Fertile Hainan the Centre of Big Programme: Present}
Conditions Described Canton, Mar, 3.
'AMAN Island, China's largest insular possession, has received considerable attention from industrial, commercial and poli tical circles, which are jointly planning a large-scale development programme for that area.
The island, situated to the south of kong. Kwangsi, Shanghai and other Kwangtung.'provinee is commonly ports. known (othe Chinese og Flungyal Rice, flour, beans, petroleum, or Chuyai. Tt faces Anném on the matches, and native cloth are among! West, the Malay Archipelago to the the list of imports, which are valued south, the Philippine lands on the at $1,400,000 yearly. 'The sources of South-east and Lulchow Peninsula of these' imports are chiefly Siam, Hong-Kwangtung on, the north. kong, Shanghai and Tientsin.
The whole island is estimated to The island Is: noted for its pro occupy 97,196 square Il and is chiefly duction of fish and salt. There are Inhabltated "by. the Hans and more than seventy kinds of fish pro-tribes. Out of the fon duced in. the island and around. its 000,600, about 00,00 belong to the coasts. Salt is produced in ten hsien Li tribe. at 60,000,000 catties yearly.
In view of its geographical pos!- Lead, silver and" tin mines are tion, the island fs warm all the year found on the island while gold dust round, the maximum heat, being 00 Is abundant. They are, however, de-degrees Fahrenheit, and the coldest Weather 50 degrees Fahrenheit. The en veloped only on a small scale at pre Tainy seasons on the island are sum Six-Point Programme mer and aulunsn, while the dey wea Various plans have been mapped ther is in spring and winter," In July, ut to develop Hainan Island, along August and. September, the island usually suffers "a great dear from Monsoons, which, itimay be recalled, left a vast area of devastation in their wake in August last year. the following' lines:—
The island was formerly divided Into thirteen "adminis areas, Dut since 1696, upon the petition of the Kwangtung provincial government 10 the Central authorities, the! number was Increased to sixteen, As regards the people of the is-tand, these inhabiting in. the north east, due to. convenience in communicallon, are more" adventurous and. usually venture toria to the South Season business. Those living in the south-west are more pric initive and uneducated but more ity and honest than their fellow men in the other part of the island.
Most of the Chinese on the island are engaged in the fishing industry, while the Li tribes, mostly living
ing.
eaves earn thee ving By farm Tne medium of exchange on Hate nan Island is the "big money", which the standard money, Foreign coins, such as the "eagle" dollars, Hongkong dollars and Japanese yen are also widely circulated among the Population, Since the establishment bela branch of the Kwangtung Pro-Winelal Bank on the Island, however, hose foreign moneys have steadily gone out of circulation.
There re about 8588800 mow of seTeegit seert taeaaet mew cine Send out lam ave a
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.