Directory_and_Chronicle_1922 — Page 1039

WUCHOW

965

industry worthy of mention is boat building; when the river falls the foreshore is lined with matsheds, where native craft of all descriptions are constructed. The situation of Wuchow makes it the natural distributing centre for the trade between Kweichow, Eastern Yunnan, Kwangsi, and Hongkong and Canton. The future is full of promise, and Wuchow in the course of a few years is sure to make a bold bid for second place as the largest trade mart in the south of China. Local merchants are making strenuous efforts to divert to Wuchow, via the Liuchow and West Rivers, the trade of south-eastern Kweichow, which is principally supplied via the Yangtsze. Attempts are being made to work the manganese, antimony, copper, and tin mines which abound in the Kwangsi Province. The gross value of the trade coming under the cognisance of the Maritime Customs has steadily grown from four to nineteen million Taels, and the revenue is five hundred thousand Taels, while the Native Customs control a junk trade worth over sixteen million Taels and collect 150,000 Taels duty. The principal articles of export are manganese ore, antimony, timber, oils (aniseed, cassia, groundnut, wood and tea), indigo, hides, live stock and firewood. The coal, which should form one of Wuchow's largest exports, still lies buried in the surrounding hills. There is daily steam communication with Canton, maintained by four Chinese-owned steamers. There are a number of steamers on the Hongkong-Wuchow run. Up to the end of 1917 the British West River Steamship Co. operated the passenger steamers, but they did not pay and were sold to a Chinese Company. Messrs. Banker & Co. have two regular vessels plying on the West River, and have recently placed a new vessel on the run-the Kong Ning--which flies the British flag, is manned by British officers, and has first-class passenger accommodation. During the last few years a large native passenger trade has sprung up between Wuchow and up-river towns: launches leave daily during the summer months for Konghau, Kuaiping and Kueihsien, and a fleet of motor boats make regular trips to Nanning. Wuchow itself offers few attractions to the tourist, but the river scenery on the way up, especially between the Shuihing and Takhing Gorges, where the stream winds in and out among the green hills to form a succession of apparent lakes, is picturesque, and has been compared to the Rhine. Wuchow is connected by telegraph with Hongkong, Shanghai, etc.; and the Chinese Post has established postal communication with the principal towns in Kwangsi.

DIRECTORY

亞細亞 A-si-a

CONSULATES

ASIATIC PETROLEUM Co. (SOUTH CHINA), HEŁ★ Tai-peh-kwok Ling sz-kun

LTD.

C. E. H. Druitt, manager

S. H. Clark

W. J. M. Ochsendorff

和天 Teen-Woo

BANKER & CO., Merchants and Commission

Agents

P

Pontoon

Shipping Office: Banker's

Geo. Banker (Hongkong)

Pang Shui-ming, signs per pro.

Agency

Commercial Union Assurance Co., Ld.

BRITISH-AMERICAN TOBACCO CO. Clinton Smith, manager H. L. Mecklenburgh

BELGIUM

Consul

Residing in Hongkong, Offices: Alexandra Building

GREAT BRITAIN

H. B.M.'s Consul-General at Canton Pro-Consul-J. M. Groves

CUSTOMS, CHINESE MARITIME

Actg. Commissioner-R. D. Tisdall Assistants-N. I. Sopp, G. Gherardy Medical Officer- G. W. Leavell Tide-Surveyor and Harbour-master-

C. H. Hardy

Acting Boat Officer--E. E. Clark Examiners-J. W. Adnams, A. Z. de Souza, F. Byrnes, P. A. Davidson, R. H. Williamson

Tide waiters-V. M. Collaço, B. Toyota,

G. Nicholson, J. Schofield