Directory_and_Chronicle_1920 — Page 914

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HANKOW

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Yangtsze. This area will be intersected by streets and properly laid out for building purposes, with a complete drainage system. The second step of the scheme will be to develop the land on the west side of the Ching-Han Railway embankment from the vicinity of the foreign racecourse, past the Chinese racecourse, up to Kiaokow. The third step will be the development of the remaining land up to the dyke. A railway along the dyke, connecting with the Ching-Han line, will be constructed and circular passenger trains started. Plenty of room will thus be provided for cheaply-built houses to accommodate workmen and the poorer Chinese classes. At present, owing to the rapid expansion of Hankow, the housing problem is a serious one, and rents have increased two and three-fold since the Revolution in 1911. Plans for a railway siding into the British Concession have been agreed upon and will probably soon be given effect to. The railway siding leading from the Peking-Hankow Railway's main line to the heart of the British Concession has been completed. This in conjunction with the siding terminating at the ex-German Bund enables the merchants to have produce transported to their very doors from the interior.

Cotton cloth mills established by the Viceroy Chang Chih-tung commenced run- ning in 1892, and the ironworks at Hanyang have developed into a large and import- ant enterprise employing about 4,500 men. Hangyang iron is now being placed on the American market at a price which enables it to hold its own against the Steel Trust product. The output of the Hangyang Iron and Steel Works in 1917, included 118,932 tons of Martin iron, 31,655 tons of foundry iron, 20,093 tons of rail steel and 40,839 tons of mild steel. In August, 1895, the Wuchang Mint was established. The Mint has had to be considerably enlarged in recent years to enable it to keep pace with the demand. The machinery was greatly damaged in the Revolution.

The local manufacturing industries include, besides the Government ironworks and arsenals, cotton and silk weaving. A carriage and wagon works to supply rolling stock to the Yueh-Han Railway, closely allied with the Hanyang Ironworks, which is turning out bridges and girders for railways, has been established on the Hankow side of the river. The Wuchang Cotton and Hemp mills, together with the silk filature, were leased by the Viceroy in 1902 to a company of Chinese capitalists at 100,000 taels a year, for a period of 20 years. Apart from the Hemp mill, which began operations in 1904, under Japanese management, the concern is doing a flourishing business. A tannery was started in 1906, and three flour mills. Other flour mills have since been erected, and the bean oil milling industry is also well established in the port. Paper mills, much damaged during the Revolution, are now working once more, under Government auspices.

Antimony, lead and zinc ores are crushed by machinery on the Wuchang side and exported. A large business is also done by a match factory, as well as by albumen factories. Several miles below the Foreign Concessions the Shell Transport Company, Limited, of London, have oil tanks for storing bulk oil, to be tinned on the premises. Two tanks have a capacity of 2,500 tons of oil each. During the low-water season small tank-steamers bring the oil from Shanghai. The Royal Dutch Petroleum Company, Langkat, also has an installation. The Standard Oil Co. had three large

tanks erected at the end of 1904. Each installation added another tank in 1906. An English Company commenced an export trade in frozen pork, eggs, poultry and game in 1909, the refrigerating plant costing upwards of £30,000.

Tea is the staple export. The net value of the trade of the port in 1918 was Hk. Tls. 165,162,308 as compared with Hk. Tls. 170,730,067 in 1917; Hk. Tls. 174,819,487 in 1916, Hk. Tls. 160,904,722 in 1915 and Hk. Tls. 141,328,672 in 1914.

During the last few years foreign interests at Hankow have undergone a marked development, the chief factor in producing the growth being the construction of the Lu Han Railway, a trunk line connecting Hankow with Peking, the contract for which was let to a Belgian syndicate in 1897. It was opened in November, 1905, when trains passed over the Yellow River Bridge, which was immediately closed again as unsafe. Since December, 1905, through traffic with Peking has continued without interruption. Early in 1906 trains de luxe" were started. The line has diverted much of the traffic that went by water to Chinkiang. A railway from Hankow to Canton is in course of construction, and has been completed as far as Changsha, and this will eventually link up with the Canton-Kowloon line, giving direct communication between Hongkong and Europe via Siberia.

The Hankow Race Club and Recreation Ground was incorporated in

in 1904, and since then has undergone a phenomenal development.

The property of the Club is sufficiently extensive for a race course, an eighteen hole golf course, football and cricket field, swimming pool, and in fact for every branch of sport

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