Directory_and_Chronicle_1940 — Page 847

LUNGCHOW

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Bock caves, formerly the habitat of natives indigenous to the neighbourhood. Telegraphic communication exists with Canton and other places on the West River, with Mêngtsz in Yunnan via Posé, and with places in Tonkin. The Chinese Post Office temporarily maintains their mail service between Lungchow and Langson n Tonkin by rcgular couriers instead of by motor under contract as before owing to he irregular running of trans-frontier motor cars, and sends nails to Nanning daily y a motor driven mail-car run by the Lungchow-Nanning Public Road Control Bureau since December, 1932. An establishment of the Chinese Maritime Customs is maintained at the port where foreign interests are in the charge of Consuls resident on

the West River and in Hongkong. There was a Catholic Church on the South side of the Tso-chiang, the small orphanage established by the Emanuel Mission in the suburbs outside the East Gate having been removed to Hong Kong since February, 1930. The Consulate, Cus- oms buildings and Missionary Church were completely looted and badly damaged luring a Communist uprising in February, 1930. Through the prompt action on the part of the Kwangsi troops under General Wei Yun Tsung to restore peace and order in the district towards the end of 1930, the city of Lung- how, though practically deserted after the communist uprising, has gradually returned to its former prosperity, with a large population and a number of new shops. The trip up from Nanning usually takes from three to four days, and that down to Nanning about 30 hours, according to the water in the river, the level of which is liable to very sudden fluctuations during the rainy season of July and August. It has been known to rise as high as 75 feet, when the iron. uspension bridge across the river is only two feet above the flood. Motor boats carry most of the cargo from and to West River ports, whilst frontier trade is carried by small junks and rafts, and by carts on the overland routes which usually travel in convoys of some number as in Tonkin. The River scenery between Lungchow and Nanning with its succession of gorges and rapids is well worth seeing but accommo- dation for Europeans on the motor boats is not of a luxurious type though each vessel shas one special cabin for official travellers. The climate of the port is damp and very olhot for some eight months of the year, but the winter is cold enough to be very

pleasantamid such picturesque surroundings.

TRADE IN 1938

Apart from air raids by Japanese planes in September and November, Lungchow enjoyed a tranquil year. Trade progressed smoothly for the first nine months until, following the Japanese invasion of South China, communication with Canton and Hongkong became interrupted. Thereafter the route to French Indo-China was more cxtensively used for the transport of merchandise both inwards and outwards. The statistics of the trade of the port according to value were as follows: direct foreign imports, $273,000 as against $83,000 in 1937; direct exports of Chinese produce abroad, $425,000 as against $296,000.

For the domestic trade of the port, which is carried on by motor-launches under Inland Waters Steam Navigation Regulations, junks, motor vehiches, pack-mules and pedestrians, no accurate statistics are available. Deducting certain articles which showed abnormal increases as a result of the obstruction in down-river traffic, the figures do not show any appreciable improvement in the trade of the district with. French Indo-China. Chinese goods continued to dominate the local market at the expense of foreign-made imports.

Under exports, antimony ore, the outstanding product of the district, declined in quantity from 23,241 to 8,380 quintals. Antimony regulus and aniseed oil were shipped in increased quantities owing to the obstruction in down-river routes. Due to unseasonable weather, rice, maize and sugar cane crops were much reduced. The construction of the Chennankuan-Nanning section of the Hsiang-Kuei Railway commenced in April. During the year several neighbouring districts resumed connexion with Lungchow in the exchange of commodities, while considerable activity was evident in highway construction. Central Government legal tender notes became more current, the value of the local dollar note having been officially fixed at 2 to 1 in relation to the national legal tender dollar note. No commercial planes visited Lungchow during the year..