TAINAN, TAKOW AND ANPING
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the power being carried by an overhead line from a generating station a few miles south of Takow. Tainan is distant 218 miles from Taipeh by rail.
Anping is the shipping port for Tainan, situated about three miles west of that city on the border of a lagoon. Communication is by a trolley line and a creek navigable for chutehs and small junks. The port itself is an open roadstead, vessels anchoring outside the bar and a mile or so from the beach. From November to the end of May the anchorage is a good one, but during the S. W. Monsoon a heavy swell sets in, rendering it difficult and sometimes impossible for vessels to load or discharge. Formerly Anping was a small but thriving port, but, since the improvements to Takow harbour were effected, its importance has materially declined, and it is now almost deserted, though its proximity to Tainan still necessitates a certain amount of shipping calling. As regards climate Anping, during the summer months, can boast of a comparatively cool temperature owing to sea breezes; Tainan is usually two or three degrees warmer. From October to the end of April there is little or no rain, and the cool weather then leaves nothing to be desired.
Takow is a port twenty-nine miles to the southward of Tainan. Located on the edge of what, less than 20 years ago, was a large, shallow lagoon with an extremely narrow and dangerous entrance, Takow has since been converted into a fine harbour with 4 buoys and a quay frontage capable of accommodating six large vessels (up to 23 feet draught) at one time alongside. At low water the depth is 24 feet, with 30 feet at the harbour entrance, which is now 36 feet wide. Further improvements are in progress, and, as it is the only harbour in the south catering for the bulk of the sugar trade and other industries, its future is assured. Large reclamations have been made along the shore of the lagoon, transforming marshland into a well laid-out, fair-sized town, with room for expansion.
The last stand against the Japanese was made at Tainan, Takow and Anping by Liu-Yung-fu, the Black Flag General. Takow was bombarded on the 15th October, 1895, and the resistance collapsed without any serious fighting. Tainan and Anping were occupied on the 21st October. Foreign shipping is now confined to a small number of steamers per annum carrying oil and machinery. The Japanese Government grants a subsidy of Yen 61,028 to the Osaka Shosen Kaisha for a fortnightly service between Anping and Hongkong via Amoy and Swatow. For direct steamers from Japan to the southern ports, a subsidy of Yen 124,800 is paid to the same company, as well as Yen 143,825 for a service of steamers round the coast of Formosa throughout the year. The Government Railway now runs day and night trains between Keelung and Takow, the length of which line is approximately 246 miles. There is a branch line from Taihoku to Tamsui, as well as many private light railways running inland from the main line, tapping the country districts. The chief of these was the Arisan Railway, which has now been acquired by the Government. This line taps the valuable timber forests on Mount Arisan, and is notable for its gradients and the number of tunnels along the route. Many of the private lines are owned by Sugar Companies who, in addition to transporting their materials, also carry passengers and goods.
Customs returns for 1920-21:-
Imports and Exports Combined
Anping... Takow
...
40
•
...
...
With Foreign Countries
Y. 2,384,240 32,192,730
With Japan Y. 9,016,782 159,379,537
...
...
...
...
...
The import trade is mainly in the hands of Japanese firms, the only item still in the hands of foreigners being kerosene. The Government has given every encourage- ment to the sugar industry, and many large modern mills have been erected during the past few years. Of the six staple industries of Formosa, namely, Tea, Opium, Camphor, Salt, Sugar and Rice, three-Opium, Camphor and Salt-have been monopo- lised by the Formosan Government, which now derives three-fourths of its ordinary revenue from these sources. Formerly, the trade in Opium and Camphor in this district was in the hands of the foreign merchants at Auping and Takow, and amounted before the Japanese occupation to nearly £250,000 per annum. Since the creation of the monopolies the merchants have thus been deprived of a large propor tion of their income. They feel the hardship, particularly in the case of the camphor trade, which was originated and developed in this district entirely by their capital and enterprise, for the loss of which they have received no equivalent.
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