: Rennertz: v. The Kiangnai Defence "and Pay Department...
Comntencrat Intetticesce aNn WERKkuy Market Report Exchange Quotations. Share Quotations, ete, enrgo carried was less than 50 per cent of the gross total. 'I'his falling off was 5 due to the dispute between the River steamer companies and the Swatow traders, due to certain abuses. that had crept in, and which the steamer companies were: determined to abolish. 67 During the many mouths that clipsed before au'agreement was effected, the shippitig trade was carried on by outside chartered" steamers, until the Swatow traders finally accepted. the steamer 2 companies' terms.
Mr. Carles adds tha is is one of the fow instances on record in' which' foreign companies 2 have succeeded by. combination. among themselves in refusing-to yield to terms dictated by-the Swatow Guild. In this tance thie case is the more remarkable that one of the three steamer -com-' panies. which entered the combination was the China Merchants Company." In. Imports there was a very marked increase in the "demand for -English "The only cause which I can_assign for the favourable returns of the import of opium-at Chinkiang, as compared with other 'I'reaty ports, is that Indian opium had been so largely adulterated for many years at Chinkiang, that when the Customs took somewhat more careful precautions against its adulteration while in bond, and before being sent inland under Customs certificate, the drug in its more genuine condition obtained a much wider market, and is only now beginning to feel the effects which might have been expected earlier in its competition with the native drug, whey the latter is more lightly taxed and much cheaper, I am inclined to think that the import would improve if the Customs took more rigorous measures to secure that the drug is not tampered with, not only after arrival in port, and before it receives the Customs certificate, but also before it is put on this market, as it is suspected that the adulteration begins before the opium reaches Chinkiang,"
As regards Exports Mr. Carles remarks that very little of the produce of the neighbourhood of Chinkiang is suitable for export to foreign countries, except to supply the wants of Chinese abroad, but amongst these products the principal are ground-nuts and groand-nut oil, This trade is quite of recent growth and has steadily increased year by year, the total value of the export of ground-nuts in 1896 being H. 'T'ls, 879,900, and of ground-nut oil H. 'T'ls, 180,144. Mr. Carles adds some into: ing particulars of these -products:—
"In the northern portion of this province, and in the adjoining portion of Anhui, thera is much country with a light sandy soil which, until lately, had little value. But the demand in the Canton market for ground-nut oil has so largely encouraged the growth the plant that the value of this land
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.