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“...insecure, has prevailed during
the last two years, gradually reducing the people of this province—
always one of the poorest in China, though rich in natural resources—
to a state of penury, in many places bordering on starvation.
3. The failure of the opium crop in Kueichow and Yunnan,
native opium being the medium of exchange with those regions.
4. Floods in the summer of 1902, which devastated the crops
in the low-lying districts, especially the fields of sugar cane in the
neighbourhood of Nanning.
It is an eloquent testimony to the vitality of the West River trade
that in spite of this accumulation of disasters, in spite of the fact
that Wuchow stands at the gate of a bankrupt province, the decrease
in the import trade should not have been even greater and that the
export trade should even show a marked improvement.
Incrcosc in The lownesa of exchange undoubtedly stimulated exports, and
exports. the poverty of the people impelled them to convert whatever they
could lay hands on into...”
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| 2 |
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“...for rest and recuperation, this province of Kuangsi alone can absorb
much greater quantities of foreign goods than it does at present.
The balance of trade, estimating the junk-borne trade as at least
equal in value to that carried in foreign bottoms, is largely in favour -
of the province.
There are still vast regions in Kueichow and Yunnan which
naturally derive their supplies through the West River, where foreign
goods are practically unknown.
I leave the effect that the proposed Pakhoi-Nanning railway may
have on Wuchow out of the question, as there is no likelihood of
the road being constructed for some years to come, and even then it
is highly probable that the West River route, with its advantages of
cheap water carriage and direct communication with the great
market of Hong-Kong, will be able to hold its own against the
speedier but more expensive overland route, with its unavoidable
transhipment at a small coast port.
The export trade of Kuangsi is still in its infancy, and the...”
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| 3 |
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“...people, at whose
instance this river was opened to trade and who enjoy exceptional
opportunities for prosecuting successfully their undertakings in this
part of China, wish to maintain their present position in this West
River trade, it is high time some serious efforts were made to
this end.
The number and tonnage of vessels entered and cleared under
the various flags will be found in the shipping table at the end of this
report.
The British tonnage represents the two British stern-wheelers
" Nanning " and " Sainam," running between Wuchow and Canton.
The American is a small cargo steamer on the direct line to Hong-
Kong, managed by a British firm, and the Chinese tonnage, with the
exception of a small Canton-Wuchow steamer, is all employed on
the direct trade.
It is remarkable that although 93 per cent, of the total trade of
Destination. "Value.
Haikuan taels. 1,296,533 40,765 699,696 48,850...”
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“...districts respectively; there is, I understand, a "CX y°ar'
good demand for the coarse Shuhing matting in Hong-Kong.
The native passenger traffic on the Canton-Wuchow line is p,l9ScnKer .
steadily increasing ; there is now a daily departure from either end, increas^n"1''7
excepting Saturdays.
The two British steamers, " Nanning " and " Sainam," have,
owing to their superior accommodation and regularity, carried the
bulk of the passengers.
The recent advent of a French steamer on the line, while causing Nuw FroncU
a temporary reduction of fares, has apparently not affected the ateamei-
passenger lists, and there is evidently room for at least one more
boat of the " Nanning " class on the river. With a daily departure
from Canton and Wuchow the British companies should be able to
defy all competition for some time to come.
Eight towns on the river were re-opened to steamers as passenger Removal of
stations in January of this year, and with the opening next year of ^^l"113 on
the four provided...”
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| 5 |
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“...12
WUCHOW.
general.
Extension of
postal system.
river piracy
of frequent
occurrence on
Upper River.
Objections to
military
convoy.
Absence of
aids to
navigation.
Mines.
No progress.
The Imperial Chinese postal system was extended during the
year to Pose, on the northern branch of the West River, the principal
trading centre on the Yunnan frontier, to Nanning, Kueilin and
Kueiyang, the capital of the neighbouring province of Kueichow.
Letters are accepted for Chungking and the Yangtze, via Kueilin
and Kueiyang.
This brings the whole of this province and the capital of Kueichow
within the postal radius of the Wuchow head office, and when the
service is in proper working order will, in conjunction with the
telegraphs, aSord safe and speedy means of communication between
the chief trading centres in the West River basin.
No serious cases of piracy—the term has been objected to, but it
conveniently describes the robbery with violence so common on the
Upper River—have been reported...”
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