22nd. June.
Tae annual reports of Mr. T. F. Hughes, Commissioner of Customs at Kiukiang, are always worth reading, Mr. Hughes's long experience and his habits of observation making his remarks on the course of trade as interesting as the facts on which he bases them. He begins his report for 1899 by chronicling a still further advance; the total volume of trade, he says, for 1898 amounted to the then record value of 17} millions of taels; in 1899 it gained another million. "The expansion thus indicated embraces nearly every branch of our trade, and is to be attributed to the excellent weather with which during the entire year this province was favoured, and to the abundant harvests which the people were in consequence enabled to gather in. In an agricultural country such as this is, without large manufactories or properly developed mines, abundant harvests mean increased exports, and large exports mean a plentiful supply of money amongst the people and a disposition to buy imports and what may be termed luxuries. In a word, all the elements that go to make a busy and a prosperous year were present in 1899, and the result has been all that the most sanguine could have expected."
The actual revenue collected in Kiukiang in 1899 was Tls. 1,010,252. For years an agitation has been proceeding against the compulsory Trade Duty Deposits" on cargo payment by merchants of "Coast
shipped from the river ports for exportation from Shanghai, these deposits being returned when a certificate that the cargo had been exported reached the river port. On the st of April, 1899, this system came to an end, and in consequence a large number of deposits had to be returned and were not balanced by new ones, the excess amounting to; Tls. 22,616, the net revenue being thus reduced to Tls. 987,636. " Practically," says Mr. Hughes, "our annual revenue may be said to have touched once more a million of taels, a point it had not reached since 1896. The increase is shown in} every branch except coast trade."
The value of Kiukiang's direct! foreign trade is very trifling, the imports direct being chiefly coal from Japan for the use of the brick tea factories. The export trade coastwise, however, was very flourishing, all the chief products of the district showing a further advance., "Hemp, chinaware, liquid indigo, sesamum seed, all exhibit a substantial in-j crease; even tea seems to keep pace of the renowned Kingtehchen kilns, ports; and so far as figures go, shows signs of a possible return to its former eminence." When Kiukiang was opened to foreign trade, it was prominently a tea port: its prominence in this direction dwindled away as the United States took to dri Japanese tea and Great Britain Indian and Ceylon tea. But Mr. Hughes thinks that the tea business is not irretrievably lost. He says:—The export of Black Tea in the year under review amounted to 131,145 piculs, or more than 9,000 piculs in excess of the quantity in the preceding year, which was itself an advance on the figures of the year before. Brick Tea has also been steadily progressing during the last few years: its export in 1897 was 32,839 piculs, in 1898 it advanced to 33,831 picals, whilst in 1899 it totalled 43,352 piculs. Green Tea also shows signs of improvement, but as it chiefly passes through this port now to be dealt with at Shanghai, it need not be further dwelt upon here. The reports by experts on the Tea market of the year under review are not so rose-coloured as our figures might lead one to expect. It seems the Keemuns were not, on the whole, as good as in the previous year, whilst the Ningchows were disappointing, the famous Ningchow district, in fact, being likely to be outdone by the preference shown nowadays for the stronger Havkow Oanfa district Teas. A gentleman well versed in the trade favours me with the following interesting remarks: "The demand for Indian and Ceylon Teas is growing more and more all over the world, and as Chinese teamen refuse to introduce machinery, it is only a matter of time until the China 'Tea trade dwindles down to avery small item. 'To an educated palate a fine Keemun is much preferable to Ceylon or Indian; but it is strength' (strong cup) that the public now calls for, and the Indian and Ceylon Teas supply this, owing to careful cultivation and machinery, preparation. The export of Indian and Ceylon Teas to Russia (hitherto China's biggest Ten customer) is increasing by leaps and bounds."—This authority evidently behoves, mary others, that by the aid of machinery and more careful cultivation, the Chinese could easily produce Tea in abundance, to suit the present taste of the public, just as Ceylon and Indian teamen do; and if the Government went further and did what other Governments, with such an ancient and valuable industry to revive and foster, would be almost sure to do, namely reduce the export taxes and duty, it is, I think, almost certain that the Tea export from China would ere long regain its old supremacy indeed it would be hardly too much to say, anomalous as it may appear, that the very reduction of the Tea' duty would, by the expansion it would create in the export, before long increase the Tes revenue, whilst the augmented wealth and prosperity of the producing districts would give an impetus and activity to general trade which would be far-reaching its effects, and would ultimately re-donnd to the well-being of the Government and the country.
Exceptions to the general increase in exports, we learn, were leaf; tobacco and paper. The former staple suffered from the increased import duties levied by Japan, the latter) from the competition of the cheaper paper of Fukien, the bamboo crop in kiangse in 1899 being a defective one. Of chinaware, the product with the progress of our other ex-! the export in 1899 was larger than ' Mr. Hughes's report is the increase in ever, and a collection of specimens of this famous product has been sent to the Paris exhibition. The export of liquid indigo, another of Kiukiang's staples, goes on increasing, and beans and peas are beginning to take an important position also in the export table.
In imports coastwise, the business in cotton goods was fairly well maintained, superior goods such as drills and sheetings, and also-cloths, showing an improvement. "Cotton yarn continues steadily to increase, ha ing more than doubled its importation during the last four years. Japanese yarn (51,908 piculs), combining as it does good quality with comparative cheapness, takes the lead at this port; Indian (49,142 piculs) being next favourite Chinese, chiefly from the Shanghai mills (41,578 piculs), said to be equal in quality to. the Japanese kind and somewhat cheaper, comes next in popularity; whilst the English, which is too costly and too fine for this marke', comes last (with only 1,083 piculs)." In woollens and metals there was a trifling falling-off, and a slight temporary decline in the import of kerosene oil; but, says Mr. Hughes, "the popularity of the oil, and the improbability of any better illuminant at anything like the same price being introduced in this district for many years to come, make it safe to edict that the relatively small leeway now reported will be speedily made good." Matches, sugar, and other luxuries all showed by their increase the prosperity of the province, as also of the parts of Aah Hupeh, and Fukien that draw supplies from Kiukinng. Mr. Hughes notices that there is more confidence shown by the natives in outward transit passes, a satisfactory indication that these passes are being treated with more respect by the likin officials.
Under the head of Shipping Mr. Hughes makes some very interesting remarks on the introduction of steam facilities on the Poyang Lake. He Five additional launches started plying to and from the Poyang Lake, making 11 all; but the majority of these boats are unsuited to the work, having too. deep draught to allow them to proceed far into the Luke during the winter months. So far these launches do not seem to have found very profitable occupation. They have been solely engaged in carrying the poorer class of native passengers and in towing the cheaper kinds of cargo. An attempt was made during the ter season to tow a quantity of ton; but either the cargo-boats were too deeply laden or vere towed without sufficient care, for some water was shipped and the' cargo was damaged; which has prevented, for the time, any further use of steam'launches for the towing of valuable cargo, such as might be expected to pay a higher and zaore profitable rate of towage.
The only other point to notice in
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.