Directory_and_Chronicle_1935 — Page 764

Directories & Chronicles 香港指南 All

A376

NANKING

TRADE IN 1933

A feature of the year under review was the through-traffic arrangements effected at the instigation of the Government between the different railway lines, and between railway, steamer, and road services. Further improvements were introduced on the Tientsin-Pukow railway both in the engineering and traffic departments, and the new train-ferry linking up this line with the Shanghai-Nanking Railway was put in commission.

As in the whole Yangtze Valley, favourable weather conditions brought about good harvests in the Nanking districts, and, it would appear that the port's volume of trade was more than satisfactory in comparison with that of recent years. As regards foreign imports, 40 direct ocean steamers entered with kerosene, timber, machinery, electrical materials, metals and metal manufactures, scientific instruments, and railway materials; while direct imports of foreign sugar amounting to 133, 513 piculs as against 45,512 piculs arrived by river steamer after transhipment from abroad at Shanghai. Due principally to the fact that no foreign rice or flour was. imported direct from abroad, while the value of such arrivals amounted to 4 million gold units in 1932, the total value of direct foreign importations was slightly less than in the latter year. Besides cargoes leaving the port by rail and by river steamers, 14 coasting vessels cleared with 150,000 piculs of wheat flour, 14,000 piculs of wheat, 60,000 piculs of rice, and 49,000 piculs of groundnuts; while coastwise shipments of Chinese coal brouglit down by the Tientsin-Pukow Railway totalled 509,000 tons during the year.

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Nanking's growing importance as the capital of China continues to encourage constructive work in the city, such as Government and bank buildings, residences and factories. The municipal waterworks commenced supplying water on the 1st April; the installation of the new electric-power plant was finished; 18 kilometres of municipal roads were completed during the year; and a most important road building and road widening scheine for the river-trade bund at Siakwan was well under way at the end of the year. The Nanking-Wuhu highway was formally opened to traffic in June, another great step forward in modern road communications. From the Nanking-Hangchow-Shanghai highway two most important branch roads have been constructed: one connecting Chinkiang with this highway at Kuyung, and the other connecting Wusih with the same road system at Thing. A new direct Nanking- Shanghai highway has been projected from Nanking via Chinkiang, Kiangyin, Changshu, Taitsang, Kiating, Nanhsiang, and Chenju to Shanghai, of which the section from Chinkiang to Kiangyin is now under construction. Efficient administration brought peace and security to the Nanking district during the year under review, and the rapidity with which the city and the surrounding country is being improved should add much in the future to the prosperity of this area.

Directory_and_Chronicle_1935 — Page 764

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