Directory_and_Chronicle_1915 — Page 1037

SWATOW

1033:

The climate of Swatow is reputed to be very salubrious. The town occupies, however, an unenviable position as regards typhoons, on account of being opposite the lower mouth of the Formosa Channel, and it has on many occasions been subjected to all the violence of these terrible storms, which almost every year sweep across the lower coast of China. The population of Swatow is estimated at 7,060 families representing. 31,267 inhabitants.

A Chinese syndicate with a capital of two million dollars obtained the necessary sanction for the construction of a railway from Swatow to Ch'ao-chou-fu, and work was commenced on the line in 1904. The line, which is 24 miles in length, was opened to traffic on November 25th, 1906. The contractors were Japanese, who supplied all material, the rails and engines coming from America and the carriages from Japan. The construction of the line has brought about a great inflation of land values, as well as a notable influx of Japanese traders.

Swatow has now an electric light plant of its own, and on account of the cheap price at which the current is supplied this method of lighting is finding favour with the Chinese, and to some extent replacing the use of kerosine lamps. A new waterworks has recently been completed.

The foreign trade of Swatow has never been large. Tea and sugar were formerly the principal exports, but the tea trade here, as in other China ports, has to a very large extent passed away, and the sugar trade seems to be rapidly following it, the chief reason being that the superior sugar exported from Hongkong is finding increasing favour with consumers in the north, who formerly drew their supplies from Swatow. The China Sugar Refining Company of Hongkong have a large sugar refinery here, but work has for some time been suspended. The import into this sugar-producing district of sugar from the Hongkong refineries has shown big fluctuations during the past five years. In 1908 the import was 18,294 piculs of white and 12,245 piculs of brown. In 1909 the figures were 57,284 and 18,380, respectively. The export in 1908 was 481,244 piculs of brown and 346.233 piculs of white, while in 1909 the export fell to 297,010 and 198,221 piculs, respectively. Refined sugar from Hongkong and Java and Malay sugars have taken the place of Swatow sugar in the Northern markets. In place of sugar increased attention is being given to the cultivation of vegetables, fruit, poppy and indigo. The net value of the trade of the port coming under the cognisance of the Foreign Customs for 1913 was Hk. Tls. 51,357,756, as compared with Hk. Tls. 57,391,124 in 1912, Hk. Tls. 51,415,699 in 1911, Hk. Tls. 54,422,111 in 1910, Tls. 47,679,174 in 1909, Tls. 46,873,268 in 1908 and Tls. 45,342,00) in 1907.

DIRECTORY

ASIATIC PETROLEUM Co. (SOUTH CHINA),

LTD., THE

F. K. Browrigg, local manager

J. S. Shearer, installation manager

J. A. Ozorio

T. M. King, travelling inspector

ASTOR HOUSE HOTEL

J. W. Evans, proprietor

行銀灣臺

BANK OF TAIWAN, LTD.-Tel. Ad: Taigin

Y. Yanagi, manager

T. Nishimura

R. Niph

S. Miwa

Y. Namiki

Agency

Chartered Bank of I., A. & China

泰

Yuat-tye

Ben & Co., Shipchandlers, Storekeepers, Provision Merchants, Navy Contractors, Auctioneers, and Import and Export Merchants, General Commission Agents

C. U. S. Ben

C. P. W. Ben

Agencies

A. S. Watson & Co., Ld., Hongkong British-American Tobacco Co., Ld. Nestlé & Anglo-Swiss Cond. Milk Co. W. G. Humphreys & Co., Hongkong Davis, Lawrence Co., New York, U.S.A. George A. Moore & Co., San Francisco,

U.S.A.

BRANGWIN, C. H., M.R.C.S. (Eng.), L.R.C.P.

(Lon.), L.D.S. (Eng.)

Port Medical Officer