Directory_and_Chronicle_1937 — Page 733

WUHU

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in opening these mines, namely, the Yu Fan Co. of Tichiang, the Pao Hsing Co. of Manganshan and the Fu Li Min Co. of Chanchiayu. This mineral, so richly produced in Anhwei, is all shippedito Japan.

Motor roads exist between Wuhu, Nanking, Tunchi and Wuwei.

The tract of land selected 30 years ago for the Foreign Settlement was definitely ceded in 1906, and sites were allotted to the then Anhwei Railway Company and to various shipping companies, each lot having a river frontage of 600 to 1,100 feet. In 1914 the Ministry of Communications took over the Anhwei Railway Company with its entire assets and liabilities, the property being transferred to the Kiangnan Rail- way Company in 1933. Large godowns were built by Messrs. Butterfield & Swire on their ground in the Settlement for storing rice. Messrs. Jardine, Matheson & Co. Ltd., own a large property here and the Chinese Government Salt Admin- istration has also bought some with the intention of erecting large storage! godowns. The Customs House and buildings on the bund near the Settlement of Wuhu and

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were completed and occupied in 1919. The Chinese popular the Settlement

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its suburbs was estimated at 328,803 in 1934. A railway has been constructed by the Kiangnan Railway Company connecting this pert with Nanking and Sunchiapu. The former line was opened to passenger and goods traffic in May 1935 and the latter in July of the same, year

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TRADE IN 1935.

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Despite communist disturbances in Southern, Anhwei at the beginning of 1935 and the effects of the previous year's drought, the trade of the port of Wuhu was, on the whole, 'satisfactory. Although some small dikes 'collapsed. in the summ

floods, the rice crop, on which the prosperity of Anhwei depends, was good. A bumper rape-seed crop was also harvested. The financial market reacted favourably to the monetary reforms, and, although the new measures somewhat upset the copper exchange in November, any nervousness soon wore off.

The value statistics of the trade of the port coming under Customs cognizance were as follows: direct foreign imports, 2.5 million dollars as compared with 2.4 million dollars; direct exports to foreign countries, 2.9 million dollars as against 1,9 million; and coastwise, exportations of Chinese produce, 10.7 million dollars as compared with 14.1 million dollars. An outstanding feature of the direct import trade was the heavy importation of 6.6 million litres of kerosene oil as compared with 3 million litres in 1934, but this is said to have been due to speculative forward purchases. The trade in sugar-the second most important item-improved slightly, 96,000 quintals being imported as against 92,000 quintals. Of the total, 42,479 quintals were received from Hongkong, 31,296 quintals from Netherlands India, and 18,211 quintals from Japan. There were heavy importations from the United States: of America and Canada of 372,000 railway sleepers, of which 104,000 were ordered by the Kiangnan Railway Company for the construction of the Nanking Suhu Railway and the balance by the Purchasing Committee of the National Reconstruction Commission for the construction of the Hwainan Railway on the north bank of the Yangtze. The value of locomotives advanced from 39,000 to 235,000 dollars owing to the arrival from Belgium of four new engines bought by the Kiangnan Railway Company. Owing to the failure of the 1934 rice crop, due to the disastrous drought, the export trade was exceedingly dull during the first eight months of the year. Upon the harvesting of one of the best crops in recent years, 860,871 quintals were cleared under Customs cognizance as compared with 1 million quintals in 1934. In the early part of the year, owing to a shortage in local stocks, the unprecedented phenomenon was witnessed of arrivals of foreign rice to the extent of 39,592 quintals, all of which was shipped to inland places for famine relief purposes. Interport shipments of rape seed destined to Japan via Shanghai totalied 226,678 quintals, an increase of 10,180 quintals; yellow beans also improved, and coastwise shipments of coal from Mantoushan improved from 14,000 to 18.000 metric tons. The export of fresh eggs declined from 84,747 mille to 56,077 mille, shipments now being made by rail to Nanking. Other staple-exports

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