Directory_and_Chronicle_1941 — Page 600

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YOCHOW

The city of Yochow is perched on a bluff in a very picturesque way. Its site is however, not adapted for transit trade, and it offers no shelter for small craft. The port has, therefore, been opened at Chengling, five miles to the north and only a mile from the Yangtsze, where a small creek provides the needed shelter for cargo-boats and other vessels, though the steamer anchorage is bad, being fully exposed to the frequent northerly gales, while the bottom affords bad holding ground. Here the Chinese Government has set aside a place for a cosmopolitan settlement, for which they have provided roads, police, etc.; the site contains level ground for business purposes, well raised, but not too high above flood limits, while higher ground gives good and healthy sites for foreign houses. Work on the formation of the Settlement and bunding operations was commenced in 1900, and a Custom House and Quarters have been built. It is to be noted, therefore, that the Yochow Custom House is. situated at Chengling and not at Yochow as the name would lead one to believe. British, Japanese and Chinese shipping firms maintain regular communications with the "Lake Ports" and have their agents stationed at Chengling. Given peace, Cheng- ling is undoubtedly one of the most healthy towns in the Yangtsze Valley. Since the occupation of this port by the Cantonese Army in August, 1926, the Chengling Bluff has twice been fortified and the Harbour mined in order to prevent a hostile army coming down river from Shasi.

A noteworthy feature of 1907 was the connection of Changteh by steamer during the high-water season -June to October-the resulting trade being valued at Tis. 617,000. Connection with Changteh is now maintained practically throughout the year by steamers of the river type, and tugs and lighters. Buoys and lights were established in 1907 to mark the channel across the lake. The difficulties and risks of this route are considerable, and it is probable that it will be found advisable to adopt the somewhat longer route via Lulintan; on account of the sharp bends of the River Yuan in its lower reaches, specially adapted steamers will probably have to be used. The question of making Changteh an "open port" was considered in 1906 and again taken up in the spring of 1915, and Chinese officials visited the place to enquire into the conditions, but it still remains open only to vessels under Inland Water Steam Navigation rules. In 1920, a new organization for t e technical control of the Middle Yangtsze Aids to Navigation aud channels was instituted by the Customs.

The Standard-Vacuum Oil Company has established an oil installation at a point about two miles below the Settlement. It has erected three tanks and contemplates erecting three more. The first oil tanker direct from California arrived here during the high water season of 1926. This installation will be the centre of distribution for the upper Yangtsze and the "Lake Ports," such as Changteh, Yiyang and Tsingshih. Although all oil was withdrawn from the tanks in May, 1927, owing to the then disturb- ed conditions, the use of the tanks has been resumed since June, 1928.

TRADE IN 1939

With the spread of active hostilities to Yocliow and Chengling, which fell into Japanese hands in November 1938, trade came to a complete standstill and the Customs stations, which had shortly before been removed to Changteh, ceased to function on the 13th November 1938, as mentioned in the previous year's report. Although the Customs figures for the year under review show the value of trade to be $526,182 as compared with $7.9 million for 1938, the former amount is made up of outstanding cargo brought forward from the preceding year, and has no connexion with the actual volume of trade, which is unknown, during 1939. Should the Yangtze River remain closed no improvement in trading conditions can be expected. According to information obtained from commercial circles, traders at Lake Ports, such as Changteh, Tsingshil, Yiyang and Yuenkiang, in normal times all served by Yochow, made more use of such ports as Changsha, Ichang, and more especially Shasi, for movements of native export cargo, as Yochow and Hankow were cut off. Apart from shipments of Szecliwan salt from Ichang, there is nothing noteworthy under foreign and domestic imports. Among staple exports, wood oil, tea, etc., are said to have been shipped in fair quantities to Chungking via Shasi for further exportation abroad during the year. Such movements would have been recorded by the ports passed en route.

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