Directory_and_Chronicle_1922 — Page 807

SHANGHAI

737

native city is estimated by the Inspectorate of Customs at one million. The large congregation of nearly a million natives in the Settlements and outlying roads, eight and two-thirds square miles, is kept in admirable order by a police force of 203 Europeans (238 is the authorised number), 674 Sikhs (including 161 for gaol duty), 31 mounted troopers, 39 Japanese and 1,358 natives for the north of the Yang-king-pang, being one constable for about each three acres, and for 300 head of population. There are nine police stations. There are 63 European, 261 Tonkinese, and 449 Chinese police for the French Settlement, or about one constable for every 225 inhabitants. As the natives have to be tried by their own authorities, and bribery and obstruction have to be contended against, and there is a want of the facilities found elsewhere, the difficulties of organizing and efficiently working such a small force are considerable. The following table shows the population and Municipal Revenue of the Settlement, exclusive of the French, for the past six quinquennial periods:-

Ordinary Income

Year

Foreigners

Natives

1895

4,684

240,995

Tls. 482,603

1900

6,774

315,276

1,045,177

1905

11,497

452,716

""

1,780.415

19:0

13,526

488,005

""

2,555,056

1915

18,519

620,401

""

3,051,017

1920

23,307

759,839

4,823,483

CLIMATE

The climate of Shanghai is generally allowed to be fairly healthy. The death rate amongst the resident foreign population ranged from 15.2 per thousand in 1920 to 11.2 per thousand in 1905. The rate including non-residents was considerably higher; it reached 34.6 per thousand in 1902, which, however, exceptional. The number of registered deaths of foreign residents, including non- Chinese Asiatics (207 amongst Japanese), was 356 (including 113 children), and of non- residents 125, in 1920. Partial outbreaks of cholera have occurred at intervals, but the larger proportion of the cases has been among the ships in harbour. The highest recorded number of deaths from this cause among foreigners was 32 in 1890. Of these, 11 were amongst residents. With the exception of the year 1912, when there were 14 cases, the average number of cases amongst foreigners has been slightly over three per annum during the last twenty years. There were 3 fatal cases in 1920.

The highest number of deaths of foreign residents from small-pox was 21 in 1907. The average during the last twenty years has been 15 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, 14 in 1916, 20.7 in 1917, 16.5 in 1918 (in- cluding Japanese), 206 in 1919 and 15.2 in 1920. These rates compare favourably with those of many large towns in Europe and America. There were reported 9,663 deaths amongst the natives in the "Anglo-American Settlement" in 1912, 8,062 in 1913, 8,198 in 1916, 9,612 in 1917, 8,441 in 1918, 9,646 in 1919, and 8,546 in 1920, which make the rate 19.3, 15.8, 13, 14.9, 12.8, 14.3 and 11.2 per thousand. Small-pox, which was the cause of 863 deaths of natives in 1907, did not claim any victims in 1920; choleric diarrhoea claimed 142 victims in 1920, and influenza 160; scarlet fever, which caused 1,500 deaths of Chinese in 1902, was responsible for only 103 in 1920; and tuberculosis, which accounted for 2,000 in 1902, steadily decreased to 618 in 1910, but then gradually increased to 1,070 in 1920. The thermometer ranges from 25 deg. to 103 deg. Fahrenheit, the mean of ten years having been 5919 deg., the average being 4113, 64.99, 77'91 and 52:49 for first, second, third and fourth quarters, respectively. Shanghai approaches nearest to Rome in mean temperature, while the winter tempera- tures of London and Shanghai are almost identical. 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 heat during July and August is sometimes excessive, but generally lasts only a few days at a time. late years very severe gales have become more frequent. On 27th and 28th July, 1915, a typhoon of extraordinary violence visited the district doing much dainage. 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

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