132
SHANGHAI
to Japan. Of Silk Filatures Shanghai has 27, with a total of 8,000 basins. The export in 1895 was 6,276 bales of one picul (133) lbs. each) and 5,293 piculs in 1896. One only of these Filatures is the property of a private firm; the others being owned by Foreign or Chinese Companies. These Filatures are scattered over the Hongkew and Sinza districts, with the exception of a large one of 300 basins at Jessfield-the Hing Chong Filature. Of other industries we may note Feather Cleaning Factories, Hydraulic Packing Factories, a native owned Paper Mill, several Match Factories, a Flour Mill (for grinding wheat, which it is said makes excellent flour), the Kerosene Tank Oil and Tinning establishments and 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 accommodation equal to that of any port in the East. There are four daily news- papers, the North China Daily Noirs and Shanghai Daily Press, morning, the Shanghai Mercury and the China Gazette, evening; also four weeklies, the North China Herald, Celestial Empire, The Union, and L'Echo de Chine. There are three native daily papers, the Shun-pao, the Hu-pao, and the Sin-wan-pao. These are sold at the prices of ten and eight cash, equal to about a farthing and have a very large circula- tion. In one matter, that of postal accommodation, Shanghai is perhaps over-supplied, there being British, French, American, Japanese, German, Local, and Customs Post- offices. The last is being organized as the Imperial Chinese Post Office, and the Municipal Local Post has been incorporated with it, but it will probably be some years before the difficulties inevitable in a country like China are overcome, and foreigners are, justly or unjustly, doubtful as to the inviolability of their correspon- dence. It is understood that China will apply for admission to the Postal Union. Shanghai was made a port of Registry for British ships in 1874. All foreign hongs and even private houses have to give themselves faucy Chinese names, by which only they are known to the natives. The system is, however, found to have its conveniences. No less than 3,610 jinrickshas, 4,210 passenger and cargo wheelbarrows, and 533 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 an 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. In 1896 the Imperial Chinese Bank, under Chinese and European management, was opened by Imperial Decree.
Shanghai is the great emporium for the trade of the Yangtsze and Northern and Corean ports, and to some extent for Japan. 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. Tls. 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 seven years, as given by the Customs Statistical Department, being
1890... Hk. Tls. 145,145,106 at Ex. 1.54 Mex.
2fdl., £37,647,212 48. 1d., £40,696,199 48. 4., £36,319,946 3s. 11 d., £34,850,386 3s. 2d., £31,279,202
1891... 1892... 1893... 1894... 1895...
"9
165,543,862 166,827,502
1.53
19
1.54
19
59
177,017,836
1.54
"
$223,523,463 at Ex. 5s. $253,282,109 $256,914,353 $272,607,467
""
"
195,622,371
1.51
"
"
""
8295,389,780
"
218,733,283
1.53
"
"
1896...
226,912,516
1.53
多
19
$334,661,923 8347,176,149
3s. 3 d., £35,772,006 3s. 4d., £37,818,752
The value of foreign Opium imported in 1893, 1894, and 1895 was, owing to the fall in exchange on India, much over that of 1892, but the quantity is rapidly declining; in 1895 it was 31,589 piculs or 4,274 less than in 1892, and in 1896, 29.937 piculs, a further decrease of 1,652. This is owing to increased production of and demand for native opium, the quality of which is now much superior to formerly and the taxes very much lighter than on the foreign drug. The import of foreign opium in 1881 was 51,522 piculs. The import of the native drug as shewn by the Foreign Customs returns in 1894 totalled 5,046 piculs, or more than twice, and in 1895 reached 10,413 piculs or more than four times that of 1893. In 1896 it declined to 8,548 piculs owing to a short crop. But it must be borne in mind that the great bulk of the native-grown opium which enters Shanghai does not come under the
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