Page
CONSERVANCY
IMPROVEMENTS
1
Better Communication
Facilities
Tientsin.
The improvement of water con- servancy, development of com- munications and introduction of political reforms are the key to the economic development of North China, writes Dr. Franklin Ho, noted Chinese economist and professor of Nankai University, in à special article published in a recent issue of the Ta Kung Pao, local- vernacular paper, upon the arrival of St Frederick Leith-Ross Chief Economic Adviser to the British Government, at Tientsin' to investigate economic conditions in the North
Dr. Ho paid a glowing tribute to the British Government for send- ing Sir Frederick to China to in- vestigate her economic and com- mercial conditions as a prelimin- ary step toward the improvement between the trade relations ΟΙ Great Britain and China.
-- ECONOMIC STRUCTURE
"The maintenance of lasting fa- vourable trade relations between two nations," he points out, “must be based upon equality and re- ciprocity, and a thorough under- standing of each other's economic conditions le indispensable in the
of development
International trade."
Taking advantage of the arrival of the eminent British economist in North China, Dr. Ho reviews the economic conditions in this part, or the country, which form un important part in the gigantic economic structure of China.
North China, consisting of Ho- pel, Shantung, Honan. Shansi, Shenat Kansu, Chahar, Suyua and Ninghsia, occupies a total area of 800,000 square milles, or acout one-fifth of the total area of China. It has a population of ubaut 103,000,000, or about one- third of China's "total population, The density is about 183 to the square mile, which is higher than the average density of the whole country.
፡፡
The total area of cultivated and in North China is approximately 482,000,000 mew, which is about 40 per vent of the total area of cul- tivated land in the country and is larger than the total area of cur tivated land either along the Yangtze River or in Southwest China,
AGRICULTURAL PRODUCTS "Among the principal agricul- tural products in North China are millet, cotton,
wool. The and total annual output of millet "is about 220,000,000 plculs, or about 55 per cent of the total
output of millet
annus.
of
the whole country. Of this amount about half is for local consump tion while the other halt is dis- tributed and sold in other pro- vinces.
The total annual output of cut tun la about 7,000,000 piculs, or more than 60 per cent of the total annual output of cotton of the whole country." Although only about 10 per cent of this amount. is exported, this, nevertheless, oc- cuples about three-fourths of the total cotton export of China,
P
The total annual output of woo! is about 510,000, piculs, or about 92 per cent of the total annual output of wool of the whole coun- try. Of this amount about half In exported to foreign countries, which is about 86 per cent of the tatal annual export of wool of China,
Industrially, North China, D. He says, also occupleɛ an talport- sat position in the country. Ac- cording to statistics Inst year, of the total of 92 cotton mills of China 22 were in North: China, Theli total number of workmen and spindles claims more than one-fifth of those of the whole country respectively.
.
"
Six provinces above-mentioned. or China's average annual output of coal during the past three years, amounting to approximately 28,- 000,000 metric tons about 88 per 'cent was produced in the bine pro- vinces in North China. The total umount produced in the three pro- vinces of Shantung, Hopei and. Shans alone occupied abon 53 per cent
Commercially, North China, Dr. Ho asserts, is no less important than any other part of the coun- try. The total value of foreign trade in North China during the year of 1934 was $283,000,000, more than one-third of China's total valu of oreign trade.
However, in spite of its import- ant economic position in the country, economic development in North China, Dr. Ho points out, has not been wel; balanced. Com- paratively speaking, the four pro- vinces of Hopel. Shantung, Höpan
HONG KONG DAILY PRESS, SATURDAY, DECEMBER 7, 1935.
ENGINEERING AND
BRIDGES AND HIGHWAYS
Progress Going On Apace In China
A ten-million dollar project for the rebuilding of the bridges along the highways in Kangal- province is being "formulated by the Provincial Highway Bureau Besides appropriations from the Provincial Government, the Cen- trai Authorities will be approach- ed for a sum of $2,000,000 and the National Economic Council for an adequate grant.
•
BUILDING
ROAD RESEARCH
PROBLEMS
Construction And Maintenance
Road construction and mainten- ance are exceedingly expensive processes, and it is therefore high- ly desirable that the money avall- able for such purposes, should be spent to the best advantage. This cannot be done without a clear vlew of the precise functions which the road liself is intended to fulfil and is appears obvious that, at any rate in all new con- struction, an attempt should be made to balance the frequently conflicting claims of the various users, of those who are interested in maintaining the amenities of "the"countryside; and of the tax- and rate payers. At the present time, the evidence available sug-, gests that while close considera- tium is given to the hays
The Ministry of Railways, has definitely decided to institute train ferry service between HaD- kow and Wuchang across the Yangtse River, in order to fact- litate through communication be- tween the Pelping Hankow Rall- * ways. The Feiping-Harkow Rail-
ministration in charge of the Hankow-Changsha section of the Canton-Hankow Railway
and Shansi hase been better de-way Administration and the Ad- veloped economically, while the other e provinces of Shensi, Kansu, Ningshia, Chahar and Sul- yuan, occupying a total area of about three-fourths" of North China, are stil very backward,
FACTORIES IN TIENTSIN Thus agriculturally, Hupel, Ho- nan and Shantung are the pro- ducing centres of millet and cot- to two of the principal agricul- tural products of North China, Industrially, most of the big fac-. torles cluster In Tientsin and in other parts of Shantung. Hopel, Honah and Shans!, while there are very few factories in Shensl, kan- su, Chahar, Suiguan and Ning-
hs.a.
But geographically speaking, Dr. Ho emphasizes, there is no less possiblity of economic
develop-
ment in the latter provinces than In Shantung, Shansi, Hopel and Honan. The rich mineral resour- ces and the abundance of woolen in these provinces for excel those in any other part of the country. The fertile soil there are also most suitable of agricultural purposes. The backwardness of these nve
provinces of Shensi, Kansa, Cha- har. Suyuan and Ninghsia in economic development, Dr. Но states, is primarily due to Door conservancy and communication · cond.tions. For economic deve- lopment in North China, in gen- eral, and in the tive provinces above-mentioned, in particular, cfforts, Dr. Ho suggests, should be centred upon the improvement of conservancy and irrigation work and the development of com- munications.
The greatest difficulty confront- ing the development of agriculture in North China, Dr. Ho affirms, is In the irregularity of rainfall. Hopel, for instance, Irrigation of the farm lands depends largely upon the digging of wells, which is both expensive and inefficient. North China is therefore visited by intermittent droughts and Bloods.
HIGHWAYS BUILT
With regard to communications in North China Dr. Ho says that. although many highways have been bult during recent years, these are mostly between leading cities, while in the rural districts, the means of communications are st as primitive as a century ago. To facilitate better communications in North Ching, a network of highways and railways should be bullt and modern vehicles should be introduced.
Besides the improvement of con- servancy, irrigation work and the development of communications, the Introduction of political re- forms, Dr. Ho emphasizes, is also. essential to the economic develup- ment of North China. The success of the Industrial Revolution in England during the 18th and 19th centuries, he points out, was pri- Again, of the total de 80-al-marty due to her political stabil mis tu the whole country those in Shantung, Honan, Hopei, Shan- al, Charhar and Sulyuan numbered 44, with a total annual output of ` fear amounting to more than one- third of that of the whole coun- try.
FLOUR MILLS
North China is also the produc- ing-centre of matches, cigarettes, "and"coal-Of-China's-total-out- put of matches last year, amount- ing to 320,000 boxes, upwards of 150,000. boxes (about 47 per cent) were manufactured in Shantung, Honan, Hopel, Bhaps, Chahar and Bulyuan. Of China's total output of cigarettes last year, amount ing to 200,000 boxes, about one- third was manufactured in the
ty, and the severance of the BH- tish Channel from the European. turmoil then existing.
The disturbed political situation in North China has adversely
been instructed by the Ministry to devise plans for the realization of the project.
•
11
shanghai wil be about to talk with Canton by telephone on and after New Year's Day if the plans of the Ministry of Communications are completed according to pre sent schedule.
Preparations for
the institution of long-distance. telephone service between' the two leading cities are now, after marv delays, nearing completion. In- staxation work at the Shanghai station has been completed while that at the Canton station is to be finished by the middle of De- cember.
A consignment of tour Tocomo- tives purchased by the Klargnan Railway Company" from Europe.. was recently shipped to Wuhu With the arrival of the new foll- ing-stock. train service on the
• Nanking-Wuhu section of the Kiangnan Raliway (Nanking- Chaoan) Railway was augmented on November 1.
•
•
Omnibus service on the Sze- chuan Shensi Inter-Provincial Highway is being operated as far as Kuangyuan, northern Szechuan from Chengtu, the provincial cap- itat, over a distance of 200 miles. As the distance from Kuangyuan to Nanking, the station on the Sian-Harchung - Nanklang High- way. n southern Shensi, is only 40 miles, the Szechuan sec- t'o of the highway w!! be com- pleted and put into operation be fore the end of the year.
*
Installation of the radio station of the Ministry of Communica- tions at Hain'ng, provincial capital of Hsikang, having been complet ed, the Ministry has ordered the the station to begin traffic im- mediately. The opening of the new station w greatly facilitare communications with the border province.
A Motor Service Bureau hus been established at Pallingmiso by the Department cr Industry of the Mongolian Local Autonomy Political Affairs Council. Besides attending to the development of highway communications in Mon- golla, the Bureau will open a spe- cial class for the training of auto- mobile drivers and mechanics. The Council also operates a school for operates. the training of radio Graduates of the 1st Class have been sent on probation to various radio statioris to acquire practica! ́experience. The 2nd Class, con- sisting of over 30 students, has been started.
materials
used, and the constructional me- thods employed, in actual road making, the wider problems, Ju- volved are not receiving such de- talled. attention. Admittedly. these problems offer much grea- ter difficulty both in definition and solution than those of a merely mechanical nature, and this no doubt accounts for the somewhat casual manner in which they have hitherto been approached. Among the wider questions facing those interested in road problems at the present time, there can be no argument that the most pressing is that of securing a substantial reduction in the number of accidents; in other words. in striking a Juster balance between the claims of the various vehicle owners and those of the pedestrian. It is therefore decidedly disappointing to observe the scant attention paid to this problem in the Report of the. Road Research Board for the per- igd ended March 31, 1935, which has just been issued.
IMPART AND SKIDDING-
hitherto
The majority of the work cover- ed is an extension of that dealt with in earlier reports. Particular attention has been given to the question of apparatus for mengür- ing impact, skidding, and acceler- ated wear. The motor cycle and side car combination used in skidding experiments was unsuitable, for the investigation of certain" problems such as the effect of the ratio of wheel track, to wheelbase, and the braking of vehicles with trailers. This ap- paratus has been therefore sup- plemented by
single wheel trai-
ler, which can be used with clr- cular-track road-testing machines or can be attached to the rear of the laboratory's testing lorry, The apparatus has already been used on the road in connection with the experimental verification of the relationship between the
POWER IMPROVEMENTS
braking force coefficient ana për- centage wheel slip, and will be employed later to investigate the effect of try size and wheel load on the braking force coefficient.
ARTIFICIAL WETTING
A method of wetting the road artificially has been employed in tests with the motor cycle, and it is stated that one rather aur- prising result of the work. is that in wet weather roads in general are normally more slippery in summer than In winter. This' statement
requiry appears to qualification, as it seems fairly ob- vious that a road surface tho-
rajaa roughly washed by winter would be unlikely to be so trea- cherous as one with a wet coating of grease and dust. Investigations are being carried out on the com- ponent parts of the normal sur- face Alm which induce akid- ding, the
apparatus employed consisting of a small wheel driven by an electric motor and mounted on a pivoted arin, the wheel rot- ating on a test surface mounted on a small trollery fitted with ball bearings, and restrained, by a dynamometer spring. Before leaving the subject of skidding, a statement may be noted in the report that one obvious method of continuing the research would be to skid full-sized vehicles on a large surface. It is stated that this method would be expensive and
somewhat dangerous, but may eventually have to be faced. In this connection, there is a somewhat widespread feeling that' insuficient attention is paid in official quarters to the informa- tion relating to skidding posses- sed by experledced road users, who acquire a knowledge of dan- gerous surfaces often at a con- siderable cost to themselves. Such knowledge, however, "would re- ceive. due weight in a scientific analysis of accidents such as we have visualised.
In the portion of the report devoted to road-testing machines, reference is thade both to the laying down of experimental stretches of road and to road wear machines. Tests previously car- r'ed out showed that the type of bituminous carpet laid on con- crete had little influence on the magnitude of wheel impact forces and that the results obtained on unsurfaced concrete were not appreciably different. These tests
were made on the Kingston by- pass,
but similar tests on the Hampton Court-Esher road pro- duced different results. These suggested that the type of sub- soll might affect the result and this was confirmed by subsequent experiments-
SHANSI POWER SCHEME
IN NANKING
Plans on a large scale are being Electric equipment and materials studied by the Pacification Com- for the Nanking mectricity Works missioner of Shand regarding the purchased by the National Recon- harnessing of waterfalls in south- struction Commission from Ger- en Shaqst for the working of 500 many, has arrived. To increase small electric plants. The scheme the output of electricity for the is estimated to cost $5,000,000. Capital, the National Reconstruc- tion
Commission recently placed an order in Germany for a new electric generator and accessories at a cost of $145,000.
1
CHEAP POWER FOR CANTON
In connection with the con- struction of a gigantic hydro- PROJECTS IN ANHWEI electric power station on the Yung River, near Canton, a local Ger- Train service on the middle
For the first time the people of man firm is reported to have section of the Huainan Raliway Luchowie, and the country north offered credit to the provincial-
to the wet River have seen the Department of Reconstruction for between Hofel and Chaohsten, ou the northern shore of the Chao "Fire-carriage." The railway, con- the purchase of all machinery and Lake in central Anhul, Was Off-
structed from the cpal-mines on necessary equipment from Ger- cially opened to traffic on Novem- the Hwel River, runs south to many. An electrical engineer of ber 1, Through communications Luchowty, and is sufficiently com- the German firm bag arrived to affected its economic development. with the shipping services plying plete to enable trains to run. The conclude an
The agreement. A strong indieation is the gradual decline in commerce and industry. 11 also be instituted for the con-
between Chaonsten and Wuhu, railway is known as the "Hwel- amount involved is not disclosed. Nan" or "Hwele South" Railway, but it is understood to be over ten For economic development politvenience of transportation. It is The second section is now being million dollars. The same Ger cel-stablity must therefore be reale learnt that the laying of ralls constructed very rapidly and will man arm sent two engineers to Instituted.
the last section from Chaoh- continue on from Luchowfu to: Yung Yuen over a year ago, "who, Dr. Ho takes cognizance, how- sien to Yuchi, on the northern Chaohsten. The third section, found that by utilizing the Yung ever, of the complexity of the pre- bank of the Yangtze River, op- which has not yet been started, River electricity could be produced! sent political situation in North posite Wuhu, eastern Anhu1, s will continue on to Wuhu When at a very low cost, Electric supply China, which tends to do dif- make up ones mind. discription completed, this line will open up will be needed for the proposed, Aculty to the governmental efforts also nearing completion. Work about 150 miles of agricultural iron and steel plant in Tunglong. toward political reform as well as has already been started for the country, and make a good grade the new arsenal at Pa Klang and. economic development-
building of the main station at of coal available to shipping on the proposed aircraft works at Central News Agency.
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