Directory_and_Chronicle_1939 — Page 772

A388

NINGPO

The population of Ningpo is estimated at 260,000. There are a cotton mill, a match factory, an electric light company, a telephone company, a flour mill, two coal ball factories, three knitting factories, two cotton weaving and dyeing factories and two canned goods factories. A new stock-breeding school has been established at Fênghua (t) by General Chiang Kai-shek at his personal expense. There are ten middle schools (four of which belong to foreign missions) and about a hundred primary schools. In all educational institutions girls play their part and co-education is encouraged. There is no college in the port as yet. There are some ten Chinese foreign style banks; no foreign bank has ever been established since the opening of the port in 1842. Foreign business interests are represented in only four firms: Butterfield and Swire, Standard-Vacuum Oil Company, Asiatic Petroleum Company and Olivier Chine, but in all cases the local management has been entrusted to Chinese agents. All foreign business is now in the hands of Chinese agents, the last foreign agent having left the port in April, 1932. There are five main steamship lines, one of which is British, the rest being Chinese; and steamers proceed to and from Shanghai daily except on Sundays. Small launches ply regularly to inland places along the coast and to the Buddhist island of Pootoo, a well-known place of pilgrimage and where foreigners may spend holidays during the summer. The staple exports of the district are green tea, straw mats, straw and rush hats, samshu, bamboo poles, cotton yarn and vegetable medicines. The Ningpo Lakes are very beautiful and provide excellent shooting. There is a proposal to make San Men Wan (= M *) into a good modern harbour.

TRADE IN 1937

Unlike the preceding year, 1937 opened at Ningpo with signs of trade revival and hopes of recovery based on a good harvest of rice and cotton from the last winter, which had materially improved rural economy and, by in- creasing the purchasing power of the farmers in the interior, was the principal cause for the opening of many new retail shops in the early spring to meet an increased demand. Greater activity was consequently seen also in banking business. These conditions prevailed throughout the first half-year. The out- break of hostilities in Shanghai in August did not bring about the immediate interruption in the flow of trade that might have been expected. In fact, the sudden change in events seemed almost to give a stimulus, albeit artificial, to business; and while exporters of such staples as tea and cotton were spurred on to turn as much of their stocks as possible into cash to avoid loss by damage, importers were inclined to lay in substantial stores of such necessities. as petroleum oils and sugar. The total trade of the port for the year, there- fore, notwithstanding the disturbed conditions of the last six months, shows increases under every heading, as may be seen from the following statistics: direct imports from abroad, $2.1 million as against $1.8 million in 1936; coast- wise imports of Chinese produce, $18.7 million as against $16.9 million, coast- wise exports of Chinese produce, $20.7 million as against $16.1 million, and direct export abroad of Chinese produce, $26,000 as against $6,000.

Due to exceptionally good harvests during the past two years, Ningpo was fortunately able to solve her good problem even in the face of hostilities, 9,953 quintals only of foreign rice being imported on Shanghai account as compared with 51,546 quintals during 1936 and 1,082,376 quintals during 1935. Increases were recorded in direct importations of kerosene oils, gasolene and liquid fuel, the respective. totals being 6,446,263 litres, 1,550,478 litres, and 2,556 metric tons as against 5,491,003 litres, 454,570 litres and 620 metric tons respectively in 1936. The total amount of sugar imported was 49,750 quintals as compared with 37,105 quintals. The import of native cotton piece goods amounted to 33,251 quintals only, showing a decline of 5,532 quintals due to the destruction of factories in Shanghai. The marked increase in the total value of exports was due, firstly, to the transshipment through Ningpo of large quantities of cargo from the war zone and, secondly, to the suspension, following the outbreak of hostilities on the 18th August, of Chinhai as a free port for cargo destined to Shanghai. With the outbreak of hostilities in the North, the exports of bamboo poles to northern ports practically ceased, the total number of bamboo poles exported being 777,600 pieces for seven months as against 807,090 pieces exported during the twelve months of the previous year. The export of green tea, including gun powder and young hyson, rose