Wenchow and Santuao.
Tue report from Wenchow of Mr. A. Lay, the Acting Commissioner of Customs, isnot a very rose-coloured one.
He begins by saying: "The depression felt in 1900 still continued during the period under review, and the disquietude which existed further north caused the trade in exports to! remain very dull, there being no shipments to'Tientsin till late in the year. The foreign imports show a decrease and the native imports and'exports shows an increase, but the 5 latter are much less than they were in 1899." The total revenue of the port was Hk. Tis. £5,982, and the net value of. the trade was Hk. Tls. 1,460,789 against-Tls. 1,, 630 in 1900 and Tis.
4,624,516 in 1899. The black tea of Wenchow cost too mtich to produce, the duty and likin being overwhelmingly heavy; there was a poor crop of oranges owing'to &'typhoon'; the merchants Have so little capital thit they cannot' pay cash for the foreign goods they buy in Shang-after mentioning the increas" in 1901" in the net value" of the trade: "The increase is' chiefly due to" the fuller appreciation by the teamen of the advantage which shipment of tea from Santindd' offers' as against' o¥erland carriage; but a general progress can be recorded. Exclusive of tea, the bulk of trade ini the five districts enclosing the bay is still conveyed by native craft. The 'Osaka 'Shoshén Kaisha is said to contemplate running a steamer between Shanghai' and Foochow' during 1992, calling'at'Ningpo and "Santuac. If such a boat was actually runnifig;.... there isno doubt that her owners would find it a profitable investment...-The transfer of the control of the Native' Bureau to our office has enabled us to form a fair estimate of the total value of' local trade, which;' inclusive 6f the' value of that passing through Santuao-ahd of tea cartied overland, represents sunt well over Hk. THs, 6,000,000." Teamen, ie., the tea merchants, did' well'on the whole, though the growers tade no "profit, and Mr. MeAllim'adds that "there is a most favourable opening at'Santuad for a firm 'With some ¢ 'By procuring goods from Hongkong: direct they could sell at 4 price which would' undoubtedly attract: buyers, who are now forced to travel' at least 75 miles to Foochow for their foreign goods."
Mr, MeAlliim complains of the want of a bythe! Cute séired bya boat chartered by the Chinese for the tea season, and by a
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.