Directory_and_Chronicle_1935 — Page 473

Directories & Chronicles 香港指南 All

PEI-TAI-HO AND CHINWANGTAO

A91

the military operations or as an outcome of the crowding into the town of refugees from the surrounding country. In the wake of the war, however, irregular troops and bandits poured into the area and sadly ravaged the whole Luantung district, causing untold sufferings and privation amongst the people. In the spring the war prevented farmers from sowing their crops, and, until late in the autumni, the free hand given to bandits by the prevailing conditions prevented the country-people from returning to their homes and attending to their crops. As a result, the value of property ruined by war and banditry is estimated to be tens of millions of dollars. Trade conditions- were further worsened by the disruption of lines of communication-railway, telegraph, and postal; though it is much to the credit of the postal authorities that within a few days of the Shanhaikwan incident couriers were running between that place and Chinwangtao through the front lines of the contending armies. It is but natural that these conditions should react unfavourably on trade and revenue, the value of direct foreign imports reaching less than half of the previous year's poor total, exports to Chinese ports falling off by over 20 per cent., and only direct exports to foreign countries showing a slight improvement. The Customs station at Shanhaik wan experienced great difficulties in functioning. Every possible means short of actual armed force, including threats of violence, insults, obstruction, and the arrest of individual officers, were used in an endeavour to compel a withdrawal; but the commendable patience and pertinacity of the officers concerned succeeded in keeping the station open, and this office contributed to the revenue a sum of about 55,000- dollars collected there on rail-borne cargo. Coal is the principal export form the Chinwangtao district, other staple products being groundnuts, window glass, fireclay, bricks, and tiles. Since the forced secession of Manchuria, the former bean trade has lost importance. The working days at all coal mines under the control of the Kailan Mining Administration were reduced to five a week at the beginning of the year in order to reduce output from 12,000 to 8,000 tons a day, and this working schedule was adhered to throughout the period under review. This coal had to meet serious competition from Japanese and Fushun coal, and, in the Yangtze Valley, from Chinese mines. Interruption of rail traffic between the nines and Chinwangtao, owing to the disturbed situation, was another reason for reducing output. Actual shipments amounted to 2.2 million tons (as against 2.6 million tons in 1932) of which 449,000 tons went abroad.

Directory_and_Chronicle_1935 — Page 473

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