Directory_and_Chronicle_1931 — Page 1080

1000

46

TENGYUEH (MOMEIN)

seldom travel during the rains (June to September), when through traffic is practically at a standstill, which means that, contrary to expectations, the construction of the new" road, which is passable all the year round, has not resulted in any increase of summer trade, the cessation of business during this period being due more to unfavour- able climatic conditions than to the inferior communications. Namkham, a town on the border 100 miles south of Tengyueh, is now joined up with Lashio by motor road and will be connected with Bhamo later. On the Chinese side, upon both Tengyueh- Namkham and Tengyueh Kulikha routes, the Sawbwas (hereditary Chiefs) are constructing local roads and importing motor cars. Projects are on foot to connect Tengyueh with Bhamo by motor road, which would effect an economy of two thirds of the heavy freights now paid on goods. From Tengyueh to Yunnanfu the road is divided into 24 stages for caravans and sixteen to twenty for postal couriers. It crosses a succession of mountain ranges varying from 4,000 to 10,000 feet in height, besides being intersected by numerous rivers, including the Sweili, the Salween and the Mekong, which would appear to render any railway project too speculative and too costly to be commercially practicable. Referring to the question of railway construc- tion, the Commissioner of Customs in the course of an interesting report for 1906 remarked:"Should the visionary project of connecting Yunnan and Burma with a trunk railway be ever seriously considered, an initial difficulty will be the selection of a suitable route. Two have been suggested the so-called Bhamo route via Tengyueh; and the valley of the Salween route via Kunlun Ferry. Opinions are divided as to which is the better, but the latter perhaps allows of easier gradients and is, for various reasons, the more preferable. Both, however, are difficult, and it must be admitted that neither is really suitable for railway construction. Considering the almost insur- mountable physical difficulties presented and the colossal expenditure which would be involved, the practicability, viewed commercially, of such a scheme may well be questioned."

Owing to its elevation (5,400 feet) the climate of Tengyueh is temperate and health- ier than in any of the valleys in the vicinity, which are rendered excessively unhealthy by malignant forms of malarial fever. Malaria is, however, very prevalent in the town itself during the rains, when mosquitoes are plentiful and when the general health of the place is poor. The average yearly rainfall is about 65 inches, most of which falls from June to September, when the incessant dampness is somewhat trying.

TRADE IN 1929

In reviewing the year 1929 as a whole, says Mr. H. D. Hilliard, merchants at Tengyueh were not dissatisfied, more especially in view of the adverse circumstances with which they had to contend. A dispute as to the currency in which payments for mule hire are made resulted, in the latter part of the year, in a strike of mule- teers, which lasted for nearly two months, during which time trade was almost at a standstill. In addition to these difficulties, the frontier rebates on Customs duties were abolished, resulting in an increase of import duty in the ratio of 7 to 10 and of export duty in the ratio of 6 to 10. As has been pointed out many times, trade can only flourish here when silk exports are good. Small sales of silk result in a scarcity of rupees locally, but the abolition of the export surtax leviable on silk undoubtedly encouraged merchants to export if possible. The great majority of imports being destined for the Shiakuan market, merchants have had difficulty in competing in this district with goods which have arrived there by other routes and, having paid no duty, can be sold cheaper. The question of the establishment of a Customs sub-station to prevent this is now under consideration. A scheme for aerial communication with Yunnanfu was mooted at the beginning of the year, and a landing ground was prepared to the south of the town. There have, however, been no further developments, and as yet no machine has reached Tengyueh. An excep- tional number of earthquake shocks was experienced, but none, fortunately, of a serious nature.

The net value of the trade during 1929, as taken cognizance of by the Maritime Customs, was Hk. Tls. 4,090,803, as compared with Hk. Tls. 3,852,694 in 1928, Hk. Tls. 5,644,427 in 1927, Hk. Tls. 4,025,074 in 1926, Hk. Tls. 5,456,457 in 1925, Hk. Tls. 4,519,083 in 1924, Hk. Tls. 3,901,308 in 1923, and Hk. Tls. 4,491,549 in 1922.

Page 1080Page 1081