Directory_and_Chronicle_1938 — Page 830

A426

SWATOW

Swatow has an electric light plant and a waterworks has been in operation since 1914, the reservoir being at Ampou, about eight miles inland. In the middle of 1919 a telephone service was introduced. The city now has the mose modern automatic telephone service!

Swatow is by no means slow in the race with other China ports for im provement. Road making and road widening are being carried out rapidly, and the public park at the back of Swatow is being gradually improved. Three Fire Brigades-well equipped with modern apparatus-protect the town, two of these being financed by different charitable guilds. An Orphanage, organised after the Typhoon of 1922, a Poor Peoples Workshop and a Leper Station,. besides the Mission Hospitals, are among the charitable institutions of the port.

TRADE IN 1936

:

Trade conditions at Swatow during the year 1936 were strongly influenced by a political event of great importance in South China-the dissolution of the South-west Political Council on the 20th July. Prior to this occurrence complaint was frequently heard of oppressive taxation, but following the demise of the Councii a feeling of optimisin, engendered, by hopes of the re- duction of taxes and cancellation of monopolies, prevailed in business circles. Unfortunately, several of the anticipated fiscal reforms could not be realisel, largely owing to the prohibition in Kwangtung province of gambling, which hitherto had been a frolific source of revenue to the province. Nevertheless, something was done to relieve the merchants' burdens. Comparative statistics for the trade of Swatow were as folloks: direct foreign imports, $29.6 million as against $28.5 million in 1935; coastwise importations of Chinese merchandise, $67.7 million as against $62.6 million; direct exports to foreign countries, $23.2 million as against $17.2 million; and coastwise exportations of Chinese pro-, duce, $25.6 million as compared with $21.7 million. The improvement in trade. is clearly illustrated by a comparison of the year's revenue with that of 1935. :: At the end of August the decline in import duty was G.U. 329,140; this was reduced to G.U. 126,151 at the end of September, and by the termination of the year the import revenue showed an increase of G.U. 374,566 over that for 1935. Sugar, kerosene, fuel oil, and rice were the commodities mainly responsible for the increase. .How some of these imports affected the revenue may be explained as follows. no duty was levied on foreign rice imported up to the 10th August; for the remainder of August half the Customs tariff rate was charged, and for the last four months of the year full tariff rate was levied. The price at which merchants were able to sell foreign rice at a profit after they had paid the full import duty was in advance of the cost of native rice, and imports of foreign rice were negligible in October although they rose in November and again in December. With the disappearance of the South- west Political Council the Central Government were enable to enforce colleg tion of the full tariff rate on fuel oil with a high kerosene content instead of the G. U. 2.90 per ton which the Council had insisted should be levied. Hither- to, during the Council's regime, fuel oil with a very high kerosene content had been imported solely for distillation into kerosene. In consequence, foreign kerosene oil could not compete, and import since 1934 had virtually ceased. With the levy of the full duty on fuel oil, however, the cost of kerosene distilled from fuel oil naturally rose, and foreign kerosene oil again became. saleable. Importation of fuel oil for distillation into kerosene did not cease, however, and consignments continued to arrive in reduced quantities and paid. the high duty. As a result of the importation of foreign kerosene and of fuel oil paying the full duty of the Customs revenue benefited considerably. In spite, however, of the higher duty collected on imports in 1936 as compared with that in 1935 the value of imports decreased by G.U. 2.5 million. Except for foreign kerosene oil, linen, imported for embroidering, sulphate of aminonia, cambrics, and woollen piece goods, the arrivals of almost every other article of foreign origin, including rice and fuel oil, declincd. This may be attributed to the decrease in the value of the dollar compared with that of 1935; competition from native goods, especially in the case

}