KONGMOON
A453
completed during recent years in the districts around Kongmoon. Places a journey to which took one to travel in many days formerly can now be reached within a few hours. Of all the highways that connect with Kongmoon, the most important one is that which links up this port with Fatshan known as Kongmoon-Fatshan Highway ( 佛 A ). This road runs through
populous and richly cultivated districts. Regular motor-bus services are maintained throughout the year. A journey from Kongmoon to Fatshan takes 5 hours only which might again be shortened to less than 3 hours, should the different sections of the road be linked up by bridges instead of by ferry boats which are being employed in crossing rivulets transversing the districts in which the road is constructed.
A telegraph office was opened on the 8th December, 1907 in the town, and in November, 1911, in Pakkai, the outport of the Kongmoon City, and telegraph communication is now possible with the Fatshan Telegraph Office. Long distance telephones on the overland telegraph lines between Kongmoon and Canton, Shekki () and Yeungkong (I) were completed in the early part of 1933 and have been open to communication since.
TRADE IN 1937
The value statistics for the trade of Kongmoon as recorded by the Customs were as follows: direct foriegn imports, $4.6 million as compared with $3.4 million; coastwise importation of Chinese merchandise, $1.8 million as against $1.4 million; direct exports of foreign countries, $4.8 million as compared with $3.2 million; and coastwise export- ations of Chinese produce, $0.1 million as against $0.2 million. Of staple imports, cotton and artificial silk piece goods and white sugar appreciated as a result of close vigilance by the Customs on smuggling activities, while the import of salt fish and dried codfish also increased on account of diminished catches by the Chinese fishing fleet, which was unable to go to sea following the Japanese blockade. With the ex- ception of paddy, which fell off somewhat, increases were noted under rice, wheat flour, and bran. There were no importations from abroad of kerosene oil, oil for the district being imported through the Kowloon and Lappa stations. Under exports, white raw silk totalled 13,752 kilogrammes as against 9,542 kilogrammes; lichees, dried and salted turnips, fresh vegetables, soy and sauce, garlic, and black tea all showed some advance on demands from Hongkong and Macao: Fresh oranges and fresh fish declined, the former due to a typhoon and the latter to a shortage of available tonnage. With the exception of the match factory, all local industries, including the ice and cotton factories, the paper mill, and the canned goods factory were run at a loss. The tonnage of steamers entered and cleared showed a decrease of 162,598 tons. The Sunning Railway maintained a regular service with slight interruption from enemy bombing. With the completion of the section from Samchow to Hopshui, the Sunwui- Hoping Highway, the construction of which was commenced in 1931, was opened to traffic in October. The exchange rate of the national dollar in relation to subsidiary coin notes was fixed at Small-coin $144 National $100.
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