Directory_and_Chronicle_1915 — Page 840

SHANGHAI

839

foreigners had taken up their residence in it. By that time twenty-five firms were established, and the foreign residents numbered a hundred, including seven ladies. In that year an English Church was built, and on 21st November the foundation of the Roman Catholic Cathedral at Tungkadoo was laid. The French were in 1849 granted the ground between the city walls and the British Settlement on the same terms; and, in exchange for help rendered in driving out the rebels who had seized the city in 1853, got a grant of the land extending for about a mile to the south between the city walls and the river. They have since by purchase extended the bounds of the Concession westward to the "Ningpo Joss House," a mile from the river. Negotiations were instituted for an extension of the Concession to Sicawei, a village chiefly occupied by the Jesuits and their converts, situated at the end of the French Municipal Road and five miles from the French Bund, but in this the French were only partially successful, a small extension as far as the Old Cemetery being granted them in 1899. In the later fifties the Americans rented land immediately north of Soochow Creek, in the district called Hongkew, so that the ground now occupied by foreigners extends for nearly eight miles on the left bank of the river. Including the Creeks there are now fifteen miles of the Settlement with water frontage.

By the land assessment made in 1907, on land in the Central District the assessment was on an area of 2,2243 mow, Tls. 77,205,106. This shows an increase of 1563 per cent. over the value in 1902 of Tls. 30,086,586. The Northern District, area 2,127 mow, was assessed at Tls. 23,146,844, increase of Tls. 13,432,310, or 1384 per cent. on that of 1902; the Eastern District, 5,753 mow, at Tls. 24,306,233, an increase of 93 per cent., and the Western (foreign residential) District, 5,538 mow, at Tls. 26,389,07-4, against Tls. 8,081,572 at the previous quinquennial period, an increase of 2263 per cent., a total on 15,643 mow of Tls. 151,047,257, against Tls. 60,423,773 on 13,126 mow in 1902, equal to 150 per cent. for the whole Settlement (exclusive of the French). The assessment of the British and Hongkew divisions, respectively, was in 1880 Tls. 6,118,265 and Tls. 1,945,325, total Tls. 8,063,590; in 1890 Tls. 12,397,810 and Tls. 5,110,145, total Tls. 17,507,955. The totals in 1907 were thus nearly twenty times those of 1880 and over eight and a half times those of 1890. A new assessment was made in 1911. "Although in a certain number of cases the new values are higher than under the assessment of 1907, the fall in gross values aggregates about eleven million taels, with an estimated fall in income of Tls. 69,000." The assessment for 1914 was for the Central District Tls. 65,873,000, Northern District Tls. 24,121,000, Eastern Tls. 25,901,000, Western Tls. 22,149,000, a total, after deducting rebates on ground occupied by churches, cemeteries, and municipal properties, of Tls. 132,353,000, on which a tax of 6/10th of one per cent. less 15% was levied, estimated to yield, net, Tls. 675,000. One piece of land in the Nanking Road, assessed in 1867 at Tls. 4,000 per mow, the then basis of assessment on the best Bund lots, in 1899 at Tls. 13,000, and in 1903 at Tls. 27,500, was recently sold for Tls. 85,000 per mow. The Overseer of Taxes in a late Report said: "On the Bund and in Nanking Road east of the Fokien Road the value per mow would be at least Tls. 100,000." The average for the whole Settlement was, under the assessment of 1907, Tls. 9,656 per mow, and for the Central District (old British Settlement), Tls. 34,706; the highest being Tls. 110,000. A great rise in values took place during the later months of 1895, and this continued steadily until 1911, chiefly caused by the influx of native capital seeking safe investment under foreign protection and by the great increase in population resulting from the establish- ment of numerous cotton mills, silk filatures, and other industries.

The total number of foreign houses in the four divisions of the general concession on 31st December, 1913, was 3,254 assessed at Tls. 4,887,539, against 3,216, assessed at Tls. 4,870,218, 3,209, assessed at Tls. 4,934,897, 3,119 assessed at Tls. 4,809,155, 3,082 assessed at Tls.

4,703,838, 2,928 assessed at Tls. 4,484,696, 2,721 assessed at Tls. 3,928,656, 2,567 assessed at Tls. 3,423,956, 2,472 assessed at Tls. 3,235,311, and 2,129 assessed at Tls. 2,189,940 on the corresponding dates in 1912, 1911, 1910, 1909, 1908, 1907, 1906, 1905 and 1904. On 53,409 native houses the assessment was $8,695,486, against 52,461 assessed at Tls. 8,358,605 in 1912, 52,125 assessed at $8,193,110 in 1911, 52,008 assessed at $8,332,449 in 1910, 51,288 assessed at $8,298,051 in 1909, 50,826 assessed at $8,238,267 in 1908, 49,482 as- ssed at $8,146,048 in 1907, 47,210 assessed at $7,225,491 in 1906, and 45,328 assessed at $6,830,461 in 1905.

In addition six per cent. (half rate) is now collected on 418 occupied foreign houses assessed at Tls. 287,171 and 971 occupied native houses assessed at $84,382 outside the Settlement limits, but supplied with water by the Shanghai Waterworks Co. For 1914 the land of the French Concession was valued for assessment at Tls. 20,000,000; the rental assessment of foreign houses at Tls, 300,000, and of native houses Tls. 1,366,666. The British and French Settlements, exclusive of the extensions acquired in 1899 and 1901, are now all built over, and the vacant

Page 840Page 841

840