·August 13, 1898.]
would compare favourably with a second-rate street in Canton; the others are inferior. Owing to the rise and fall of the river, already des- cribed, the city presents quite another aspect during the summer from what it does in the winter. In the former season the water is never much below the level of the banks, while sometimes it overflows them, half submerging the houses, so that one can look down upon them from the deck of a steamer; in winter they are all high and dry, with a foreshore of nearly 200 yards between them and the river's edge. When the floods are high most of the streets are under water, the inhabitants of them have to retire to their upper stories, and busi- ness is seriously interfered with. But although
this must cause immense inconvenience and, one
would think, considerable loss to the majority of the people, they yet regard it as an advant- age, because the inundation cleanses away the impurities which have accumulated during the dry mouths, and business goes on all the more briskly from its temporary interruption.
Wuchow is about 1300 years old, having been built in A.D. 592; but before it existed there was a still earlier town on the spot, the ancient city of Kuang-hsin which was situated a little lower down the river bank, about where
Messrs. Jardine, Matheson, & Co. have their property now, and where the now Custom House is to be built. Thus from time im- memorial this has been a place where men have congregated, and when its natural advantages are considered, the fact does not require ae- counting for. Situated at the junction of two navigable rivers, it is of necessity a place of transhipment, and for long ages past-in fact, ever since population began to spread other these parts and settle down to civilised life-it has been a place of commercial importance and a centre of business. I have not been able to find out much concerning its trade in former times; but it seems for centuries to have been as it still is, a distributing centre for a very large area. During the Taiping Rebellion it suffered severely at the hands of the insurgents, but from inquiries I have made its trade just before the opening of the port was as good as it had ever been.
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Wuchow is the place to which the merchants from nearly all the other cities of the province resort for the purpose of obtaining their supplies of Foreign goods, and it is also the great entrepôt for the rice and timber, which are exported in immense quantities to Kwangtung. am informed that the quantity of rice which passes down river annually amounts to 12,000,000 piculs. The most of it comes down the main river in boats which go no further than Wuchow, and as its transhipment to the down-river junks does not take place direct, but by means of local cargo-boats, employment is given to an immense number of boats and boat people in the place. The peculiar shape of these cargo-boats makes them a striking feature of the harbour: their sides bulge out from below, then close in at the top, leaving the opening of the holds not more than half as wide as the beam; the bulk heads, too, instead of being perpendicular, are at an angle. The object of these peculiarities of construction is, to make it difficult for the Native Customs to estimate the quantity of cargo that a boat carries, and thus render evasion of duty easy. The timber comes down the river in rafts, and the revenue derived from it forms the principal item in the native Customs collection.
CHINA OVERLAND TRADE REPORT.
145
as that of the Chi I T'ang which controls the Re-exports. Our re-export trade is almost kerosene oil and match trade in Kwangtung; | nil and therefore calls for no remarks. but the Consuls objected to it and the Viceroy ordered it to suspend operations.
REVENUE.
A good trade means of course a good Customs revenue, and our returns show very satisfactory figures under this heading. During the seven months from June to December the collection was Hk. Tls. 79,041, or at a yearly rate of about Hk. Tls. 136,000. I expect that during the year 1898 this rate will be fully maintained.
FOREIGN TRADE.
Imports. Cotton and woollen manufactures, raw cotton, and kerosene oil form our staple imports.
Among the first mentioned, grey and white shirtings are large items. It will be noticed that dyed shirtings do not figure largely in our returns; the reason is because a consi. derable quantity of the white shirtings which come in are dyed locally, being subjected to a process of boiling and steeping which, it is said, increase their durability. The dyes used are principally indigo and the yam; the latter dyes the cloth a colour something like bronze, which is very much in favour with the coolie class. Cloth-dyeing is a considerable industry here,
and the number of establishments where it is
carried on is increasing. Iu point of value cot- lon yarn is our principal import, the quantity which was brought in during the period under review having been 27.14 piculs, worth HK. Ts. 624,251. But the native article still finds much favour with the public. | It is said that cloth spun from the former has only the advantage of smoothness in texture. while that made from the lafter is thick and warm. A combination of the two is usually employed by native wearers. Woolleus are imported in about the same proportion to colton goods as at other ports. Lastings and long ells are most in favour: the latter are used greatly in making soldiers uniforms. The finer descriptions of woollen cloth can only be afforded by the well-to-do; in the cold weather the poorer people have to be satisfied with the cheaper garments of shirtings waded with raw cotton. A considerable quantity of this latter is imported from India through Hong- kong; some of it is spun into yarn locally and some used for the purpose of making the gar- ments just mentioned. Kerosine oil is imported iu very large quantities, the figures for the seven months giving a rate of about 2,000,000 gallons a year; one reason for this has been the failure of the pea-out crops in the province, and the consequent scarcity and dearness of pea-uut oil, which is used largely as an illumin- aut. It is quite likely, however, that the latter may be permanently replaced by the former.
It is satisfactory to be able to state that since Wachow become a Treaty port it has justified the most sanguine expectations entertained re- garding it. Hardly a month after its opening had elapsed when foreign merchandise began to pour in, and the importation shows no sign of diminution. The reason for this is that when goods have passed the foreigu Customs they are subjected to no more taxation either at the port or in the interior, where the transit pass is regarded, in the words of the Treaty, as ex- empting them "from all further inland charges whatsoever.' As soon as the port opened the power of levying inland taxes on kerosene oil and matches was given by the Provincial Go- vernment to a syndicate of Cantonese mer chants, who might either import these goods themselves or charge at the rate of 3 cents per case on the former and $2 a case on the latter, when they were imported by others. The con- stitution of the syndicate was much the same
Exports.-The value of our exports is com- paratively small. Kwangsi does not produce the staple articles of Chinese trade to Foreign countries, tea or silk, in quantities much more than sufficient to supply the needs of its own people. Ou looking at table No. II of our annual returns one will most likely ask how are all the Imports paid for, amounting as they do in value to more than three times as much as the exports. It must be remembered, however, that there is a great deal of trade from the port which does not come under the Foreign Customs; all the rice and nearly all the timber that go down the river report to the Native Custom House, and these alone are sufficient to enable the province to pay for what it pur- chases from other places. Our principal ex- ports are star aniseed, cow and buffalo hides, leather, cassia-leaf oil, wood oil, raw silk, sugar, and soft-wood planks. The aniseed comes from Nan-ning, Po-sé, and places up the main river; 1.143 piculs passed our office during 1897. Hides come chiefly from Nau-ning, where there is a large market for them, on account of the outlet furnished hitherto by Pakhoi. they are coming this way. I do not anticipate any great increase in their export, because the animals which yield them, being used solely for agriculture, are only killed when they are old and useless, and thus increase in production could only come from increase of population and spread of tillage, which will hardly take place in the near future. Wood oil is chiefly exper ed to Hongkong, where it is largely used in the varnishing of junks and woodwork generally. The raw silk exported from here is of a coarse kind; there is not likely to be much demand for it in the European market.
Now
COAST TRADE,
Original Shipments Coastwise. These amounted in value to Hk. Tls. 74,573, and consisted mostly of export of indigo. to. Samshui and hemp (Rhea) to Kongmoon. The indigo goes erentually to Fatshan and Canton. Kongmoon has manufactories of rope and grasscloth; hence the export of hemp to that place.
Re-shipments Coastwise.-Of small account. Coastwise Arrivals.—Our imports from coast ports are inconsiderable; nearly all our foreign supplies come from Hongkong, and there is no great demand in Kwangsi for the products of other provinces. I have therefore no more re- marks to make under this heading,
INLAND TRANSIT.
Inwards. This is a very important heading in our returns, and its flourishing condition is entirely due to the strict observance of treaty stipulations by the provincial authorities, already commented upon. I have not much to say about transit inwards in this part of my re- port, because the remarks made regarding foreign imports apply to that portion of them which go inlaud, and it is a very large portion; in fact, the table of merchandise sent into the interior is almost a repeti- tion of the import table, with smaller figures under the headings. Our import trade depends on our transit trade, and so long as freedom from inland taxation exists, both will grow and flourish.
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Outwards. The figures under this head also show a good business. When a foreigner gets his triplicate memorandum from the Customs he is able to purchase his produce in the in- terior without any trouble. The result has been that memoranda have been taken out
freely, and the export trade through our office has increased accordingly. The remarks made regarding exports apply equally to the articles which make up the outward transit trade.
SHIPPING.
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The entries and clearances for the seven months amounted to $26, representing 52,188 tons. The vessels that trade to Wuchow are at present of very small tonnage. We have both steamers and sailing vessels, but the largest of the former are little more than large steam-launches, and the latter are either native junks or small foreign schooners. Since the port opened Messrs. Jardine, Matheson, & Co., the Hongkong, Cunton, and Macao Steam- boat Company, and Messrs. Butterfield & Swire, acting in conjunction and with one agent here representing the three firms, have run a line of steamers, making trips three times a week, between Wuchow and Cauton. Until almost the end of the year they also ran steamers to and from Hongkong direct; but these have lat- terly been taken off the line and are replaced by lighters towed to and from Samshui by the Canton boats, and between Samshui and Hong- kong by special tugs. This system of towing lighters is very suitable for the West River trade, and bids fair to be that which will even- tually be adopted. Should Nan-ning become a Treaty port, it will be very desirable to have craft which will navigate the river up to that place, and thus save trouble and cost of tran- shipment at Wuchow. By using lighters, too, quick depatch of steamers is combined with ample leisure for the loading and discharge of cargo. A steamer tows a lighter to Wuchow, for example, leaves it there, and departs at once with another which is ready loaded and waiting, and so on. making more frequent trips than would be possible if she carried the cargo her- self. As to the passenger traffic, people prefer travelling on steamers. Those which run at pre- sent, however, are deficient in accommodation and are not at all roomy enough, especially in the hot weather. It may be said that they are experimental, however. The port has only been opened a short time, and it has not yet been decided exactly what kind of boats are best suited for the trade, and the idea which prevails that the river will be opened above Wuchow tends to retard final settlement of the matter. I am certain, however, that a couple of com. fortable river steamers ruuning to and from Canton, large enough to accommodate a couple of hundered Chinese passengers, would be well patronised by the native travelling public, and
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