Tur Grownt sin Trousruatszamon oF 'Suancuat—By D. ie. Lieu, Director, China' Institute "of Statistical Te: search; "formerly Director-General of Staiistics of the Chinese National Government." Published by the China "institute o¢ Economic and Statistical Research. $10, Shanghai Chinese industrial undertakings have the opportunity to see themselves very clearly "in the statistical analysis and the deductions which Dr. D, K. Liew has made in the volume under review. "He has traced the origins through a meticus ous survey of the changes in owner ship and organization of the early Pioneers in each Industry, adding thereby an intimate touch to' the Im= personal figures found elsewhere in the text, "It is interesting to know now some of the present well-known enterprises came into being and to trace their history. He has analysed the salient features of Shanghai Chinese industry almost ruthlessly in his frank facing of the weaknesses he observes. He has. shown' recent trends in industrial developments and has examined the labour and. social aspects of industrialization. The total is a worth while result.
Tt would seem that, arising out of fan initial grant from the Institute of Pacific Relations tothe Chinese Economic Society to make a study of Shanghai industrialization, one of the results has been, not only the publication of the bool under review, but the organization of a permanent body of research known as the China Institute of Economic and Statistical Research, of which Dr, D. I. Lieu fs the Director. An appendix in the book explains in detail the interrelationships of organizations which took part in the survey of factories conducted in 1931 and 1933 which are the basis of the report. Tt would eem that no fewer than six groups, four of them governmental depart ments, were concerned with the frst study—the Chinese Economic Society (which apparently was the initial body), the National Government Directorate of Statistics, the Ministry of Industries, the National Tariff Commission, the Bureau of Social Affairs of the Shanghai City Government, and Chiaotung University. Dr. Lieu states that the original plan was to include foreign as well as Chinese factories, but prolonged efforts to make the necessary. arrangements Produced no results, It is quite pos sible that the composite and partly Rovernmental nature of the auspices might have been a determining factor in his failure to get support. He was at the time the Director of the National "Government's Statistical Services. Possibly foreign factories might have held "the view that information held in government hands might be used as the basis of tax: tion plans and preferred to keep their Information to themselves. The reviewer recalls that ina study of the applicability of the Chinese Govern ment Factory Act, which was. proceeding at the same time, in. which 'Dr. Chen Ta. was interested, foreign employers made available information. Dr. Chen had no governmental connections, which was possibly one Feason for' his successful obtaining his facts from both Chinese and foreign sources. 'The reviewer does nol present these arguments in com~ mendation of the foreign employers' attitudes, which have resulted in the resent "study being but a partial ie ture, a situation which he thinks 4s greatly to be regretted. Had Dr. Liew's excellent analyses included Lot foreign and Chinese industrial undertakings, foreign employers as well as the general public would have Feaped advantage.
Insufficiency of Capital There are some startling facts re~ vealed by Dr. Liew about the structure of Chinese factory enterprises in Shanghai. By far the greater number ere in rented premises: from the 1931 gures more than two-thirds, and from the 1933 material more. that three-fourths of the undertakings di not own their own shops. The majority of those in rented premises fare small, with a lack of permanence too little' understood when Shanghai
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.