Directory_and_Chronicle_1932 — Page 949

KONGMOON

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out a new town on the water-front and dredging operations. A branch line of the Sunning Railway was opened in 1920 from Sunning city to Paksha. The company maintained a regular service between Pakkai and Towshan during 1930 and realised a net profit of some $90,000 on the year's working. A telegraph office was opened on the 8th December, 1907, in the town, and in November, 1911, in the Settlement, and telegraphic communication is now possible with the Fatshan office. A high road between Kongmoon and Hok- shan, a town some 50 miles away, has been constructed, and a public company was formed, with a capital of $240,000, to make roads from Sunwui to Kong- moon and thence to Pakkai which will be suitable for motor traffic. The motor road from Hokshan to Sunwui was officially opened on January 10th, 1922.

Considerable development has taken place in road-making and the Kongmoon-Pakkai motor road, about 3 miles in length and connecting the steamer anchorage with the city itself, was opened to traffic during the early part of 1930, and a motor-bus service was formally inaugurated on the 2nd June of that year.

TRADE IN 1930

Mr. H. D. Hilliard writes in his report of the trade of Kongmoon and its surroundings districts during 1930 that they have enjoyed a year of greater peace than has been the case for several years past. Piracies, it is true, have occurred, and tows on their way to Canton and Shekki have been mined and sunk by bandits on more than one occasion, but, on the whole, the activities of these marauders have been kept well under control. In consequence, trade has shown distinct evidence of improvement throughout the year. The rapid fall in the purchasing power of silver could not, however, fail to cast its shadow over what might otherwise have proved an exceedingly prosperous year for trade, but the full effects of the collapse of the silver market have yet to be realised. When dealing with imports, however, it must be remem- bered that there is every reason to believe that large quantities of commodities, especially sugar, piece goods, and kerosene oil, were surreptitiously smuggled into the district both by way of the south-western coast and through Chungshan during the period when the latter was a free area. It is interesting to note that importers to-day ask for quotations for their goods as far as Hongkong only, instead of to the actual port of destination in China as was formerly the practice. The first rice crop was exceedingly poor, and prices soared to a dangerous height, but the second crop yielded a remarkably good harvest- the best within the past 10 years. This not only compensated for the shortage of supplies from Kwangsi, which the disturbed state of that province made it impossible to obtain, but also rendered it unnecessary to import large quan- tities from Annam and Siam at prohibitive prices. The apparent falling off in the quantity of groundnuts imported is explained by the fact that, while formerly native produce transhipped at Hongkong was treated as a direct importation from abroad, the regulations referred to in last year's report have made it possible for native produce to retain its native status when shipped from one port in China to another via Hongkong. Prices for silks cocoons ruled low during the first half of the year, but there was a slight improvement later. The crops generally, and in particular the fifth crop, were good, but mulberry farmers are said to have suffered losses due to the low prices ruling for the leaves, which grew in abundance. The first harvest of palm-leaves yielded an excellent profit, but the subsequent three harvests found a dull market, chiefly owing to the civil war in the North. Although six steamers maintained a regular run between this port and Hongkong, the supply of tonnage was considerably in excess of demand so far as freights were concerned. On the other hand, these vessels were really insufficient to cope with the pas- senger traffic.

The net value of the port's trade in 1930 was Hk. Tls. 12,027,160, as com- pared with Hk. Tls. 10,423,521 in 1929, Hk. Tls. 9,009,888 in 1928, Hk. Tls. 90,92,077 in 1927, Hk. Tls. 1,768,444 in 1926 and Hk. Tls. 6,617,495 in 1925.

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