282
Importance of knowledge of
Colony's resources.
Review of course
of trade from
1892-1896.
Page
Financial-
Military. Strength of forces and police
Educational
General Budget. Sources of Revenue. Expenditure Local Budgets
10
10
11
General remarks on expenditure. Amount available for political purposes Estimated cost of proposed railways in South China ..
11
12
British and French commercial interests in South-west China
12
Commercial and political results of proposed railways
Miscellaneous-
Shipping subsidies
Grant for canal at Kwang-chouwan
Improvements in Haiphong Harbour
18
13
13
13
Proposal to make Haiphong terminus of French mail-boats
18
Apparent very large increase in trade in 1902
13
Tables showing values of trade of French Indo-China, Siam, and Burmah
14
Maps.
1. Telegraph lines and French railways in China, constructing and proposed
15
2 and 3. Steam-ship lines, distribution of troops, and roads
16
IN my last Report, I described in general terms the progress made by Indo-China during the past five years, but incompleteness of information prevented me from clearly exposing, or indeed appreciating, the full significance of many of the facts I recorded. Further investigation has led me to believe that the country is richer and has greater possibilities of future development than appeared at the first view, and that it will prove of considerable value to France, not only commercially as a market for her manufactures, but also politically as an instrument for promoting her interests and ambitions in China. Having under a highly protective tariff become to a great extent a preserve for French trade, the Colony does not appear to have such direct interest for British merchants, and it is mainly from the political point of view that it merits serious attention. Already, by guaranteeing a dividend of, I believe, 3 per cent. on the capital employed, it has, in a sense, undertaken the construction of the Yunnan Railway, besides annually applying a large sum to political objects in China and Siam, which sum shows a tendency moreover to constantly increase. As it is obvious that it may in this way exercise a considerable influence on the course of events in the East, particularly in the adjoining Chinese provinces, where the British Empire has a large existing and still larger prospective trade, an accurate knowledge of the Colony's financial and other resources, and a clear perception of the use to which they may be put are, I think, desirable and possibly even important. In this belief I propose to revert to the chief facts recorded in my last Report, and carefully consider them in the light of the ampler information I now possess. Commerce constituting the principal source of the Colony's revenue, and being at the same time perhaps the best test of its wealth, I shall deal first and particularly with that, taking a general survey of the course of trade during the decade beginning in 1892, and then analysing in more detail the statistics for 1901, the only year for which I have anything like complete figures, with a view to ascertaining whether the recent progress is the result of a natural development, and therefore likely to continue, or due to accidental or temporary causes. And in this connection it will be necessary to bear in mind that the loan of 1896 for 80,000,000 fr. and part of the loan of 1898 for 200,000,000 fr. have been expended during the latter half of the period to be reviewed, and to consider how far the commercial position has been affected thereby,
The average annual value of the external and internal trade during the five years from 1892 to 1896 was £8,640,000; the best year being 1895, with a value of about 1 million pounds in excess of the worst, 1892. Exports remained fairly steady at somewhat under 4 millions, being nearly a million in excess of the imports, which however showed a marked improvement in the last two years, and approached the level of the exports.
Coast and transit trade averaged 1·4 and 340,000 respectively, the former rose from under 1,000,000l. to over 2,000,000l. in 1893, but then fell back and remained steady, while the latter fluctuated but little during the whole period.*
Averages £ Imports 3,891,000 Exports 3,891,000 Coast trade 1,507,000 Transit trade 340,000In 1897 the upward movement began, especially in exports, and has continued ever since without a break, the highest figure reached being £13 millions in 1901, and the average for the five years £10·5 millions. The exports increased at a pretty even rate from 4 to 6 millions, the largest increase being £1 million in 1900; imports rose from £3·5 millions to over 8 millions, the biggest rise £2·4 millions, taking place also in 1900; coast trade increased from £1·3 to over £5·3 millions, and transit trade from nearly £340,000 to over £1 million, the increase being in both cases fairly constant, but more especially marked in the last three years.*
Comparing the averages as given above, the increases for the period 1897-1901 are shown to be as follows:
Per cent. Exports 55 Imports 90 Total foreign trade 62 Coast trade 129 Transit trade 116The chief features of the trade during the two periods may be summarized thus: Stagnation and a large excess of exports over imports during the first, and during the second a rapid, and on the whole fairly regular, increase all round, continuance of the relative position of exports and imports for the first three years, but a sudden rise of the latter in the last two years to a value about as far ahead of that for exports as it was previously behind.
It has been noted that the greatest advance in both imports and exports occurred in 1900, shortly after the loan of £2,000,000 was raised. As regards imports, this rise was no doubt in a measure due to the expenditure of a portion of the loan in railway material, but other causes contributed, and for reasons that will appear later, I think the increase was quite healthy, and a part of the general development.
I proceed now to deal in detail with the statistics for 1901.
For the purposes of this Report, the imports may be conveniently divided into the following three classes:--
1. Metals, manufactured and unmanufactured, for railways, public works, and industrial purposes.
2. Goods for consumption by foreigners (including army).
3. Goods for consumption by natives.
1. Metals Value, £2,300,000.
(a) Unmanufactured metals (including rails: £700,000, nearly half from France. Increased import began in 1898, and more than doubled since.
(b) Manufactured metals (machinery, tools, &c.): £1,500,000, considerably over half from France. Importation began to increase in 1897, and has nearly quadrupled.
Being used mostly in public works, I include in this class cement, £100,000, mostly from France.
2. Goods for foreign consumption: Value, £1,750,000†
(a) Provisions and beverages for Europeans (including troops): £750,000†, nearly all from France. The second period showed an increase of 30-40 per cent. over the first, the best years being 1900 and 1901, when large importations were made for the use of the China Expedition.
(b) Articles of clothing: £300,000†, about one-third being for the use of the troops in China.
(c) Household goods, scientific instruments, and all kinds of miscellaneous articles: £450,000†,
(d) Arms: £220,000.
3. Goods for native consumption: Value, £3,500,000†, of which probably less than £1,000,000 worth from France.
Averages £ Imports 5,558,000 Exports 5,636,000 Coast trade 9,457,000 Transit trade 733,000† Estimated.
imports in 1901,