Rifth Decennial Report on Chinese Trade: Valuable! Material for Merchants the issue of the fifth volume of the series. of decennial reports compiled by the Maritime Customs, a jubilee is being celebrated, 7 decennial reports for the period 922-1981 are to be presented in two volumes, of which the first, dealing with the northern and Yangtze ports, and. containing certain important} covering memoranda, has been published on Aug. 1. Mr. T. R, Banister ig responsible for the editorship these Reports and for an interesting, survey of commercial relations between China and Europe from 1834 to 1881. Mr, Banister also contributes a synopsis of the external trade of China from 1882 to 1981, Thus the merchant and student have a complete record of Chinese foreign trade from the time of the Toading and despatch of the India Company's ship Sarah, with 4 cargo of free tea, from Whampoa fon March 22, 1884, under the aus-ices of Messrs. Jardine, Matheson Custom Houses for foreign trade The report says, that, the first were opened in Hangchow and in 'Ningpo'in A.D. 099, and.a brief ré- sume is given' of the development of trade between that period and the year 1834, when the history. modern. commercial relations with China' began.
The valuable Synopsis. contributed by Mr, Banister, whose labour on this report has occupied a of two years, but has been supplementary, to "his own substantive duties, throws a vivid Tight on the general trend of the conditions with Which the report deals, although, of course, the investigator will natural. ly desire to master the detailed analysis of the conditions for each of the ports brought under review. Taking the main features. of each decade, the Synopsis describes. the Seeade™ of 1882-1891 ax one of Gelayed and only moderate expansion, chiefly along. the old established_ tines. "Stagnation marked the first. four year whatever: changes and. advances were made came in the later part, The total Value of the foreign trade was about 62 per cent, gercater at the end than at the beginning of the decade, At Kowloon and Macao The Chinese Customs Offices in Hongkong (Kowloon) and Macao (Lappa) were opened in April, 188 whereby a measure of control for the first time obtained over the Jink-borney_ traffic" between these foreign depots and the adjacent portions of, the mainland, 'The principal object of these now estab li ments" was to safeguard the revenue derived from opium, customs duty and likin' which had. been Amalgamated into a single impost and put into the hands of the Chinese Maritime Customs for collection. But. in, the event the effect of the new offices was no less marked in commodities other than 'Then the Synopsis discusses change, in' which there was a further and aid to have begun in 1890. Heavy] falls took place in each year following. 'A' new level' was reached in eke the year "1604, at "about ds. 2dy sled ar ey nearly 2s, per tael less than recently as 1890. How the external trade of China adapted itself to such a radical change in the ratio of silver to gold, how the exchange of commodities between a country with a silver standard of prices and was adjusted" without a check. to its rapid. and prosperous growth, still remains an imperfectly understood and explained _phenomenon in the history of trade. The free coinage of silver India was abolished in June, 1898. India subsequently came off the silver standard to all intents and purposes.
What is known as the "gold exchange standard." japan definitely put her currency on a gold basis in the summer of 1897, using the "war indemnity. received from China to enable her to do so. Thi
found herself a itheend of the "decade, China practically alone among the more important trading! nations of the world as a. silver standard country.
This was the period of the Sino-Japanese war and the Boxer rising. [During the next decade a. number of railways were opened. The complete list may given: Chinese Eastern Railway (1902) (1904); Peking-Hankow (1905)
Peking-Kalgan (1909); Shi Hangchow (1909); Kaifeng (1910); Yunnan Pukow (1912).
The Revolution The decade ended with the over. throw of the Manchu dynasty and the establishment of the Republic. The next decade, therefore, uunparelleled political - disturbance. It included the sar of the Great War and naturally" leads to. the examination of the progress by the fant republic in meeting the various disturbing factors of its carly career.
1922-1931 the Report says that politically the last ten years have been even more adverse to the development of trade in China than the previous Gonstant civil wars ravaged from end to en waged, the tion of the political and even social structure of the country proceeded pac nti the establishment of the National Party Government. at Nanking in 192%, it would be. true to say that ther was mo. Central Government at all; even at that, from 1927 to 1930 the National Government ad to fight a series of further civil to enforce its thority, during all this dsorgan Trade in China has flourished and developed wherever and whenever possible. Thanks to the patience, tenacity and industry of her common people, and to the shrewdness and enterprise of her merchants, every lull in the political storms of the period has been sei to recuperate and restore, every opportunity has been taken to develop and progress. "None who have seen the roads. built in the last ten years, the motor services organized, the' number of electric and "waterworks. towns, the erection of factories, depariment stores, schools, colleges, Property are reasonably [China is becoming modernised at rapid rate, and. is economical hotier off ever before.
The total value of foreign trade was 55 per cent. greater at the end of this than at the end of the previous "decade. The value of im ports increased by 58 per cent. and of exports by 51 per cent. This expansion has been a fairly steady process; imports receded in the year when the anti-foreign boycott was first enforced, viz., 1925, but, have shown a continuous yearly rise in values during the recent period of falling exchange; exports' have in value year by year untill the still existing world-wide economic blizzard reached China in 1930, The total value of fo trade in 1981 was almost exactly ten times the value in 1891.
The composition of trade has changed considerably. The old staples are now completely swamped by the growth of trade in new commodities, and no longer show a trace of their nineteenth century importance. The import of cotton manufactures has declined both relatively and absolutely, and dur-(1910); Canton- ing 1931 did not reach Si per cent, Kowloon (1911); and' Tientsin- in value of total imports. In the tame. year" the commodities "onte frvoped together in Customs Star for te Samiier" Secounie to, tether for near 80 per cent. of fhe'inoie import trade' of China, The decine tu foreign eaton one: Tactarer is lowly connected with the "vigorous development of "te etton Industry within the county, STaeaverage tonal inpee St please body declined from over 29 lien fe°abowt fu million iceer" Bet thie doguise the heavy deine the lant few yen, in 108 the port was only "32 million. cee Elmont sealed by. he imped isto ty years og. 'The decrease 'lhave msiny Yaken' plage in ise Cheaper linge, arch ey abi ings"and Tsien Thee dene cotton "yarn ie even mare ariting from am anneal Sverage of ner to tess than hal million piculs. In the case of 91 the roza "has" been "contnbons oughout. the period, and. imports "1831 were "almost negligible, Tu recent years Chinn has been exporter of cotton yarn.
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.