SHANGHAI
843
All
their correspondence. 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. 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 8,173 jinrickshas, 7,060 passenger and cargo wheel- barrows, 767 ponies, and 595 horse carriages ply for hire in the settlements, besides large numbers outside. Of private vehicles there were licensed in 1908, 4,719 rickshaws, 916 carriages, 119 motor cars, and 1,122 ponies. The water conveyances licensed numbered 65 foreign cargo boats, 1,434 native cargo boats, 63 ferry and passenger boats, 1,556 other boats, 236 sampans, and 113 steam launches. There are 15 foreign and 22 native theatres registered within the Anglo-American Settlement.
The currency of Shanghai is the tael weight-equal to 579.84 grains troy, of fineness 0.916, but reckoned at 98. That is to say, that an actual weight of 98 taels is counted as 100. The Shanghai tael thus contains, or should contain, 520.43 gr. troy of pure silver, but varies owing to the crude methods of assay. This is, however, the mean. The silver known as "sycee" is 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, or equivalent dollars from the various provincial mints, smaller subsidiary provincial silver coins and copper cash. There are eight foreign and numerous native banks in the settlement. In 1896 the Imperial Chinese Bank, under Chinese and European management, was opened by Imperial Decree.
TRADE AND COMMERCE
Shanghai is the great emporium for the trade of the Yangtsze and Northern and Corean ports, and to some extent for Japan. The total import and export trade of 1868 amounted to sixty-five million taels. It steadily increased each year until 1881, when it reached Hk. Tis. 141,921,357, but afterwards showed a great decline, the total for 1884 having been twenty per cent. less than that of 1881. There was, however, a rapid recovery up to 1905; the total trade in foreign bottoms, import and export, for the last nine years, as given by the Customs Statistical Depart- ment, being:
1890... Hk. Tls. 243,606,777 at Ex. 1.55 Mex. $377,590,504 at Ex. 3s. 14d., £37,809,802
298,454,780
2s. 11d., £44,224,159 2s. 7 d., £44,995,972 2s. 7 d., £46,338,969 2s. 10 d., £58,059,210 3s. 0d., £66,778,120 3s, 3 d., £69,447,006
1901...
1.52
"
1902...
346,122,864
1.51
""
1903...
""
351,200,609
1.54
190+...
11
405,064,260
1.55
"}
$453,651,266 $522,645,525 $541,348,938 $627,849,603
>>
""
1905...
443,954,262
1.55
""
1906...
421,956,496
1.54
""
1907...
392,731,600
1.51
>>
"
1908...
397,106,850
1.48
$688,129,106 $649,813,033 $593,024,716 $587,718,138
""
""
""
"
25.
3s.
3d., £63,818,885 8d., £52,947,580
The following tables show the export of Tea and Silk for eight years:-
Tea--Black Brick Green
Silk
Wild
Waste
Cocoons
1901. picuis 178,075
168,877 192,277
1901...71,358
14,115
36,668
4,823
1902...
185,255
101,643 250,560
1902...63,370
10,819
39,515
9,493
1903...
1904.. 1905... 1900. 1907 1908.
11
*
35
168,835
231,025 181,832 294,861 182,810 137,532 243,341 104,323 98,389 259,077 1905...45,763 19,201 55,570 175,803 269,485 223,837 1906...50,520 18,865 49,708 197,824 311,138 279,031 1907...54,031 16,952 71,438 214,297 295,862❘ 1908...58,875 26,593
1903...38,162 15,945
45,692
15,633
1904...54,135 27,276
35,626
6,958
9,247
8,443
8,850
51,492
9,308
The Import trade in Foreign Goods for 1908 was as follows:-
From Foreign Countries and Hongkong
From Chinese Ports
...
...
...
...
+
Hk. Tls. 176,196,782 2,299,293
Hk. Tls. 178,496,075
No comments yet.
Private notes are available after approval.