Directory_and_Chronicle_1896 — Page 532

118

SHANGHAI

extensive establishment known as the Sing-chang Filature, which is the property of the Shanghai Silk Filature Co., Limited. There are 500 basins in this factory. The Shanghai Silk Filature Company own also a large factory in Lee Hongkew, contain- ing 500 basins. Another large filature on the Soochow Creek is owned by a Chinese company called Chung-kee, who have also started a factory of a similar kind in the extensive building lately occupied by the Empire Brewery in Yangtszepoo road. Messrs. Lintilhac & Co. own a large filature on the Soochow Creek, while Ching Chong has a similar establishment in North Fohkien road, in which there are 300 basins. In addition to these factories, Messrs. Jardine, Matheson & Co. have a large waste-silk filature on Yangtszepoo road. There are also a paper mill, match factories, chemical and soap works, and various other industries, which are fast increasing in number. Shanghai bids fair to soon outrival Bombay as the largest manufacturing centre in Asia.

The "Astor House" in Hongkew, the "Central" in the British, and the "Hôtel des Colonies" in the French Concession, besides many second class inns, give hotel accom- modation equal to that of any port in the East. There are three daily newspapers, the North China Daily News, morning, the Shanghai Mercury, and the China Gazette, evening; also three weeklies, the North China Herald, Celestial Empire, and Temperance Union. There are three native daily papers, the Shun-pao, the Ilu-pao, and the Sin-wan-pao. These are sold at the prices of ten and eight cash, equal to a farthing and have a very large circulation. In one matter, that of Postal accommodation, Shanghai is perhaps over-supplied, there being British, French, American, Japanese, German, Local, and Customs Post-offices. Shanghai was made a port of Registry for British ships in 1874. All foreign hongs and even private houses have to give themselves fancy Chinese names, by which only they are known to the natives. The .system is, however, found to have its conveniences. No less than 3,218 jinrickshas, 3,115 passenger wheelbarrows, and 460 horse carriages ply for hire in the Settlements, besides large numbers outside.

The currency of Shanghai is the tael weight (equal to one and a third ounces avoirdupois) of silver cast into "shoes" of fifty taels, more or less. The foreign banks issue notes of the value of one dollar and upwards for both taels and dollars. Smaller transactions are conducted in clean Mexican dollars and copper cash. There are seven foreign and numerous native banks in the Settlement.

Shanghai is the great emporium for the trade of the Yangtsze and northern ports, and to a considerable extent for Japan and Corea. The export of Tea from 1846 to 1850 averaged sixteen million pounds, and Silk during the same period seventeen_thousand bales. The total import and export trade of 1868 was sixty-five million taels. It steadily increased each year until 1881, when it reached Hk. Ts. 141,921,357, but afterwards showed a great decline, the total for 1884 having been twenty per cent. less than that of 1881. It has since, however, shown a rapid recovery, the total trade in foreign bottoms, import and export, for the last five years, as given by the Customs Statistical Department, being :-

1890... Hk. Tls. 145,145,106 at Ex. 1.54 Mex. $223,523,463 at Ex. 5s.

2}d., £37,647,012 11d., £40,696,199 4s. 4td., £36,319,946

1891...

165,543,862

1.53

15

+9

"}

1892... 1893...

39

166,827,502

1.54

31

177,017,836

1.54

11

**

1894...

"1

195,622,371

1.51

""

$253,282,109 $256,914,353 $272,607,467 $295,389,780

4s.

99

""

""

3s. 11 d., £34,850,386

99

3s. 2., £31,279,202

The value of foreign Opium imported in 1893 and 1894 was, owing to the fall in exchange on India, much over that of 1892, but the quantity in 1893 was 5,775 piculs less, and in 1894 only 551 piculs more than in 1832, while for several years previously there had been a falling off, owing to increased production of and demand for native opium, the quality of which is now much superior to formerly and the taxes are very much lighter than on the foreign drug. The imports of native opium in 1894 totalled 5,046 piculs or more than twice that of 1893. An export of the native growth to foreign countries has now commenced. The import of foreign opium in 1881 was 51,522 piculs, which gradually declined to 30.083 piculs in 1893, but in- creased in 1891 to 36,414. Owing to the increased silver cost the import of Cotton Goods and Yarn, which for several years had shown an annual increase of over 25 per cent., fell greatly in 1893, but the value in 1891 was 20 per cent. over that of that year.

Woollen s increased by 36 per cent. in value in 1891, with a further increase of about 7 per cent. in 1892, but declined 3 per cent. in 1893, and 25 per cent. in 1891. Metals imported increased by 10 per cent. in value in 1891, remained about stationary in 1892 and 1893, and increased 11 per cent. in 1894. The import of Kerosine Oil was 35,179,205 gallons in 1891, 21,027,848 gallons in