city.
The work of road construction at Chinkiang and its suburban places was done very satisfactorily, though it has been carried on slowly and steadily ever since the removal of the Kiangsu Provincial Capital to this port in 1928. The Chung Shan Road which occupies the former city centre is available for motor traffic from the West Gate Railway Station in the west to the various highways in the east. The Chung Cheng Road is also available for motor traffic, commencing from the waterfront of the Yangtze River rear the Pai Ku Shan and terminating at the South Gate Railway Station, thus linking up the various highways in the south. The work of the east section of the Chung Hua Road between the Shih Fu Chiao and the Chung Cheng Road has not yet been started. A new road named Pao T'a Road crossing the West Gate main street from the Chung Hua Road in the north to the Pao Kai Road in the south, has just been completed and this is considered as a pivot between the city of Chinkiang and its business centre outside the West Gate. Bus roads are now radiated to various places such as Chuyung, Tangyang, Kintan, Liyang and Kiangyin. It is worthy of note that a Provincial Observatory has been built on the Pei Ku Shan towards the end of 1934 for meteorological purposes.
TRADE IN 1937
The trade of Chinkiang for 1937 showed a general increase during the first seven months, but began to be very adversely afflicted on the outbreak of Sino-Japanese hostilities. Customs value statistics for the year under review were as follows: direct foreign imports, $7.2 million as compared with $7.1 million during 1936; coast- wise importation of Chinese produce, $8.6 million as against $7.6 million; direct exports, neligible being confined only to sundries sent abroad by parcel post; and coast wise exportations of Chinese merchandise, $15.5 million as compared with $5.3 million. Sugar and kerosene oil were, as in the previous year, the principal direct imports, the former with a quantity of 122,127 quintals and the latter a quantity of 38,389,085 litres as compared with 132,390 quintals and 42,542,109 litres respectively for 1936. These lower figures are accounted for by the interruption of trade due to the Sino-Japanese hostilities in the latter part of the year. Coal from French Indo- China witnessed an increase in importation, but its comsumption was not so general as native produce of cheaper price but of equal quality. Native sugar exhibited a considerable decline, being 44,601 quintals only as against 67,424 quintals for the preceding year, due to heavy importations of foreign sugar during the first two quarters of the year. The coastwise of wheat amounted to 256,725 quintals as compared: with 323,443 quintals for 1936, showing a decrease of 66,718 quintals, attributable to the fall to the Japanese forces of Tientsin, which was the principal port of consump tion for this article. The great advance shown in the aggregate value of Chinese produce exported coastwise was due to the fact that a large quantity of machinery. cotton textile goods, and cotton yarn was imported into Chinkiang in September by junk through the Grand Canal and its tributaries from industrial centres such as Shanghai, Soochow, Wusih, and Changchow for re-exportation by steamer to up river ports for safety. Upon interruption of the Shanghai-Nanking Railway and the severance of direct river communication with Shanghai by the booms laid across the Yangtze at Kiangyin, Chinkiang became an important port for the transhipment of cargo to and from up-river ports. At the end of September, when fighting in the Shanghai area reached its climax and it also became too dangerous to ship cargo by native craft through the Soochow Creek, use was made of the Grand Canal on the north bank of the Yangtze, goods from up-river ports carried by the steamers of the two leading British shipping companies, Messrs. Butterfield & Swire and Messrs Jardine, Matheson & Co., being transhipped at Kowan, a place on the north bank of the river some 30 miles below Chinkiang, conveyed by junk to Nantungchow and thence reshipped to Shanghai by steamer. Vice versa, goods shipped from Shanghai were discharged at Nantungchow and thence shipped by junk to Kowan to be there reloaded into steamers for up-river ports. A shortage of tonnage was badly felt in the latter part of the year owing to the commandeering of Chinese steamers by Goverment forces.