874
SHANGHAI
All
former Municipal Local Post was in 1898 incorporated with it. It undertakes the transmission of small sums of money and accepts the registration of letters. 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 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 8,471 jinrickshas, 6,661 passenger and cargo wheel- barrows, 75 ponies, and 591 horse carriages ply for hire in the settlements, besides large numbers outside. Of private vehicles there were licensed in 1909, 4,727 rickshas, 851 carriages, 134 motor cars, and 1,099 ponies. The water conveyances licensed numbered 61 foreign cargo boats, 1,424 native cargo boats, 61 ferry and passenger boats, 1,588 other boats, 01 sampans, and 113 steam launches. There are 27 foreign and 22 native theatres regist red 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 provinciai 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. Tls. 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 1995; the total trade in foreign bottoms, import and export, for the last nine years, as given by the Customs Statistical Depart ment, being :-
1891... Hk. Tls. 298,15 1,780 at Ex. 1.52 Mex. $153,651,266 at Ex. 2s. 11., £44,224,159
"
1902...
**
316,122,861
1.51
"
"
1903...
11
351,200,609
1.51
"}
"
1904...
*
405,064,260
1.55
""
1905...
11
443,954,2 12
1.55
$522,645,525 $541,348,938 $327,849,603 $388,129,106
11
}}
""
1906...
17
421,956,496
1.54
+
11
1907...
"
392,731,600
1.51
1908... 1909...
11
397,106,850
1.48
"
"
449,212,406
1.48
11
649,813,033 $593,024,716 $587,718,138 $664,878,760
"1
59
2s. 7., £14,99,972 2s. 7 d., £46,338,569 2s. 103d., £58,059,210 35. 0d., £66,778,120 3s. 3d., £69,447,006 3s. 3d., £63,818,885 2s. 8d., £52,947,580 2s. 7d., £58,378,114
The following tables show the export of Tea and Silk for eight years:-
Tea- Black Brick Green
Silk Wild Waste 250,560 | 1902...63,370 10,819 39,515 231,025 181,832 294,861 1903...38,162 182,810
1902...picuis 185,255 101,643
Cocoons
9,493
1903...
11
15,945 45,692
15,633
1901... 1905... 1906... 1907... 1908.. 1909...
"
137,532 243,341
>>
104,323
98,359 250,077
17
""
"
""
175,803 269,485 223,837 197,824 311,138 279,031 168,835 214,297 140,121 247,067
1904...54,135 1905...45,766 19,201 55,570 1906...50,520 18,865
27,276 35,626
6,958
9,247
49,708
8,443
295,862 297,860
1907...54,031 16,952 71,438 1908...58,875 26,593 51,492 190)...60,301 26,996
52,487 15,083
8,850
9,308
The Import trade in Foreign Goods for 1909 was as follows:-
From Foreign Countries and Hongkong
From Chinese Ports
--
Hk. Tls. 192,098,168 1,264,737
Hk. Tls. 193,362,905
No comments yet.
Private notes are available after approval.