Directory_and_Chronicle_1939 — Page 715

NANKING

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and unrest. A general exodus of civilians commenced, and, with the outbreak of hostilities at Shanghai, the laying of a barrage on the 12th August across the river near Kiangyin, and the virtual suspension of railway traffic except tor military purposes, movements of native and foreign cargo, both by water and rail between Nanking and coastal ports and abroad, for the time being entirely ceased. Considerable activity, however, prevailed between Nanking and up-river ports, all vessels being crowded with passengers. Towards the end of October communication by water with Shanghai was re-established on a small scale, passengers and cargo being conveyed by steamer from Shanghai to Tungchow, thence by canal to Kowan, from where the journey up river was resumed by steamer. With the gradual approach of hostile forces, instruc- tions were issued for the removal to up-river ports of all Government offices, institutions. banks, and other official and semi-official organisations; shops closed their doors, and by the 27th November the city presented a desolate and deserted appearance. The greater portion of Hsiakwan was destroyed by fire on the 9th and 10th December, and with the nearer approach of enemy troops, the few remaining civilian and mercantile members of the community and their staffs, with the exception of those who elected to stay in the "special area" inside the city, sought shelter on British and American merchant vessels which were concentrated some 3 miles up river. Japanese troops reached Nanking on the 12th December, and from then on to the close of the year the port remained under military occupation and closed to all commer cial transactions. with large tracts of the hinterland devastated and laid waste, wharves and pontoons wrecked or destroyed by fire, any speculation as to the possibilities of trade returning to normalcy would appear inappro priate. At no time of the year were fears of floods seriously entertained, but the river was slow in falling and abnormally high water-marks were. being recorded during the whole of the latter part of the year.

Under such conditions any close analysis of trade statistics or comparison with those of previous years must be misleading, but it is possibly worthy of note that the total revenue collection, expressed in standard dollars constituted a record Importations (including withdrawals from bond) of gasolene and kerosene more than held their own, while arrivals of sugar during the first eight months of the year approximated closely the figures for the previous year's total. Direct exportations abroad were valued at St. $1,194,969, a de crease of $477,079, mainly due to lack of rolling-stock on the Tientsin-Pukow Railway compelling shipments of Chunghsing coal to be diverted to Lienyun chiang, on the Lung-Hai Railway. Further shipments of frozen eggs and egg products, poultry, and gave every indication of the likelihood of greater expansion, and it is probable that but for the intervention of hostilities material development would have eventuated.

The coastwise trade of the port, totalling importations of Chinese pro- duce valued respectively at $5.6 million and $11.4 million as against $8.3 million and $13.8 million, was far from encouraging.

Among other items of local interest were the amalgamation of the elec trictiy works at Nanking and Ch'ishuyen-the twin electricity enterprises formerly controlled by the National Reconstruction Commission-into the Yangtze Electricity Company, the linking-up of the City Railway with the Kiangnan Railway, the introduction of the "Capital Express" service, which reduced the journey between Shanghai and the metropolis to under five hours, the completion of a wide range of long-distance telephones, and the inaugura- tion of a bus service from Nanking to places as far afield as Yunnanfu. As predicted in the last report. the first of the year saw considerable strides in the operation of the ammonia and acid plant of the Yungli Chemical Indus- tries, Limited, who began marketing the products, sulphate of ammonia finding a ready demand southern coastal ports, and, to a lesser extent, in those up-river districts using Hankow as a distributing centre.

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