Directory_and_Chronicle_1931 — Page 1062

Directories & Chronicles 香港指南 All

982

WUCHOW

rupted for over two months as a result of warfare within the province. A marked increase was recorded in grey jeans. A new industry has developed locally for dyeing this cloth for sale inland, and those engaging in this industry have made good profits. Demand for wood oil from America, by far the greatest consumer, remains steady, but, owing to adulteration, to which producers persistently resorted, the local product com- peted unsuccessfully with its rival from Szechwan, which was much superior in quality and was favoured with better transportation facilities. Tea oil was exported in greater quantities, and, encouraged by good prices offered at Hongkong, exporters bought freely from the interior during the early part of the year. It has, however, been found that the percentage of acid in the tea oil exported from Wuchow is too high and that only during the months from December to April can it safely be export- ed abroad. During these months water in the river is low and transportation difficult. Unless, therefore, some remedy is adopted, there can be no great hope of this trade assuming larger dimensions.

The principal articles of export are manganese ore, antimony, timber oils (aniseed, cassia, groundnut, and wood), 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 and Hongkong, maintained by Portuguese, British and Chinese steamers, some of which are manned by foreign officers, and have first-class passenger accommodation. During the last few years a large native passenger trade has sprung up between Wuchow and upriver towns, and a fleet of motor boats make regular trips to Konghau, Kuaiping, Kueihsien and Nanning. Wuchow itself offers few attractions to the tourist, but the river scenery on the way up, especially between the Shiuhing 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 communi- cation with the principal towns in Kwangsi. In 1922 the Maritime Customs completed the erection of seven new buildings to accommodate the whole of their staff. These houses, some of which are three storeys high, are constructed of ferro-concrete in the most up-to-date style. They are brilliant examples of modern tropical buildings, and are the chief architectural feature of Wuchow.

The year 1924 saw much systematic effort toward municipal improvement. local Board of Public Works was inaugurated early in the year, with a competent engineering and surveying staff. Much creditable work was accomplished in spite of set-backs by flood and fire and the hampering effects of political and financial limitations. Streets were widened, sewers laid, and ponds and marshy places re- claimed and filled and made suitable for building sites. The near-by hills and valleys, long used merely as burial grounds, are now becoming the scene of road-making, tree-planting, and house-building. The old city wall has been entirely demolished and ambitious plans for the near future include the extension of wharf facilities, the pre- paration of new business districts, and the construction of a reservoir and filtering plant for a modern water supply.

An important innovation, since the early part of 1926, has been the institution of telephones throughout the city. These are run by a private company. The Yungyuen- Yunghu motor road was opened to traffic early in 1929 and another road connecting Kweilin and Wingfook was completed shortly after. Otherwise, the work of building motor roads throughout the province, which has made great strides during previous years, came to a halt. On the night of the 22nd August, 1929, a violent typhoon swept over the port, resulting in the sinking in the harbour of 38 laden junks and 50 sam- pans, with the loss of several lives.

Directory_and_Chronicle_1931 — Page 1062

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