For a year or two past it ha? been the fashion to talk of har-hour improvement.—Shanghai. Chefoo and Hongkong have all discussed the burning question and even Chinkiang occasionally sets up its plea for a place in the sun. Bat the port which has advanced more in this matter than any of the others is Macao. This which was first seriously hit in trade by the opening up of Hongkong and then by the silting of the West River estuary. seems to have taken on a new lease of life. No longer are those responsible for its Government content to accept revenue from the fan-tan and opium monopolies alone and plans, long prepared, are to he executed with a view to making Macao the port it should always have been. An outer harbour is to be prepared by dredging, capable of accommodating vessels drawing up to 93-ft. with a long deep water channel of approach, moles and piers are to be erected and, generally, Macao is to be equipped with a good up-to-date harbour. The total cost is estimated at $10,000,000 and the Government of Macao is in the happy position of already having $9,000,000 in the bank for this purpose. With a total trade of $27,000,000 in 1919 the capital expenditure of $10,000 000 cannot be considered unduly large in view of the possibilities of expansion which exist in Macao, and none will be greater pleased to see her go ahead than her oldest ally.
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.