Directory_and_Chronicle_1935 — Page 854

A460

¡

CANTON

therefore, conditions, were favourable to trade. It is true that heavy taxation, high tariffs, the anti-Japanese boycott, and the poverty induced by several years of the economic depression have not encouraged the import trade, but these very conditions have provided a strong incent to the fuller development of local resources, a matter in which the provincial and the municipal governments have pursued a most progressive policy. The government's sulphyric acid factory has been completed and is proving successful; its cement factory has been such a satisfactory undertaking that more machinery has been ordered from abroad to augment the output; its silk weaving factory, intended principally for experimental work in the interests of privatel enterprise, is nearing completion; plans for a government cotton mill have been. approved and a contract signed by the government with Swedish interests for the supply of the necessary machinery and engineering staff; machinery has arrived for the testing of ores by the government in the interests of the mining industry; and engineers have been despatched to Germany and England to investigate the latest methods in iron and steel production and to obtain tenders for the erection locally of an iron and steel plant. These are a few of the government industrial projects, Amongst the projected undertakings of the government are two sugar factories, an industrial alcohol plant, a wooden mill, and a caustic soda and bleaching powder: factory. Besides these undertakings, which it is hoped will lead Kwangtung in dustries' out of the handicraft stage of development, the government is making an invaluable survey of the agricultural and mineral resources of the province, and the benefits that should be derived from this far-sighted policy are obvious and need no- further comment.

·

In Canton itself, the streets are being extensively widened and modern buildings erected, no fewer than 5,653 houses being under construction during the year. The surrounding district is covered by a perfect network of roads; the Canton-Swatow highway has been completed; and, in general, probably no other province can compare with Kwangtung for ease of communication. One section of the reclamation work at Honam point has been completed, and the second section, which includes the bunding of some 7,200 feet of the Honam foreshore opposite the West Bund, is progressing steadily. The bascule bridge over the Pearl River between Honam Island and Canton was completed' and formally opened to traffic on February 15. This bridge is 600 feet long and 60 feet wide. The foundation stone of another bridge over the Pearl River, to connect the Canton-Hankow and the Canton-Samshui Railway lines, was laid on. October 4. A commercial airway service between Canton, Swatow, Amoy, Foochow, Wenchow and Shanghai was inaugurated on October 25, ·

The comparative value figures for the trade of Canton during 1932 and 1933 are as follows; direct imports from abroad, 62 million dollars as against 84.4 million in 1932; direct exports of Chinese produce to foreign countries, 58.4 million dollars' as against 53.2 million; coastwise importations of Chinese produce, 110.1 million dollars as against 138.6 million; and exports of Chinese produce coastwise, 26 million dollars as against 26.9 million. A decline of 46.6 million dollars, or over 15 per cent., therefore, took place in the total value of the cargoes registered under the above-mentioned sections of trade. 'lt must be pointed out again, however, that while these statistics may give some indication of the trend of trade seeing that they are based on the same categories of cargo for each of the two years compared, the figures should not be accepted, on the other hand, as conclusive enough data for making deductions regarding the whole trade of the port, for the reason that coastwise movements of foreign goods (including many of the most important import staples, such as petroleum products, that pay duty at the Kowloon Customs and its Taishan station) and the particulars of foreign and Chinese, commodities arriving and departing by railway are not recorded at the Canton Custom House. There is no doubt, however, that the foreign import trade sustained considerable losses during the year under review. Imports of textiles suffered more severely than usual' from domestic competition on account of the new tariff rates imposed on foreign cloths, in May; kerosene had the severe competition of local distilleries to face; foreign cement had to content with the new local factory's output and with a 100 per cent. increase in duties; the local rubber shoe industry has driven the Singapore trade from the market; and many other import commidities were adversely affected by the tariff and the decreasing exchange value of local currency. Exports, it will be seen, showed signs of improvement, owing to a revival of interest abroad. Shipments of wolfram ore (84,000 piculs) exceeded even the high. figures for 1931, and left tobacco, prepared tobacco, mats (in quantity but not in, value), matting, and kittysols were amongst the export conimodities to do well. The

Ameri

Fed.

Fire