Directory_and_Chronicle_1926 — Page 889

HANKOW

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extending in all over two miles of river frontage. Houses and godowns have been ipringing up fast of late years, especially in the British concession, the oldest #ection, which is changing rapidly, as stated above. The China Merchants' steam Navigation Company, having completed their new and extensive bunding, tarted to build handsome new offices for themselves in 1919, and these were completed In December, 1920. Messrs. Butterfield & Swire have erected a four-storey reinforced oncrete godown on the site of their old office. Messrs. Jardine, Matheson & Co., Ltd., ave put up a very fine modern four-storey reinforced concrete godown, on the site of she buildings destroyed by fire in 1917, the total measurement of the building being ap- Koroximately 74,772 square feet. The English Church was re-built, and consecrated in lay, 1904. A new Union Church was built in 1916-17 in the French Concession, and opened in April, 1917. The new British school building was occupied at the end of the

ummer holidays in 1920 and is a vast improvement on the former accommodation.

The native city of Hankow was burnt by the Imperialist army in October, 1911,- bind a population of about 800,000 were thereby rendered homeless. At the end of 1914 t was estimated that fully 80 per cent. of the burnt area had been reconstructed, though unfortunately on the old lines, all the laudable plans for modernising the city having fallen through, owing to difficulties in obtaining the necessary funds. During 1919 large tracts of land in the back of the native city were reclaimed and several new roads were constructed. A scheme for the development of a Greater Hankow has been started with the backing of the Government. This new scheme can be roughly outlined as follows. The first step will be to develop the land between the Foreign Concessions. and the Ching-Han Railway embankment. A boulevard is planned to start from the Yangtsze bank, north of the Japanese Concession, and run west to the railway Hembankment. It will then be continued alongside the embankment until it

reaches a point opposite

opposite the Hankow Waterworks tower, where it will turn east and run into the

into the existing road near the tower. Ultimately an. attempt will be made to extend it from the water-tower, through the city, to the Yangtsze. This area will be intersected by streets and laid out properly 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 rail

lway lalong 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 leffect 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 Ithe siding terminating at the ex-German Bund, enables the merchants to have produce

transported to their very doors from the interior.

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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 has been placed on the American market at a price which enabled 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. The new mill of the Hankow Dee Yee Cotton Spin- ning and Weaving Company, Ltd., which had been building for several years, was opened in January, 1920, and two others are in course of construction. 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 and three flour mills were started in 1906. Other flour mills have since been erected, and the bean oil milling industry is also well