Directory_and_Chronicle_1918 — Page 794

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SHANGHAI

of deaths of foreign residents from small-pox was 21 in 1907. There were fifteen deaths from this cause, in 1915; but the average during the last twenty years has been 25 per annum. In winter, cases of small-pox and typhoid are frequent among the natives. Amongst the shore population the death rate was 15'4 per thousand in 1915, and 14 in 1916 (including Japanese). These rates compare favourably with those of many large towns in Europe and America, the urban rate for England during the previous year having been 15. The Health Officer in a late Report says that "out of the seventy-five deaths registered there were but nine which can in any sense be termed climatic." There were reported 9,663 deaths amongst the natives in the "Anglo-American Settle- ment" in 1912, 8,062 in 1913, and 8,198 in 1916, which make the rate 19.3, 158 and 13 per thousand. Small-pox, which in 1909 claimed only 19 victims, was the cause of 863 deaths of natives in 1907, the annual average during the past two decades being 227; cholera has been entirely absent amongst the Chinese in the Settlements since 1908, although there were 193 deaths among them in 1906 and 655 in 1907; scarlet fever, which caused 1,500 deaths of Chinese in 1902, average 63 in the subsequent thirteen years, and tuberculosis which accounted for 2,000 in 1902, steadily decreased to 618 in 1910, but then gradually increased to 1,034 in 1916. The Health Officer in his report for 1910 thinks that deaths are hidden or intentionally returned as from other causes, as a result of disinfection being carried out. The thermometer ranges from 25 deg., to 103 deg. Fahrenheit, the mean of ten years having been 59'19 deg., the average being 41 13, 64′99 77-91 and 52:49 for first, second, third and fourth quarters, respectively. Shanghai ap- proaches nearest to Rome in mean temperature, while the winter temperatures of London and Shanghai are almost identical. The mean daily range in 1916 averaged 16-44, being from 12:07 in February to 18.12 in Deceember. In October and November there is generally dry, clear, and delightful weather, equal to that found in any part of the world; but when the winter has fairly set in the north-east winds are extremely cold and biting. On January 17th, 1878, the river was frozen over at Woosung. The leat during July and August is some-times excessive, but generally lasts only a few days at a time. late years very severe gales have become more frequent. Ön 27th and 28th July, 1915, a typhoon of extraordinary violence visited the district doing much damage.

The mean of the barometer is from 29'769 in the third to 30 245 inches in the first quarter. The annual average of rainy days in Shanghai during eight years was 124; 55 wet days occurred in winter, and 69 in summer; the annual rainfall averages 49'57 inches, about 15 in winter and 30-2 in summer; 1915 was an exceptionally wet year, the rainfall having amounted to 58.27 inches, the heaviest shower was on the 24th October, 1875, when 7 inches fell in 34 hours. The mean degree of humidity is from 786 in the winter to 82.6 in the summer months.

DESCRIPTION

In

The streets of the British and French Settlements all run north and south and east and west, mostly for the whole length of both, crossing each other at right angles. They were when first laid out twenty-two feet wide, but have since at very great expense been mostly made much wider. Under the new Regulations power to compel the sale of land required for public purposes has been secured. Notwith- standing the soft nature of the soil the roads are kept in remarkably good order, at least the main thoroughfares. In consequence of the introduction of trams the whole track of the Maloo, one mile in length, has been laid with Jarrah hardwood blocks, and the section of Nanking Road, between Kiangse Road and the Bund has been so paved in its entire width. The Municipal Council now leases a stone quarry at Pingchiao, in Chekiang, about 150 miles south-west of Shanghai, from which they obtained 67,613 fong (about 73,330 tons) of sound stone, and 1,663 fong of inferior stone in 1916. Owing to the nature of the ground, expensive piling or concrete founda- tions are necessary before any building over one storey in height can be erected, and all stone has to be brought from a long distance. The Soochow Creek, between the British Settlement and Hongkew, is now crossed by nine bridges, seven of which are adapted for carriage traffic. The scheme for filling in the Yang-king-pang was passed by the land-renters in 1914, the area thus gained being converted into a fine boulevard. The first tube of the Yang-king-pang culvert to be put under the Bund Bridge was laid in March, 1916, and the Avenue Edward VII., as the new thoroughfare is named, was finished in the same year. The Bund Bridge, which was carefully removed for re-erection elsewhere, and the levelling of the road surface at this point saw the com- pletion of the work, and the International Settlement trams now run the whole length of the French and International Bunds. The whole work of turning what was a foul- sinelling creek into what will be one of the finest boulevards in the Far East, was