Directory_and_Chronicle_1933 — Page 539

PEITAI HO AND CHINWANGTAO

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Harbour entrance 25' at L.W.O.S.T. Dredging is now in progress and the harbour entrance will be dredged to 27 at LW.O.S.T. Berths No. 3 to 7 are continuous providing berthing accommodation for vessels of any length, the size of vessels berth- ing only being limited by the amount of water available in the entrance channel. Very complete arangements have been made to insure rapid loading of coal at all times., Over 15,500 tons have actually been loaded in one day.

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Vessels proceeding to Chinwangtao with heavy weights must have suitable tackle for discharging them from ships hold to railway cars alongside. The Administration has small cranes available for lifting small weiglits of under 10 tous. The harbour and the large coal storage yards are exceptionally well lighted by electricity, and work proceeds by night as well as by day throughout the year.

Good fresh water may be obtained from hydrants on the Breakwater and Pier. The Port of Chin wangtao is accessible throughout the year, and as a seaside health resort Chinwangtao is almost without rival in China. It is easily accessible, has a dry and bracing climate, offers safe bathing from a sandy beach, has good golf links, and is situated amidst magnificent mountain scenery, while a Rest House and numerous summer bungalows afford the visitor every comfort. Extensive improvements in the port were made during 1929 A portion of the lagoon has been reclaimed for the extension of the coal-yard A school for the benefit of the children of the Kailan Mining Administration's employees has been built, as well as additional quarters for the staff; and a new power house to meet the requirements of the Yao Hua Glassworks, as well as those of the Administration, was completed towards the end of the year.

The Yao Hua Mechanical Glass Company have a glass factory at Chinwangtao. The establishment, which covers about 110 mou of land, is one of the largest of its kind in existence. The capital of the Company is $2,500,000.

TRADE IN 1931

Chinwangtag was not disturbed by the political and military happenings in Manchuria, and the trade of the port was only indirectly affected. An event closely affecting the prosperity of the port was a long-drawn-out dispute between the Peiping-Liaoning Railway authorities and the Kailan Mining Administration over the freight rates for coal transport from the mines at Tangshan. As some 80 per cent. of the total export duty at Chinwangtao is derived from the levics on coal, the disagree- ment during which practically no movement of coal took place, might have had a serious effect on the year's trading and revenue. Considering the length of the stoppage in coal business, it was fortunate that a good deal of lost ground was make up after due settlement of the dispute by unusually heavy shipments, and that the shortage as compared with the previous year's shipments was only some 400,000 tons. The other staple exports inore than held their own on the whole. Groundnuts in shell and groundnut kernels did decline slightly, due to unfavourable markets abroad, but yellow beans, window glass, fire-bricks, and fireclay all showed substantial increases over the previous year's export figures. The increase in beans was due to the establishment of through rail transportation facilites between the Peiping- Liaoning Railway and other lines in North Manchuria. Window glass is competing so successfully in China with the higher-priced foreign glass that the Yao Hua Glass Works is extending its factory. The value of direct foreign imports increased from 5.8 million Haikwan taels in 1930 to 10.9 million taels in 1931. As usual at Chin- wangtao, these imports consisted largely of equipment for the mines and railway materials. The establishment of an electric-light plant in the native city probably had some effect on the consumption of kerosene oil locally and, combined with the effect of the low value of silver on the price of the latter, accounted for the continued decline in imports of mineral oil, of which 2.5 million gallons were imported in 1929, 0.4 million gallons in 1930, and only 0.2 million gallons in 1931. (**