Directory_and_Chronicle_1912 — Page 1029

SHANGHAI

853

Ostasiatische Lloyd, The Union, Sport and Gossip. There are upwards of a dozen native daily papers, the leading ones being the Shun-pao, the Hu-pão, the Sin-wan-pao, the Shi Po, and the Universal Gazette, the latter representing the Reform movement. These are sold at the prices of ten and eight cash, equal to about a farthing. Some of them have a circulation of 10,000 per day. In one matter, that of postal accommodation, Shanghai is over-supplier, much to the disadvantage of the resident community, there being British, French, American, Japanese, German, Russian, and Imperial Chinese Post Offices. The latter was organized by the Martime Customs and is at present being conducted under the auspices of the Imperial Board of Communications. The 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. 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 7,786 jinrickshas, 5,804 passenger and cargo wheelbarrows, 727 ponies, and 574 horse carriages ply for hire in the settlements, besides large numbers outside. Of private vehicles there were licensed in 1910, 4,712 rickshas, 793 carriages, 151 motor cars, and 1.014 ponies. The water conveyances licensed numbered 69 foreign cargo boats, 1,463 native cargo boats, 62 ferry and passenger boats, 1,593 other boats, 271 sampans, and 109 steam launches There are 25 foreign and 23 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 28 taels is counted as 100. The Shanghai tacl 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. 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 1905; the total trade in foreign bottoms, import and export, for the last nine years, as given by the Customs Statistical Depart- ment, being

1902... Hk. Tls. 346,122,864 at Ex. 1.51 Mex. $522,645,525 at Ex. 2s. 7jd., £44,995,972 1903...

351,200,609

1.54

""

19

1904...

"

405,064,260

1.55

1905...

443,954,2012

1.55

$541,348,938 $627,849,603 8688,129,106

"

2s. 7%d., £46,338,969

""

2s. 103d., £58,059,210

"

""

1906...

12

421,956,496

1.54

99

1907...

"

392,731,600

1.51

"

~ 649,813,033 $593,024,716

1908...

397,106,850

1909...

多

449,242,106

1.48 1.48

""

""

""

$587,718,138 $664,878,760

1910...

11

471,071,623

1.49

"

43

$701,896,718

"

11

3s. 0,1,d., £66,778,120 35, 3d, £69,447,006 3s. 3d., £63,818,885 2s. 8d., £52,947,580 2s. 7 d., £58,378,114 28. 8., £63, 122,924

The following tables show the export of Tea and Silk for eight years:-

Tea - Black Brick Green

1903...picuis 231,025 181,832 -294,861

Silk Wild Waste Cocoons

15,945 45,692 15.633

1963...38,162

1904...

**

1905...

""

1906...

1907...

气管

1908

1909...

"1

182,810 137,532 243,341 104,323 98,389 259,077 175,803 269,485 223,837 157,821 311,138 279,031 168,835 214,297

295,862 140,121 247,067 297,860

1904...54,135 27,276 1905...45,766 19,201 1906...50,520 18,865 1907...54,031 16,952 71,438 1908...58,875 26,503 51,492 1909...60,301 26,996 52,487 15,083

35,626 6.938

55,570 9.247

49,708

8,443

8,850

9.308

1910...

})

173,100 308,528 264,752 1910...66,116 23,379 75,360 13,948