605
:
General Foreign Settlement.
Trade.
Timber.
6
in Manchuria and is making an inspection of the prospective properties of the Company.
The traffic on the Mukden-Antung Railway is quite inconsiderable, for the narrow gauge, paucity of rolling-stock, and heavy gradients render the carriage of large quantities of freight out of the question. Two trains a day run to and fro between Mukden and Antung, a break being made for the night at Ts'ao Ho K'ou. The only passenger car is attached to the early train. Over the passes the length of the trains is reduced to a minimum of four or five trucks. Freight per ton-mile is the same as on the Dalny line-5 cents. The only goods I saw in transit were charcoal, grain and wine for the use of the troops, and a small quantity of beans consigned from Fenghuangchiêng to Antung. I was told that coal is also brought from the Fushun mines to Antung by rail.
The rails and rolling-stock in present use are the property of the Japanese Govern- ment and will be restored when the reconstruction has been effected.
The length of the line is 187 miles. There are eighty-seven bridges. The heaviest gradient is 1 in 25, but 1 in 30 is frequent over the passes. The length is to be reduced to 150 miles by tunnelling and straightening the line. In all there will be eight tunnels, of which the longest will be over a mile in length.
Railway guards are stationed at the following places: Mukden, Pênhsibu, Ch'iao-t'on, Lienshankuan, Ts'aohok'ou, Tungyuang'u, Hsichlichan, Fênghuangchiêng, and Antung.
As I have mentioned above, the Chinese authorities do not recognize the status of the Japanese Settlement, and the officials of the Shang Fou Chu, or Treaty Port Department, have aspirations of its being converted into a general foreign Settlement. It is a forlorn hope, for there is no other possible site for a Settlement, any district above the Chinese town being out of the question on account of its remoteness from the anchorage, while all available river front below the Japanese Settlement is in Japanese hands. I pointed out to the Secretary (Ti-tiao) of the Shang Fou Chu the futility of talking about a foreign Settlement established by China, as British subjects, at any rate, could not be restricted from opening places of business anywhere in Antung if they desired to do so. He said that they would find some difficulty in acquiring any place in the town, and 1 hear it is a fact that rents are prohibitive. The same scheme is also entertained by the Treaty Port Department at Tatungkou, and a tract of land adjacent to the Tatungkou Creek was pointed out to me as the site of the future foreign Settle- ment. There will probably not be the same difficulty about its acquisition as at Antung, for I did not hear of any extensive purchases of land by Japanese at Tatungkon.
Trade during the past year at Antung and Tatungkou has suffered from the same dulness which has been felt at Newchang. Chinese traders complain that the export trade has been bad on account of poor crops in 1905, and that little profit has been made on imports, while the exemption of Japanese from duty and li-kin has given them an unfair advantage and had an adverse influence. It is hoped that 1907 will prove more prosperous on account of the excellent barvests in 1906.
The importation of foreign goods direct from Chemulpho and Japan is a new factor in the trade of the port, which in former years was confined to steamer and junk traffic with Chefoo and Shanghae, Flour, kerosene, piece-goods, and miscellaneous goods of Japanese origin are now coming direct, while silk, beans, &c., go back to Japan, and the returns at Chefoo would no doubt show a considerable decrease in the trade with the Yalu ports. This direct trade will no doubt tend to increase, while the Corean Railway will also enter upon the field when it has been relaid. The Japanese Consul seemed hopeful of the creation of a demand in this district for Japanese specialities.
No foreigners except Japanese have started business in Antung or Tatungkou. The Standard Oil Company, the British American Tobacco Company, a foreign firm at Dalny, and, I believe, Messrs. Butterfield and Swire sent Europeans to investigate trade prospects in 1906, and the two first and the last have Chinese agencies. In the Japanese Settlement a large number of stores selling foreign and Japanese wares have been opened. Mitsui Busan Kaisha, the Chief Japanese firm, carries on a large business in American flour and the export of silk. The Yokohama Specie Bank has a branch here.
The region served by the ports of Antung and Tatungkou comprises the seven districts of Huaijên, Tunghua, Chian, K'nantien, Fenghuang, Linchiang, and Antung lying in the south-eastern corner of Fengtien.
The most important product of this region is timber. The greater portion of the timber is felled on the southern slopes of the Man-êrh-shan. Very little comes from the lower parts of the Yalu Valley or from the Corean side. The principal kind of timber
7
is pine, of which there are eight varieties-the Hung Sung or red pine and Sha Song being the most important. Över ten other kinds of wood are felled.
The timber-felling industry is entirely in Chinese hands, no Japanese having yet participated in it. In regard to the proposed joint China-Japanese Timber Syndicate, stipulated for in the Agreement of 1905, the Japanese Consul said that no steps had yet been taken towards its formation. Negotiations were now proceeding between the Japanese Minister and his Excellency Yuan Shib-k'ai, but no arrangement has been arrived at.
Only some 5,000 rafts, about one-half of the usual supply, came down the river in 1906; of this the major part was retained at Antung, contrary to the usual rule, so that, deducting what was required by the Japanese, little more than one-tenth of the ordinary quantity reached Tatungkon. An estimate given me made the output in good years at 10,000 rafts, which, at 1,000 taels a-piece, makes a total value of 10,000,000 taels.
By an arrangement with the Customs Tantai, the Japanese military authorities this year took 30 per cent, of all timber coming down-river, paying for it at a fixed rate. There are military yards at Antung, Yongampho, and Tatungkou, where this timber is stored, and in connection with them are three machine saw-mills at Yongampho, Antung, and New Wiju, managed by private firms, which cut up timber solely for the military. That at Yongampho, which belongs to the Okura Company, and was the largest, has recently been burned down. The output of these raills is chiefly sleepers for the railways, and material for the construction of railway buildings and barracks, Very little timber is sold. The Antung mill is a small concern and prepares timber for the Antung Railway.
Two million dollars worth of timber are reported to have been appropriated by the Japanese military in 1904 on the pretext that it was Russian property. Afterwards the Japanese Government sent an official to make inquiries, and compensation was offered to the Chinese firms. The offer was rejected as inadequate, and there has been some talk of a Petition to the Japanese Government on the matter.
Wild silk is the export next in importance to timber. Large areas of mountain Silk. land in this district are planted with scrub oak, on the leaves of which the silkworm is fed. Some of the cocoons are recled by the producers themselves, but the great majority are packed in baskets of 30,000 and exported. Most of the reeled silk used to be sent to Shanghac via Chefoo, but I was told that since the Japanese occupation practically all this trade has been attracted to Japan. The majority of the cocoons still go to Chefoo, but an increasing quantity go to Japan. The native Customs give the average annual exports as 2,400 bales of reeled silk, worth 336,000 taels, and 24,000 baskets of cocoons, worth 720,000 taels. The 1906 export was below the average.
According to the same authority, beans, beancake, and maize rank next in the list of exports, being valued at 560,000 taels, 165,000 taels, and 160,000 taels, and then come medicines, bean-oil, and hemp. The export in 1906 of these articles was below the average.
The Native Customs give the total of principal exports, exclusive of timber, as 2,100,000 taels.
The principal imports are foreign cotton piece-goods, 595,000 taels; native cotton Imports. piece-goods, 696,000 taels; cotton yarn, 240,000 taels; flour, 350,000 taels; sugar, 321,000 taels; rice, wheat, kerosene, silk piece-goods, &c. The total imports are estimated at 3,700,000 taels.
In view of the untrustworthy nature of Native Customs Returns, these figures are only put forward to show the relative importance of the various exports and imports, These figures are probably much below the proper amount.
The trade of Tatungkon is similar to that of Antung, with which it is closely connected. Timber, silk, and cocoons are the principal exports, and imports are the same as at Antung. Merchandize is frequently brought from Antung to Tatungkou for shipment.
From what I could gather, the trade across the Corean frontier has bitherto been inconsiderable. It consists in an exchange of grain, beans, skins, &c., on the Corean side for cotton and silk piece-goods and other Chinese and foreign manufactures.
In the years previous to the Russo-Japanese war a number of British and Chinese Shipping. steamers used to run from Chefoo to Antung and Tatungkou under Inland Waters Rules. This business has now fallen into Japanese hands. In 1906 only one British steamer called at Tatungkou, making three trips. Japanese steamers ran regularly to and from Chefoo, being chartered by Chinese firms. Japanese steamers also brought cargoes direct from Japan and Chemulpo.
[2418 s-3]
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