Directory_and_Chronicle_1935 — Page 422

A40

TIENTSIN

British subjects and five shall be Chinese. Candidates must be nominated by two electors and all electors are eligible to serve on the Council. The mini- mum qualification for any voter, irrespective of nationality, is the payment of Tls. 200 per annum in respect of land-tax or rental assessment tax or the occupation of premises of an assessed annual rental value of Tls. 600.

A feature of Tientsin which arrests the attention of visitors is the open-air storage of cargo on the British and French Bunds, which have thus become in effect a "general godown." A great deal of confusion and congestion formerly existed from this practice, but the British Municipality has since elaborated an excellent scheme whereby the Bund is divided into numbered steamer-sec- tions and storage-spaces, and the roadway is now kept clear of cargo. The result has more than justified expectations, and the orderly storage of goods in marked-off spaces not only allows a proper control to be kept over all such cargo but has facilitated communications by keeping the carriage-way clear of obstructions.

The Racecourse is situated about 3 miles to the west of the Gordon Hall and comprises a very valuable property of about 1,227 mow of land. New betting buildings of reinforced concrete, which surpass anything of the description in the Far East, were constructed in 1921.

In spite of the general trade depression, the Chinese Government Tele- phone Administration registered an increase both in activity and in revenue for the year 1930. An extension of lines was made in the west end of the na- tive city in May, and another was made in the Hopei district in December. There was a partial change to automatic machines, which are greatly appre ciated by the subscribers. At present there are 11 long-distance lines operat- ing between Tientsin and places as far afield as Peiping and Shenyang, while a relay service was established between Tientsin and Antung, Dairen, Port Arthur, and Japan.

TRADE IN 1933

If the trade of Tientsin was in bad enough plight on account of affairs in Manchuria during 1932, it certainly had to contend with an even worse phase of the Sino-Japanese crisis during the year under review, and, unfortunately, the end of this latter plase, marked by the cessation of hostilities after the taking of Jehol by the Japanese, cannot be said to have terminated the troubles of the port, for the results of that act are likely to have a permanent effect on the prosperity of Tientsin through the alienation of the province of Jehol and its trade. During the first part of the year, when the Japanese and the so-called "Manchukuo" forces were close enough to threaten Peiping and Tientsin, business was practically at a standstill, but some of the prevailing uncertainty was removed by the signing of the Tangkn Agreement, and a recovery then set in. Any move towards a renewal of the offensive, however, immediately brought about a return of the tension, and the raising of the anti-Japanese standard in Charhar made further difficulties for trade by the disturbing of that province. Transactions with Sinkiang province were hindered by the in- termittent civil strife in that area; and the Yellow River floods did nothing to help matters either in Southern Hopeh or in some of the other provinces that contribute to the commercial interests of the port now under discussion.

In view of these circumstances, it is not surprising to find that the statistics for the year reveal that a further decline in trade has been registered. for Tientsin. The value of direct foreign imports was only 121 million dollars as against 163 million in 1932; the value of direct exports to foreign countries amounted to only 88 million dollars as against 98 million in 1932; coastwise importations of Chinese produce were valued at only 111 million dollars as against 118 million in 1932; and (the one section of trade to show a slight increase) coastwise exportations of Chinese produce reached a value of 68 million dollars as against a sum of 61 million for the previous year. It will be seen that direct foreign imports declined by about 26 per cent. Almost half of this decrease was in Japanese cotton piece goods; another important item in the decline was artificial silk floss and yarn, of which only 130,000 catties were imported as against 814,000 catties in the previous year; while textile machinery, cigarettes,