Directory_and_Chronicle_1940 — Page 834

WUCHOW

州梧

Túi chưa

Wuchow, opened to foreign trade on June 4th, 1897, by the Special Article of th Burmah Convention, is situated on the Sikiang or West River at its junction with th Fu or Kuei (Cassia) River. By the steamer routes at present authorised it is distan about 220 miles from Hongkong and Canton. Wuchow is the limit of navigation fo ocean-going steamers; but, during eight months in the year, vessels drawing not moon than 3 feet can reach Kueihsien (150 miles beyond Wuchow), and Nanning (36) miles from here) can be reached almost all the year round by boats drawing 24 The population of the city, according to a recent census taken by the local Poli Authorities, is 82, 349. The annual inundations caused by the rise in the river- ther is an average difference of 60 feet between the winter and summer levels-are a scour of great inconvenience to the inhabitants and at times bring about a total cessatio of business. To obviate this, the principal steamship offices, the Custom House an Tax Office are located on pais (houses built on pontoons), moored alongside the riv bank. In July, 1924, Wuchow was visited by a very high flood--73 feet 9 inches-whic is the second highest on record. The highest record-79 feet 6 inches-occurred in 191 In winter the only local industry worthy of mention is boat building; whe the river falls the foreshore is lined with matsheds, where native craft & all descriptions are constructed. The situation of Wuchow inakes it th natural distributing centre for the trade between Kweichow, Eastern Yunnar Kwangsi, and Hongkong and Canton. The future is full of promise, and Wuchow sure to make a bold bid for second place as the largest trade market in the sout of China. Local merchants are making strenuous efforts to divert to Wuchow, via th Liuchow and West Rivers, the trade of south-eastern Kweichow, which is principal supplied via the Yangtsze. Attempts are being made to work the manganes antimony, copper, and tin mines which abound in the Kwangsi Province.

The Kwangsi Provincial Government were able to extend their system of moder highways considerably. The whole province can now be traversed from the vicinity e Wuchow by motor car north-westwards into Kweichow, the capital of whic province (Kweiyang) can be reached in some 24 hours as against the man weeks which such a journey would have occupied in the days before moto highways came into existence. Owing to the barrier formed by the West Rive the road system terminates at Yunghu-about 14 kilometres above Wuchow- instead of at Wuchow itself; but a launch service connects these two place and, from the former town, almost any important city in the province ca now be reached by car. Due, however, to the destruction of roads south of the We River towards the Kwangtung border, Wuchow has been cut off, since the latter par of the year, from any direct motor traffic with other parts of the province. Th air-service connecting Chungking with Hongkong undertaken by the China Nationa Aviation Corporation, formerly making Wuchow as a port of call, has been suspende and is not yet resumed. The construction of the Siang-Kwei Railway, of a tot length of 545 milometres, connecting Hengchow in Hunan with Kweilin in th province, was completed early in September. Although it has been severely bombe on several occasions, a train service has been maintained with fair regularity.

TRADE IN 1938

The province of Kwangsi and the port of Wuchow did not, except for occasions air raids, suffer seriously from the Sino-Japanese hostilities until later of the yea Up to the month of August trade was good, thereafter, however, repeated bombing seriously hampered trade, which, following the closure of the West River and th Japanese landing at Bias Bay, came to a complete standstill. The value statistici as recorded by the Customs were as follows: direct foreign imports, $5.7 million a compared with $7.7 million for 1937; coast wise importations of Chinese produce $15.8 million as against $15.2 million; direct exports abroad, $21.7 million as agains