Colonest office
[This Document is the Property of His Britannic Majesty's Government.]
C.0.
196
19974
AFFAIRS OF CHINA.
O
[April 22.]
RECE
CONFIDENTIAL.
REG 5 JUN 07
SECTION 2.
No. 1.
[12830]
(No. 149.) Sir,
Sir F. Lascelles to Sir Edward Grey.-(Received April 22.)
Berlin, April 16, 1907.
I HAVE the honour to transmit herewith a copy, together with a short précis of the contents, of the official Report of the development of the territory of Kiautschau for the year from the 1st October, 1905, to the 1st October, 1906, which has been presented to the Reichstag.
I have, &c. (Signed)
FRANK C. LASCELLES.
Inclosure in No. 1.
Précis of Report on Kiautschau for the year 1905–1906,
THE development in the Kiautschau territory during this year shows steady progress in all economic spheres, and previous expectations have been quite fulfilled. The Marine Administration, too, has developed in the same regular manner, and its growing importance has been justified by the development of the Colony so far. The Reports of the Marine Administration also go to show that the advancement of the Colony is due to the concord between the State organs and the representatives of economic interests, and the general development of the Colony, during the year under report, may be gauged from an examination of the figures in all branches of economic life, both in fiscal as well as other social and economic spheres.
The receipts of the Protectorate have risen from 1,001,170 marks to 1,370,485 marks, i.e., 37 per cent. 236,867 marks are deducted from the receipts for January to June 1906 by the new German-Chinese Customs Regulation, so that by taking this into account a further rise of 15 per cent. would remain. The trade from Tsingtau has grown from 32'4 million dollars to 394 million dollars.
The shipping of the port of Tsingtau, which owes its growing importance in great measure to the development of transit trade to and from the Chinese Hinterland, has increased more than 56,000 tons, and amounted to 476,646 tons for the year. The traffic on the Shantung Railway gives some idea of the development of the Colony and of the Hinterland beyond. The number of passengers has risen from 780,228 to 811,285, and the freight, consisting mainly of coal and coke, from 279,740 tons to 377,649 tons. The traffic in these commodities has increased by 13,716 waggons. The Shantung Mining Company has advanced considerably in Fangtse and Poschantale, and the railway will probably be made much more use of for the transport of coal. Agricultural and industrial products show less considerable but still satisfactory progress. The economic development of the Colony is regarded as very favourable by impartial experts, especially, e.g., the Hamburg Chamber of Commerce in their last Report. Again, foreign nations are recognizing more and more the commercial importance of Tsingtau, and foreigners have even begun to trade actively in the Colony; the German Marine Administration regard this as favourable to the Colony in every way. The United States of America have appointed a Consul there, who began his duties at the end of the official year.
The economic development would have been still greater if, at certain moments, the entire commercial development of East Asia had not been unfavourably influenced, especially by the exceedingly high rate of money used in commerce, the Mexican dollar. The Report says an independent coinage is impossible, as the small Colony has the character of a place of transit rather than an independent territory, and such monetary isolation,would be disadvantageous. Although the German Government were thus not in a position to bring about a change in the standard of money, they made successful attempts to facilitate the trade by keeping the same standard and circulating paper money.
[2450 y-2]