September 13, 1909.]
THE TRADE OF CANTON FOR
1908.
Mr. Acting Consul-General Fox, in his annual report says :—
Canton is the natural distributing centre for the two provinces of Kwangtung and Kwangsi, the former with an area of 100,000 square miles and a population of 31,865,000, being one of the largest and most densely po- pulated provinces in China, the latter, with an area of 77,000 square miles and a population of only 5,100,000, the most thinly populated and least developed of all the eighteen provinces.
.
It is remarkable that there is hardly one town or district of any importance from a com- mercial point of view within an area considerably larger than that of the British Isles that cannot be reached by water from Canton. Goods are habitually transported on these waterways to points in the Provinces of Yunnan, Kueichou, Kwangsi, Hunan and Kiangsi.
The number of foreign residents, which until ten years ago remained stationary at between 300 and 350, had increased in 1905 to 1,200 and is now (April, 1909) close on 1,350.
The total foreign population of Canton probably over 1,500.
But few lots on either concession now remain unbuilt on, and the value of land and house property has risen to such an extent that a lot on the British concession, measuring 12,645 square feet, which changed hands, in 1885, for some 4,000 dol., was recently sold by public auction for 37,800 dol. (3,1507.). This works out at 21,745 dol. per Chinese mou (1 acre equals 6.6 mou) or 2.98 dol., say, 5%, per square foot.
It is dangerous to prophesy in the East, but everything seems to point to Shameen becoming more and more the business centre of Canton,, The settlement is most conveniently situated at the front door, as it were, of the business quarter of the city; it is easily accessible to Chinese merchants and dealers, who have a natural aversion to crossing the water, and its extra-territorial status and immunity from Chinese official control are strong inducements
to the merchant class to conduct their business transactions on the concessions.
Shameen has, moreover, the great advantage of a water frontage measuring some 200 or 300 yards, facing that section of the harbour reserv- ed for the anchorage of ocean steamers, and the river steamer wharves commence on the other side of the narrow defence creek at the east end
of the French concession.
The new Chinese bund, or embankment, now in course of construction, will in time connect Shameen, by a broad road suited to vehicular traffic, with the terminal stations of the Canton Hankow and Canton-Kowloon Railways at Wong Sha and Tai Sha Tau.
Ocean steamers drawing as much as 17 feet can come up with the tide and anchor in deep water of Shameen; river steamers, drawing not more than 91 feet moor alongside the wharves at any state of the tide.
The city of Canton-to which a distinguished traveller not long ago applied the name of Nightmare City" such was the impression that its labyrinth of dark and narrow streets, the weird and often repulsive display of animal aud vegetable food-stuffs, and its hurrying chattering stream of yellow humanity made upon him-is now well within the beaten track of tourists, and therefore needs no detailed description in this place.
The city, with its 1,250,000 inhabitants, at a moderate estimate, is one of the largest and probably the wealthiest of the great cities of China.
Its people, famous for their enterprise and business capacity, have spread all over the Empire, and are to be found playing a leading parf in all the Chinese communities of America, Australia and the Malay Peninsula. They have placed themselves in the van of the movement towards reform and constitutional government. In Canton may be seen more markedly than in any other Chinese city at the present day the visible effects of China's awakening in the shape of patriotic societies, whose leaders discuss the questions of the day, more particularly those relating to foreign affairs, at public meetings; a young and irresponsible Press, which is rapidly acquiring many of the worst features of "yellow journalism"; and that unreasoning
CHINA OVERLAND TRADE REPORT.
233
dislike and suspicion of foreign nations, which | were shipped to New York, as against 4,000 find expression in the boycott.
As regards the last-named institution, matters have now come to such a pass that any attempt on the part of a foreign firm in Canton to press home a claim, however just, against a native merchant, is met by the threat of a boycott. In a recent flagrant case of the imitation of a trade mark on certain underclothing of British his refusal to record a conviction and impose an manufacture, the Chinese magistrate excused exemplary fine on the score that if he did so the firm importing the goods would lose all their
·
business in Canton,
THE PORT OF CANTON.'
If the description applied to Canton in an old Commercial Directory of the year 1842, "one of the greatest emporiums in the East, ranking as a port of trade either before or immediately after Calcutta no longer holds good, Canton, the oldest Treaty port in China, still ranks amongst the four largest ports in China.
Taking the whole value of the steamer borne trade, Canton in 1907 took third place, after Hankow and Shanghai, and, as regards direct trade with foreign countries, Canton was second only to Shanghai.
The expansion in the trade of the port, which has been especially noticeable during the past six years, should receive a strong impetus with the advent of the two main lines to Hankow and Hongkong, while the advantages it possesses in good and cheap labour, facilities for transport, and coal mines within easy reach, assure Canton's future a great manufacturing
centre.
as
during the same period in 1907. The demand is due to the introduction of a new grade of piece-goods, for which Canton raw silk has been found most adaptable.
My informant says that serious complaints have been made with regard to the poor quality of Canton filatures and raw silk generally dur ing the past year. Spinners in the interior, who sion at the end of 1907, sought to recoup suffered considerably from the general depres- themselves by dismissing their skilled hands and working with unskilled labour at lower wages. The consequence has been a general deterioration of their production. One large European firm, which has installed a special · plant for dealing with the Canton product, at a cost of 750,000 fr., threatens to destroy it and give up Canton silk altogether unless a consid- erable improvement in the quality of raw silk is shown.
¿
On the other hand, I am informed that the Canton product is at best a low grade silk, the semi-tropical climate, with its variableness and uncertainty, making the rearing of high grade cocoons almost an impossibility. European spinning machinery would undoubtedly give better results, but its cost is prohibitive.
MATS AND MATTING.
The falling-off in the quantity of matting exported from Canton in 1908 is attributed to the weak demand from America-the principal market for Canton matting owing to the commercial depression following on the financial crisis of 1907.
As compared with Japanese matting, the sketch, necessarily brief and imperfect, to
I think I have said enough in the foregoing | Cantonese product is, I am informed, distinctly the more durable of the two, but, on the other demonstrate to British merchants and manufac-hand, the Japanese article is more artistic, and, turers that Canton is a market worthy of their if it does not last so long, enables purchasers to
make a change of pattern from time to time. particular attention.
COMPARATIVE VALUE OF TRADE OF CANTON IN 1908.
sterling value of the Haikwan tael in 1908, A drop of no less than 7d. in the average compared with its average value in 1907, renders a comparison of the sterling values of the trade of Canton during 1908 and preceding years somewhat misleading.
Foreign imports would have shown a decline but for the large increase (2,059,906 taels) in the value of Indian opium, and an increase in kerosene oil (251349 taels).
The considerable rise in native imports (7.999,706 taels) is due to increased imports of latter a special import to relieve the distress beans, groundnuts, native opium and rice, the caused by the disastrous floods in the Canton Delta in June and July of last year.
Exports of native produce show a falling-off of 7,589,764 taels, chiefly owing to a decrease in the values of those staples of Canton, matting
silk and tea.
Re-exports of foreign goods consist chiefly of kerosene oil transhipped to West River ports, and native re-exports are made up of beans, imported by direct steamer and returned to groundnut oll, and other northern produce
Canton for sale.
An idea of the close commercial relations existing between Hongkong and Canton may be gathered from the fact that, of the total trade of Canton with foreign countries in 1908, amount ing to 73,976,427 taels (9,863,5241.), Hong- kong's share was 70,333,835 taels (9,377,8451.), or almost 95 per cent.
Exports. The majority of the 27 British firms, including sight British Indian enter prises, established in Canton are interested ex- clusively in exports as buyers and shippers. Of these exports the most important are, in their order of value, silk, mats and matting, cassia and-although this once famous commodity is fast disappearing from British merchants' ledgers-tea.
I am indebted to several gentlemen for the following notes on the trade in the above-men- tioned articles.
The total production of raw silk, which term covers all qualities of silks spun from cocoons reared in China, was 37,000 bales, yielded by Merchants and spinners had a eight crops. fairly good year, but producers suffered as crops were uniformly poor or only of medium quality and quantity
A feature of the year's trade was the consider- able increase in the export to America. From July to December approximately 9,000 bales
It is said that a falling-off in the quality of straw used in the manufacture of Canton matting has been noticeable during the past few years.
Dealers say that, owing to the comparatively low price realised by the farmers for their straw, the latter are unable to expend the same amount on fertilisers as they used to, and therefore cannot produce the same quantity of long fibre straws.
The coarseness of straw used in the manufac ture of ordinary grades of matting in 1908 is also, to some extent attributable to the low exchange which prevailed. This favoured a large export to America of narrow Ningpo, the result that other grades had to be made of finest quality of Chinese matting, with the
coarser straw, the residue of that used for narrow Ningpo.
The present tariff in force in the United States is such that matting costing more than 10 cents gold per yard (export price from Canton after duty and other charges have been deducted) pays a duty which is so high as to put the higher grades of Canton matting, except when a low rate of silver prevails, out of the field.
This falling-off in the quality of straw used for the ordinary grades of Canton matting is having the effect of diverting a certain amount of business to Cochin-China, where what is known as Cochin matting is made. One of the largest Chinese dealers in Canton has quite recently acquired an interest in the manufacture of "Cochins.
Cochin matting is in many ways inferior to the Canton article, but it appears to be & growing industry which may before long seriously affect the Canton trade.
That trade is, moreover, already suffering from a decreased output of straw, the enhanced price of rice making it more profitable for farmers to cultivate paddy instead of matting straw. Considerable areas, in what are known as the matting districts, have, I understand, been given over to rice.
The export of mats for packing purposes is steadily increasing. A small Continental business has lately sprung up, and there is some inquiry from the United Kingdom.
CASSIA LIGNEA.
The average prices in 1908 were higher than in the previous year, attributable to a shortage of supply and a brisk demand. Prices at the end of the year were on a level that has not been reached for a considerable period
The quality showed an improvement, especially in regard to colours, but Chinese producers, in spite of the action taken by the Cassia Guild