CHINKIANG
827
something to save the situation, but there are fourteen tax barriers along this route and it remains to be seen whether this railway, if built, will not have the same difficulty with the likin officials as is now experienced by the Shanghai- Nanking Railway. The north bank opposite the Concession is being eroded rapidly, and a spit from the island of Chêng Jên Chou, to the west of the Concession, is extending eastwards and the steady deterioration of the harbour is rapidly threatening the existence of Chinkiang as a shipping port. The future prospects of the port are, therefore, not so bright as they appeared a few years ago.
Chinkiang is one of the pleasantest ports on the river. It is now within a few hours' railway journey of Shanghai, which enables ice and other necessaries to be delivered promptly, while the Shanghai morning paper is received the same afternoon. The surrounding country is very pretty, and there is fair shooting, wild pig being plentiful within a few miles of the Concession. An electric light installation was set up by the Municipal Council in 1914 for the service of the Concession. The power used for generating electricity at the same time pumps water into a water-tower. The water, however, though now laid on throughout the Concession, is far from clear. Its deterioration owing to the silting up of the harbour is causing increased anxiety amongst the foreign residents.
The population of the Native City is estimated at about 150,000. To the west of the Concession is a handsome temple adorned with a pagoda standing on a con- spicuous elevation, and known as Golden Island. It is interesting to record that in the time of Marco Polo this hill was on the north bank of the river. In 1842 it was an island near the middle of the river, and the British fleet anchored where the railway station now stands.
The net value of the trade of the port for 1918 was Hk. Tls. 19,118,346 as compared with Hk. Tls. 18,014,171, in 1917. There are no local industries of importance, and the trade of the port is with the districts to the north of the river. The Commissioner of Customs in a recent trade report opined that it is probable that the port will gradually sink into insignificance and decay.
DIRECTORY
亞細亞 A-si-a
ASIATIC PETROLEUM Co. (NORTH CHINA),
LTD., THE-Tel. Ad: Doric
E. G. Masters, local manager
W. A. Lewis
R. A. Covil
N. Keller
Miss Hudson
J. S. Shearer, installation manager
* Yin-mei-en-kung-sze
BRITISH AMERICAN TOBACCO Co., LTD.—
Tel. Ad: Powhattan
F. Stafford Smith, manager
BRITISH MUNICIPAL COUNCIL
U. H. Kelly, secretary
會公商英
BRITISH CHAMBER OF COMMERCE
E. G. Masters, chairman and actg.
hon. sec.
G. C. Purton
T. F. Laughland
F. Stafford Smith
古太 Tai-koo
BUTTERFIELD & SWIRE (John Swire &
Sons, Ld.), Merchants
T. F. Laughland, signs per pro.
Hulk "Shah
Agencies
China Navigation Co., Ld. Ocean Steamship Co., Ld. China Mutual Steam Nvgtn. Co., Ld. Taikoo Sugar Refining Co., Ld. Royal Exchange Assce. Corporation London & Lancashire Fire Însce. Co. British Traders Insurance Co., Ld. Guardian Assurance Co., Ld. (Fire &
Marine)
Orient Insurance Co.
Union Insurance Society of Canton, Ld.
British & Foreign Marine Ins. Co., Ld.
Standard Marine Ins. Co., Ld.
Sea Insurance Co., Ld.
Taikoo Dockyard & Engineering Co.
of Hongkong, Ld.
行銀國中 Chon Go Yin Hong
BANK OF CHINA
J. C. Chang, manager
Geng Chuen, accountant
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