728
CHINA
37,712,440 tons, Britisli ; 2,602 of 3,154,157 tons, French ; 4,848 of 6,849,069 tons, German ; 21,259 of 19,172,727 tons, Japanese ; 1,744 of 1,237,027 tons, Eussian ; and 130,828 of 17,881,542 tons, Chinese. Of vessels engaged in foreign trade only the entrances during the year numbered 36,418 of 12,833,667 tons, and the clearances 35,748 of 13,085,443 tons.
The nationality of the vessels (direct foreign trade) was mainly as follows :
Nationality
Entrances
Clearances
1911.
No.
Tons
No.
Tons
British . American . French . German . Japanese . Norwegian Russian . Chinese .
4,687 311 459 743 2,215 257 480 27,091
4,885,872 284,883 555,891
1,311,438
2,883,245 259,183 363,206
1,986,275
4,753 319 467 769 2,143 264
533 , 26,333
5,028,402 294,659 590,027
1,400,230
2,805,126 266,306 405,629
1,987,791
Internal Communications.
China is traversed in all directions by numerous roads, and, though few are paved or metalled, and all are badly kept, a vast internal trade is carried on partly over them, but chiefly by means of numerous canals and navigable rivers. In February, 1898, the Chinese Government agreed that all internal waterways should be open both to foreign and native steamers.
In 1911 there were 1,020 vessels registered for inland waters navigation ; of these, 169 were foreign and 851 were under the Chinese flag.
In 1911 an Edict was issued commanding that all trunk lines of railway should revert to Government and that provincial control should cease. The construction of the Canton-Hankow and Szechuan -Hankow lines is now in the hands of the Central Government, and a loan of 6,000,000Z. has been raised specially for this purpose. At the end of 1911 there were open to traffic about 5,500 miles of Chinese railway, not including the Russian and Japanese systems on Chinese territory in Manchuria, while more than 2,800 miles of new trunk lines were under construction. The following statement shows the nationality of the companies which have financed various lines, the approximate length of projected railways, and the length of main line open : —
-
Total
projected.
Miles
Line open. Miles
Chinese Eastern Railway Co :
Manchurian frontier to Dalny (Russ. and Jap.) Kharbin to Pogranichnaia (Siiefenho) (Russian)
1,180 462
Total
Imperial Rys. of North China. British Engineers. Mortgaged in part to British bondholders :
Peking to Newcliwang and Mukden
Peking to Kalgan and Sijijuan (conipleted to Kalgan)
(Chinese Engineers) . . . ' . Peking to Hankow (French and Belgian engineers) .
275
1,642
600
230
754
Total ... , . . ,
275
1,584
