Directory_and_Chronicle_1936 — Page 791

Directories & Chronicles 香港指南 All

YOCHOW

A 401

1907 to mark the channel across the lake. The difficulties and risks of this route are considerable, and it is probable that it will be found advisable to adopt the somewhat longer route via Lulintan; on account of the sharp bends of the River Yuan in its lower reaches, specially adapted steamers will probably have to be used. The question of making Changteh an open port was considered in 1906 and again taken up in the spring of 1915, and Chinese officials visited the place to enquire into the conditions, but it still remains open only to vessels under Inland Water Steam Navigation rules. In 1920, a new organization for the technical control of the Middle Yangtsze Aids to Navigation and channels was instituted by the Customs.

The Standard-Vacuum Oil Company has recently established an oil installation at a point about two miles below the Settlement. It has erected three tanks and contemplates erecting three more. The first oil tanker direct from California arrived here during the high water season of 1926. This installation will be the centre of distribution for the upper Yangtsze and the "Lake Ports," such as Changteh, Yiyang and Tsingshil. Although all oil was withdrawn from the tanks in May, 1927, owing to the then disturbed conditions, the use of the tanks has been resumed since June, 1928.

TRADE IN 1934

Yochow and the district it serves (principally the city of Changteh on the Yüan River, and the Tungting Lake markets of Yiyang, Tsingshih, etc.) enjoyed peaceful conditions for the greater part of the year. The only direct foreign trade at Yochow consists of bulk imports of kerosene oil: there are no direct exports. The statistics for the interport trade show very noticeable. decreases, the value of Chinese merchandise imported being only 3.6 million dollars as against 8.7 million in 1933, and the value of Chinese exports being only 6.6 million dollars as against 9.8 million dollars. While a certain amount of unrest in the district towards the end of the year naturally was disturbing to commerce, there is no doubt that the chief reason for the decline in these figures for trade under Customs control was the diversion of cargoes from steamer to junk transport. During the period under review, to take only one instance, there were no importations of salt by steamer, while in the previous year the value of such importations was 2.1 million dollars. On the export side, the decline in the shipments of wood oil from 210,262 quintals valued at 7.7 million dollars to 133,040 quintals valued at 4.3 million dollars was more than sufficient to cover the whole decrease recorded for the value of the outward coastal trade. Considerably improved figures, however, were registered for black tea, ramie,, raw cotton, broad beans, and lotus-nuts, but, as has been indicated already, the available statistics have now become a very poor guide to the actual state of trade owing to the fact that the junk traffic (except for junks trading abroad) does not come under the cognizance of the Customs.

Directory_and_Chronicle_1936 — Page 791

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