1941-01-20 — Page 112

CHINA MAIL, PAGE 64

HONG KONG CENTENARY NUMBER

1841

Pioneers

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back

By K. B. Valdya

was

INDIA'S contact with China goes twenty-three centuries when Buddhism

intro- duced into China from In- dia, and India's association. mainly economic, with the Colony of Hong Kong dates from the very date of the foundation of the Co- lony in 1841.

Prior to this year (1841) Indian firms were carrying on business in Macao and Canton, the pioneer in the Indo-Chinese trade being the late Sir Jameshetti Jeejeeb- hoy, a Parsee adventurer from in- dia. In collaboration with the late

Mr. Jardine, they carried on

14

lucrative trade between India and cla, and the Parsee knight an- treed mto India Chinese ban- gles, glass bottles silks, tea, cassia and sugar from China, He almost monk.polised the bottle trade and evih to thus date his House known in India as "bottlewala" of bottles). From India. they bombt hand-wov PIL et m preregradis, pest 11 VILA. and antea tunely also upitn

This trade was continued by caher habens who followed 13 footsteps. whe carried trade from Canton and Macao but shifted to Hong Kong as soon

the Colony

www topme by Chest Britain m 1841

Ferry Pioneers

1

1

From 1841 to 1890 the th . wlwch dui a powd deal of bet maas in Hong Kong were N. Mody & 06, (1842), Abdoolally Ubrator a CHNIC), who are still carrying a them business in the Colony ani will elebrate their entenary nest your. Ghandy V (0. (WITH Wireh were associated the brothers of Sir Pherozshaw Mahla. the great Indian leader of late mme ties of the last century and carly years of the present cen- tury), Currumbbey Ebrahim & C». D. Naoroji & Co., Cawasji Pallonji & Co, Bomanjce Karanja & Co. and others. Messrs. D. Naoroji & Co. were the original owners and pioneers of the ferry service between Hong Kong and Kowloon on the mainland, and the later development of this effort is the present Star Ferry.

Messrs. Naoroji & Co. were pioneers in several other lines, as they were the principal bakers and general caterers in those days, and also owned one hotel called Parsi Hotel, Hong Kong. During this period the business of the In- dian firms, amongst whom the Parsees from India took almost the leading part, was mainly in the import of cotton yarn and cotton piecegoods, gunny bags and opium which were the staple products Imported from India even by all other non-Indian Arms into Hong Kong.

But also during this period, the foundation was laid (in 1868) by an Indian firm from Sindh (Hy- derabad) Messrs. Wassiamull As- somull & Co., of a business which was later to assume a great im- portance in the economic life of the Colony.

Sindhi Firms

This firm, as did all Sindhi firms from India, engaged itself in the local sale and export of Chinese silk plece goods, raw silk, curios and Leveral other Chinese pró- ducts, and also sold Indian piece goods. They were not interested in other lines like grains, yarns, opium, cassia etc. They specialis- ed in the line of silk, curios and other Chinese products which they exported in large quantities to all parts of the world fäclud-. ing India. They had about fifty- two branches throughout the world, and did and have been atill doing a large business in their specialised lines, The lead given

by them was followed later by a large number of Sindhi firms which have grown

up. since in number, extent and importance in the Colony.

Passing on to the period from 1800 onwards to the close of the century, we find further estab- lishment of Indian firms jn Hong Kong. In this period Mr. Hormusji Ruttonjee, the founder of the firm of Messrs. H. Rutton- jee & Son, came to Hong Kong in 1894 and was followed in 1836 by M. Hormusji Shapurji Kava- Jana. Both these gentlemen are fortunately alive. Mr. Kavarana later shifted his centre of activi- ties to Canton; but Mr. Ruftonjec, who at the age of about 21, first came as a clerk in the firm of Messrs. P. F. Davar & Co., wine and provision merchants, monthly salary of HK$13.00, re- mained in Hong Kong and made a large fortune by painstaking struggle, doggedness of purpose and transparent honesty. Within three years

of his arrival, he founded his firm "H. Ruttonjee & Sor" in 1887 and the business of the firm is still being carried on by his son and grandson in a very flourishing condition. Other firms of this period

were M. P Talah & Co. Sir Hmusji Mory as Exchange Broker, Pohomnull Brethers and Tarachand & Co., D Chellaram, G. W Ramchand whose guECTRANS Bru W Boul chaud. K. A. J. Chatimaal ent thers which were the five other Sindh firms to Fellow Mossie Wass amudly, who carried on their business along with others estu- blished earlier in Hong Kong.

Since the beginning of this red- tury, especially from the steund derage, the cotton and colton ye si trade between India and China dwindled considerably owing "to the competition of yarn from the United Kingdom, Japan and Shanghai. Up to the end of the last century, the Chinese were using mainly the rougher counts of yarn which India produced.

Rapid Growth

But the introduction of Aner counts from the United Kingdom and the cheaper prices of yarn made in Shanghai and Japan ulti- mately ousted Indian yarn from Hong Kong (that is from the Chinese markets served by Hong Kong), and the business of the In- dian firms was greatly reduced, only to be revived since 1938.

But the foundation laid by Messrs. Wassiamull · Assomull & Co. bore fruit and there was n rapid growth in the rise of these Indian firms from Sindh. Since about the time that the business in cotton, cotton yarn and cotton piecegoods and other lines, was lost by other Indian firms, the Sindhi firms kept up the pace of Indian business in silk in the Co- lony and to-day, they control, if they do not monopolise, the trade of the Colony in silk and curios,

at

The social and communal "life". as such, as it is understood in the modern sense, is of a more recent origin amongst Indian residents of Hong Kong, though a good deal of progress had been made by the Colonial Indians (locally-born). When the writer come here the end of 1931, each of the re- ligious sections of the community. had its own organisation and a joint and fuller "life" of the com- munity as a whole had yet to be developed. This development, however, soon became apparent and from 1934 onwards there has been a tendency to combine the different sections of the Indian -Community fogether. In the sport- Zing and Hierary spheres, theso at- tempts were made Barber, að sten -By- the formidation of an Indian School and an Indian Recreation Club. But outside these there were

Population

VARIATION in the population

of Hong Kong is much more immigration and dependent on emigration than on births and deaths. It is necessary only to mark the tremendous influx population since the outbreak of Sino-Japanese hostilities to sup- port that assertion.

Males Females Total

1881 European and

American 6,398 Non-Chinese 1,342 Chinese

of

Totals

Movements to and from the Colony are influenced tremendous- ly by events in China and census figures are but rough guides to the actual number of the population.

Times do not have to be abnor- mal for a movement of 3,000,000 persons in and approximately the same number out in the course of a single year. Daily averages of 8,000 arrivals and 8,000 departures are common over long periods of time.

1891

1,592 7,990 380 1,722

- 119,493 31,197 150,890

127,233 33,189 160,402

European and

American 7,082 Non-Chinese 1,623 Chinese 168,182

Totals

1911

Males Females Total

1,463 278

8,545 1,901

42,813 210.995

176,887

44,554 221,441

Totals

1901 European and

2,590 American 3,841

6.431 937 Non-Chinese 1,994

2,931 Chinese 200,327 74,216 274,543

206,162 77,743 283,905

Males Females Total

Males Females Total

Europeans and

-Americans 2,954 Portuguese 1,157 1,401 Indian Non-Chinese

(Mixed etc.) 817 Chinese

2,231 5,185

2,558

1,548

464

2.012

653

1,470

283,276 155,597 438,873

Was In 1841, when possession taken of the island, The total 7,000. population was just over made up as follows:

Totals

289.752 160.346 450.098

1021

In villages and hamlets 4,360 In the Bazaar In bouts

Victoria Kowloon New Waters

Territory

800 2,000

Non-Chinese

Males

5,339 1.732 Non-Chinese

Females 4.113 1,454 Chinese

163

1,942

48

215,740 72,056 41,589 43,365

The growth of the Colony's re- sident population has, neverthe- less, been consistent from the Setbacks moment of its birth. have been small, and due to poli- tical influences from outside, but in the main, the curve has always been upward, with a sharp influx in the first quarter century, and a steady rising trend since.

Labourers from Kowloon 300 The peninsula, Tsimshatsui, was then returned as containing ¿ Chinese population of 800 people.

Within nine months of this

taken,

the rough census being numbers had more than trebled. and there were 454 foreigners set- tled in.

In ten years, the estimated po- pulation included 1.520 foreigners and 35,000 Chinese,

In 1861, these numbers had in- creased to 2.986 non-Chinese and 116 335 Chinese.

The census of 1865 gave the following particulars: Europeans and Americans 2,031 Guanes, Filipinos, Indian

& others Allens

Males Chinese

Females 122,201 47,298 41,348 25.847 Males Females Total Non-

5,617 14,798 Son-Chinese 9,181 Chinese 373,676 236,692 610.368

To'als

382.857 242,309 625,166

1931

Total Population: 849,751 (491,- 858 males and 357,893 females), Arca Island

Kowloon

Males Females Total 247,967 162,954 410,921 146,618 118,057 264,675

New Terri-

tories Colony

50,147 48,758 99,905

1.845 150

Waters

47.126 28,124 75,250

Totals

Chinese, shore population 92.010 Chinese, boat population.. 26.885 2,780 Vagrants and prisoners

Following are the census figures for subsequent years: 1871

Males Females Total

European and

American 5,175 756 5.031. Non-Chinese 2,682 141 2,823 Chinese 94,880 20,584 115,464

Totals 102,737-21,481 124,218

hardly any social gatherings of Indians to warrant the name, un- Jess distinguished Indians passed through the Colony,

But from 1934 onwards, almost every Indian felt the need of pro- moting some organisation which would represent and combine all Indians. irrespective of crecd and locality. In 1935, an attempt was made to establish a merchants' chamber, but the or- ganisers felt the time was inop- portune, and postponed the pro- ject. However, that gave a filliy for further intercourse and the idea was never given up. Ull- mately on April 21, 1938, repre- sentatives of the Indian-com- munity met and decided to estab¬ *lish a central Indlan organisation," "The Indian Association of Hong Kong & South China” came into being on March 4, 1940.

The other organisations in the community are

1. The Khalsa Diwany. - (ör "Gurudwara") for the Sikhs, which maintains a boarding house for travellers and destitutes,

491,858 357,893 849,751

1941 According to custom, the Cen- sus of Hong Kong should be tak- en this year, but Government, on instructions from the Colonial Of- fice, is postponing the census.

The Sino-Japanese hostilities have caused a

great influx people into the Colony and it is now estimated that the population is between 1,500,000 and 1,750,000.

of

2. The Hindu Association for the Hindus, which maintains a' Cre- matorium and a Cemetery, and a temple under construction.

3. The Zoroastrian Club, which maintains a Parsee Cemetery.

4. The Indian Muslim Society, mainly for Indian Muslims.

5. Three Mosques, two of which * maintala a cemeteries,

6. The Sindhi Merchants Asso- ciation & Club (for business. pur- poses).

7. The Indian Recreation Club, (Cricket, tennis, lawn bowls, and Indoor Games).

8. The Kowloon- Indian Tennis Club, (Tennis, Hockey and Indoor. Games etc.):

9. The Ellis Kadoorie Indian School,

10, The Indian Ladies' The general position of dians in Hong Kòng

zers engaged malate in

making the and richer,

1941