busy — one at Yaumati, and the other at Praya East, Wanchai — and afford employment for close upon five hundred workmen. The firm holds contracts from the French Government
kong, China, and Europe, the different
varieties including billian, selangen, batu,
camphor, several kinds of kruen, and cedar.
In Borneo the Company has two l.irge saw-
[•4«»r.
contented. Locally the Company operates
well-equipped saw-mills at Yaumati, having
a capacity of i,ooo cubic feet per day.
The general manager of the Company is
Mr. J. Wheeley. Mr. W. G. Darby is the
manager in Borneo, and Messrs. Cape and
Jupp are the out door superintendents. Messrs.
Bevaii, Murray, Thomas, and Schuider are
the jungle assistants, while Mr. McCrath is
in charge of the saw-mills, and Mr. Bridger
of the engineering shops and .slipway. Mr.
Kennett is the saw-mill manager at Yaumati.
r. BLACKHEAD Si CO.'S SOAP FACTORY.
at Saigon, and is entrusted with the execution
of repairs for the Indo-China, the Hamburg-
Amerika, and the Japanese lines of steamers.
Upwards of a hundred steam launches have
l)een built by this firm for Manila. One
launch was 140 feet in length, and fitted
with triple-expansion engines. The proprie-
tor of the firm. Mr. I^n Fat, was born in
the San On Province, China, received his
education in Hongkong, and was afterwards
apprenticed as a draughtsman to Messrs.
Fenwick & Co. for nine years. He was
then for nearly two years engineer to Messrs.
Marty & Co., until, in 1895, ^'^ joined Messrs.
Tung Tai Tseung Kee & Co. as manager.
In this p<jsltion he remained for ten years,
when he purchased the business. Mr. Lan
Fat is married and has a family of four sons
and three daughters. At Wanchai the busi-
ness of the firm is managed by Mr. S. Ahmet,
who was born in Macao and educated at
Queen's College. Hongkong. He served an
apprenticeship of five years at the Gordon
Foundry, East Point, and then joined the
Amoy Engineering Works. Three years later
he entered the service of Messrs. Tung Tai
Tseung Kee & Co., becoming assistant
manager in 1901, and receiving his present
appointment in 1905.
THE CHINA-BORNEO COMPANY, LTD.
The China-Borneo Company. Ltd., is the
only local company engaged in the timber
trade. It was formed in 1888, but has been
twice reconstructed. Now it has a capital of
$720,000, is established on a firm footing, and
has paid good returns to shareholders for
years past. The Company holds valuable
timber concessions, extending over some
thousands of miles, in British North Borneo,
and from there it supplies timber to Hong-
mills, as well as a patent slipway and en-
gineering shops. It does all its own repairs,
lays its own jungle railways, builds launches
and lighters, and does general engineering.
F. BLACKHEAD & CO.'S SOAP FACTORY.
No account of the industrial life of the
Colony would be complete without a passing
reference to the manufacture of soap, which
is a comparatively new enterprise so far as
Europeans are concerned. The idea of start-
ing a soap factory in Hongkong originated,
some twelve years ago, with Mr. Smith, a
former partner in the firm of Messrs. F.
Blackhead & Co. An admirable site was
purchased at Shaukiwan, a little village about
two miles east of the city of Victoria, and
upon this some excellent buildings were
erected and equipped with the necessary
machinery, including large boilers made by
the Hongkong and Whampoa Dock Company.
Under the capable supervision of a gentleman
who had formerly been connected with the
soap trade in Japan, operations were quickly
in full swing. The proprietors found that
competition with Japanese, Chinese, and im-
ported soaps was very strong, but, in spite
of many difliculties, they have made gratifying
progress by producing an article of good
quality at a moderate price. From time to
time the plant has been added to, and often
between sixty and seventy Chinese are em-
ployed, for, besides the manufacture of all
CHOr FONG'S GINGER FACTORY.
[Sec page 248.]
The labour staff numbers about a thousand
Malays and Javanese, many of whom were
born on the concession. They are fed and
housed by the Company and are quite
kinds of soap, soda crystals and disinfectants
are also made. The raw materials are
obtiiined from the Philippines and adjacent
islands. After the various ingredients have
