Directory_and_Chronicle_1933 — Page 961

Directories & Chronicles 香港指南 All

WENCHOW

873

There is no foreign settleinent at Wênchow, and the foreign residents are a mere handful, consisting almost entirely of officials and missionaries. There is a consider- able native export trade in tea, bitter oranges, tobacco, timber, charcoal, bamboos and kittysols, but manufactures do not flourish, though some excellent floor-matting and cross-stitch work are produced by local factories The firms engaged in the timber trade are located in the west suburb, where are also the timber yards. Immense quantities of timber and bamboos are kept on hand.

During August and September of 1912 two abnormal freshets occurred in the Wênchow river, causing immense destruction of life and property. In the upper reaches of the main river the water rose 60 feet above normal level, washing away villages and carrying away houses bodily. Some 30,000 people are reported to have been drowned in the Yungchia, Chingtien, Ch'uchow and Juian magistracies. Such a calamity was unprecedented within the memory of the oldest inhabitant. Two particularly severe typhoons in the summer of 1920 caused enormous damage in the neighbourhood. Haimen, a neighbouring city, about 85 miles by sea north-east of Wenchow, was partially destroyed on July 15th by a tidal wave with great loss of life; while in the Nanchi River valley, opposite Wenchow, an equally large loss of life was reported in the second typhoon between September 4th and 6th. In August 1923 and 1926 this port was visited by severe typhoons, although they did not cause much damage either afloat or ashore.

TRADE IN 1931

For some years the trade of the port of Wenchow has been adversely influenced by the depredations of bandits on land and pirates at sea, and the year 1931 was no exception to the rule. The danger attendant on' travelling prevented free com- munication with inland places in the spring, and business therefore was dull. As the kidnapping of wealthy people was carried on even in the city itself, merchants also were afraid of keeping large stocks of commodities on hand or of revealing the fact that they were in possession of sufficient means to make large transactions possible. Thanks to good climatic conditions, the rice crops were excellent, and the abolition of likin and other internal taxation was an encouraging feature, but later in the year the economic boycott interfered with commerce by severing all business connexions with the Japanese community, who had to evacuate the port in October. The value of the net foreign import trade was 4.4 million Haikwan taels, of which cotton piece goods accounted for 10 per cent., sugar 16 per cent., kerosene oil 14 per cent., and sulphate of ammonia 6 per cent., the remainder being contributed by various other less important items. Direct exports abroad were valued at 0.6 million taels, to which total the principal staples usually sent abroad contributed 75 per cent., these commodities being kittysols, straw mats, and tea. Paper, softwood timber, leatherware, stoneware, and matches well supported the domestic section of the trade of the year. The net value of the trade of the port coming under the cognisance of the Maritime Customs for 1931 was Hk. Tls 16,897,719, as compared with Hk. Tls. 15,107,897, in 1930 Hk. Tls. 14,549,879 in 1929 and Hk. Tis. 12,440,109 in 1928.

Directory_and_Chronicle_1933 — Page 961

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