Directory_and_Chronicle_1929 — Page 910

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4.

HANKOW

British Bund, extensive godowns, etc., belonging to Messrs. Butterfield & Swire and the Asiatic Petroleum Company have also constructed large premises on the lot im- mediately to the north of the Commissioner's house. The latter was dismantled in 1924, and the oldest landmark on the British Bund has thus been removed. The British Bund, indeed, was rapidly becoming the banking and business centre of the Concessions, and was ceasing to be a quarter for private residence. In many respects the Hankow bund is the finest in the East, and in point of length is probably unsurpassed. The new Custom House was completed at the close of the year 1922, and is located in an imposing position at the Southern end of the British Bund--admittedly the finest site in Hankow-and the building is in every respect worthy of the site. The fact that it was re-constructed on such extensive lines may be taken as an index, states the Commissioner of Customs in his Annual Report for 1922, of the confidence reposed in the future development and prosperity of Hankow as the foremost trade centre of Mid-China.

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The Bund affords a very fine and pleasant promenade, and has an imposing appearance from the river. There are a large Roman Catholic and small Protestant and Greek churches, the last-named a rather handsome structure built by the Russian residents. Several brick-tea factories owned by Russians are located in the Settle- ment, all of which were closed early in the War and have not been re-opened. France Russia and Japan since 1895 acquired concessions along the river front. The British concession was extended, but the Russian concession was taken over by the local authorities on November 1st, 1920, and placed under the control of the Chinese chief of police of Hankow. The French, Japanese and British had Municipal Councils. Thus while there was formerly a bund of only half a mile in length in front of the British concession, there is now a continuous line of concessions extending in all over two miles of river frontage. The China Merchants' Steam Navigation Company, having completed their new and extensive bunding, started to build handsome new offices for themselves in 1919, and these were completed in December, 1920. Messrs. Butterfield & Swire have a four-storey reinforced concrete godown on the site of their old office. Messrs. Jardine, Matheson & Co., Ltd., put up a very fine modern four-storey reinforced concrete godown, on the site of the buildings destroyed by fire in 1917, the total measurement of the building being approximately 74,772 square feet. The English Church was re-built, and consecrated in May, 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 summer 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, and a population of about 800,000 were thereby rendered homeless. At the end of 1914 it 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 was started with the backing of the Government.

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 local manufacturing industries include, besides the Government ironworks and arsenals, cotton and silk weaving and there are tanneries, flour mills, bean oil mills, paper mills and many others.

The Nanyang Brothers Tobacco Company have a large tobacco factory. The Yang- tsze Engineering Works have blast-furnace at Seven Mile Creek. The Government Mining Bureau of Hupeh formally opened the new and valuable iron mines at Siang- peishan, near Hwangshihkang, on September 3rd, 1920. These mines rival the well- known Tayeh mines and form the security for the note issue of the Hupeh Provincial Bank. The Sui Hua Matçlı Factory is the largest match factory in Central China and its products have, to a great extent, taken the place of the Japan matches which formerly held the market in this neighbourhood, A large foreign-style modern hos- pital for Chinese, built by subscription, was completed in June, 1920, in the native city.