INTERNAL COMMUNICATIONS
729
Total
projected.
Miles
Belgian capital and engineers :
Kai-feng to Honan-fu
Honanfu-Tung-Kwan. Chinese Cap
Financed by Russo-Chinese Bank :
Cheng-ting to Tai-yuan
Imp. Shantung Ry. Co. German capital and engineers :
Tsintau to Tsinan-fu
Total . :
Wuhu-Kwangtehchow (Chinese)
Kiukiang-Nanchang (Chinese)
Anglo-German capital :
Tientsin to P'uk'ou (Nanking) (N. Section) (German)
(S. Section) (British) Peking Syndicate Ry. Redeemed by China 1005. British engineers :
Taok'ou (Honan) to Ching hua (Shansi) .... Brit, and Chinese Corpn. British capital and engineers :
Shanghai to Wu-sung
Shanghai to Nanking
Shanghai to Ningpo(nnder construction by Chinese Co.'s)
Canton to Kowloon
Amoy-Changchow
Chinese :
Canton-Hankow Ry. (open to Pachiang from Canton)
Hankow-Ssuch'uan Ry
Ping-siang to Siang river (Ping-siang coal mines) .
Swatau to Chau-chau (Japanese engineers)
Sunning Ry. (Chinese capital and engineers) . French cax>ital and engineers :
Lao-kai to Yunnan-fu
French :
Langson-Lungchow (Open to Namkwan) .... Japanese capital and engineers :
Changchun-Kirin Ry.
140 130
151
256
677
150
82
400
275
Line open. Miles
140
151
256
547
20
400
275
90
—
12
—
192
21S
lis
111
111
30
10
750
60
800
6
50
56
24
24
—
55
291
291
46
15
80
80
The imperial Chinese telegraphs are being rapidly extended all over the Empire. They now connect all the principal cities of the Empire, and there are lines to all the neighbouring countries. The telegraph lines (end of 1910) had a length of 45,260 kil., with 80,407 kil. of wire ; there are 560 offices. The administration is now completely under government control, partly Imperial and partly provincial.
The postal work of the Empire, formerly carried on by the Government Courier service and the native posting agencies, was gradually taken in hand by the Chinese Imperial Post Office, begun in 1897 under the manage- ment of the Maritime Customs. By Edict of November 6, 1906, the con- trol of the Postal Service was transferred to the Ministry of Communications, and the transfer was actually effected in July 1911. The work of the Post Office extends over the 18 Provinces and Manchuria, which have been divided into postal districts, or sub-districts. In 1911 there were 6,201 post offices in the country. The number of letters, cards, &c., was 321,000,000, and parcels 3,037,000; total 324,037,000, as against 358,766,000 in 1909. China has postal conventions with India, France, Japan, Germany, Hong Kong, Natal, and Russia, and through their intermediary has postal com- munication with postal union countries, the disadvantage of not belonging to the union being thus diminished.
