Review of the Year 1920: Silk A Failure but Trade Otherwise Satisfactory The report on the trade of Canton for the year 1920, issued by the Chinese Maritime Customs, has naturally much to say on the political events in the province during that period. The chief event, it will be remembered, was the ousting of the Kuangsi faction from the province and the rise to power of Dr. Sun Yat-sen. Naturally the fighting which took place was detrimental to the commerce of the district.
these political hindrances to trade, the report continues, was added an unusually heavy rainfall—amounting to 112.75 inches, as compared with an average of 64.76 inches for the preceding nine years, with disastrous results to the mulberry plants and cocoon-rearing. In marked contrast to the excellent silk crops of the previous year, those of 1920 have made the year under review one of the worst on record to the producers of silk, Canton's staple export. During the March quarter prospects were excellent, but heavy rain during 56 consecutive days quickly reduced the market to stagnation point, with the result that exports fell off by some 13,170 piculs, accounting for practically the total decrease in export revenue, The gross value of the trade of the port for the year under Teview was Hk. Tls. 145,596,446, which, after allowing for the reduction of re-exports, valued at Hk. Tls. 4,782,199, gives a net total of Hk. Tis, 140,814,317. This figure is well in excess of that for 1918 and only some seven millions below that of 1919, almost entirely accounted for by the depression in the silk market, the falling off in the ex-porta of that staple commodity showing the large figure of Hk. Tis, 6,000,000, The heavy cloud of political chaos which has for several] years now hung over the trade of Kuangtung never ceases to show a silver lining in the form of a commercial buoyance and power of recuperation, which augurs well for China's commercial future when peace is once more thoroughly re-established within her dominions.
Pisce Goons axp Yarn.
In the section of the report dealing with imports the report says:—The increase under cotton goods did not make itself apparent until the last quarter of the year, because supplies from abroad were rather limited. In December quart. er, however, the demand was at one time greater than the supply, so that piece goods dealers, on the whole, are quite satisfied with their year's earnings. The most marked advances under imports of this class are jeans, 9,000 pieces; plain cotton prints, 15,000 pieces; plain cotton Italians, 10,000 pieces; and
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.