Directory_and_Chronicle_1939 — Page 843

WUCHOW

州梧

Wi-chau

Wuchow, opened to foreign trade on June 4th, 1897, by the Special Article of the Burmah Convention, is situated on the Sikiang or West River at its junction with the Fu or Kuei (Cassia) River. By the steamer routes at present authorised it is distant about 220 miles from Hongkong and Canton. Wuchow is the limit of navigation for ocean-going steamers; but, during eight months in the year, vessels drawing not more than 3 feet can reach Kueihsien (150 miles beyond Wuchow), and Nanning (360 miles from here) can be reached almost all the year round by boats drawing 24 ft. The population of the city, according to a recent census taken by the local Police Authorities, is 75, 825. The annual inundations caused by the rise in the river-there is an average difference of 60 feet between the winter and summer levels-are a scoure of great inconvenience to the inhabitants and at times bring about a total cessation of business. To obviate this, the principal steamship offices, the Custom House and Tax Office are located on pais (houses built on pontoons), moored alongside the river bank. In July, 1924, Wuchow was visited by a very high flood --73 feet 9 inches-which is the second highest on record. The highest record-79 feet 6 inches-occurred in 1915. In winter the only local industry worthy of mention is boat building; when the river falls the foreshore is lined with matsheds, where native craft of all descriptions are constructed. The situation of Wuchow makes it the natural distributing centre for the trade between Kweichow, Eastern Yunnan, Kwangsi, and Hongkong and Canton. The future is full of promise, and Wuchow is sure to make a bold bid for second place as the largest trade market in the south of China. Local merchants are making strenuous efforts to divert to Wuchow, via the Liuchow and West Rivers, the trade of south-eastern Kweichow, which is principally supplied via the Yangtsze. Attempts are being made to work the manganese, antimony, copper, and tin mines which abound in the Kwangsi Province.

The Kwangsi Provincial Government were able to extend their system of modern highways considerably. The whole province can now traversed from the vicinity of Wuchow by motor car north-westwards into Kweichow, the capital of which province (Kweiyang) can be reached in some 24 hours as against the many weeks which such a journey would have occupied in the days before motor highways came into existence. Owing to barrier formed by the West River, the road system terminates at Yunghu-about 14 kilometres above Wuchow- instead of at Wuchow itself; but a launch service connects these two places and, from the former town, almost any important city in the province can now be reached by car. Communications in the province have been further improved by the inauguration during the year of a regular aeroplane service for mails and passengers between Canton, Wuchow, Nanning and Lungchow which operates three times weekly (subject to weather conditions) and accom- plishes the entire journey either way in one day.

TRADE IN 1937

While this burden of contributing men and material for national defence in the North naturally acted as a retarding factor on the trade of Kwangsi province, the year 1937 was by no means a bad one so far as the port of Wuchow was concerned. The value statistics as recorded were as follows: direct foreign imports, $7.7 million as compared with $7.1 million; coastwise importations of Chinese produce, $15.2 million as against $16.4 million; direct exports abroad $26.4 million as compar- ed with $13.9 million; and coastwise exports of Chinese produce, $6.5 million as against $5.9 million. As regards imports, these were largely aided by a steady recovery of provincial dollar, which, at the close of the year, stood firm at round two to one in terms of national currency. In spite of increased cost, importations of metal and metalware for commercial purposes maintained the comparatively high level of some 56,000 quintals, evidencing the construction work being carried out

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