Page:Statesman's Year-Book 1921.djvu/930

 878 FRANCE : — TONKING

Tonking.

This territory, brought under Fiance's protectorate in 1884, has an area of 46,400 square miles, and is divided into 21 provinces, and 4 military territories, with 8,698 villages and a population in 1919 of 6,470,250, of whom 6,875 were Europeans (exclusive of military forces), The King of Annam was formerly represented in Tonkiug by a viceroy, but, in July, 1897, he consented to the suppression of the viceroyalty and the creation of a French residency in its place. Chief town Hanoi, a fine and largo modern town, with a population of 109,500 in 1919. This town on January 1, 1902, became the capital of Indo-China, instead of Saigon. There are 14 grammar schools with (1920) 4,967 pupils. In 1902 a school of medicine for natives was opened at Hanoi. This with the other higher education schools for natives was formed in 1917 into the University of Indo-China. Hanoi has also since 1918 a large European college. The local budget for 1921 balanced at 13,131,390 piastres. The chief crop is rice (total exports 1919, 186,685 tons valued at 117,045,000 francs) exported mostly to Hong- Kong (in 1919, 183,812 tons, valued at 83,779,000 francs). Other products are maize, arrowroot, sugar-cane, coffee, tea, various fruit trees, and tobacco. A large quantity of raw silk is produced annually, most of which is used in native weaving and the remainder exported (13,000 kilogrammes for 1919). There are rich limestone quarries, calamine and tin mines, and also rich hard coal beds. The enormous limestone quarries allowed the rapid increase of Portland cement manufacture which produced for export in 1919 67,567 tons of cement. During the same year 290,000 tons of hard coal were exported.

Chief imports are metal tools and machinery, yarn and tissues, beverages ; chief exports, rice, maize, and animal products. The principal port is Haiphong, which is visited regularly by the steamers of two French lines. In 1919, 588 vessels of 711,961 tons gross entered and cleared this port, 187 vessels (226,443 tons) being British.

The LaOS territory, under French protectorate since 1893, is estimated to contain 98, 000 square miles, and in 1914 there were 640,877 inhabitants. The capital is Vien-tiane. In the country there are tMree protected states, Luang Prabang, which has a capital of the same name, the residence of the King, who is assisted in his government by a French Administrator ; the other protected states are Bassac and Muong Sing. The soil is fertile, producing rice, cotton, indigo, tobacco and fruits, and bearing teak forests, from which the logs are now floated down the Mekong to Saigon. Gold, tin, lead and precious stones are found, and concessions have been granted to several French mining companies. It can be entered only by the Mekong, which is barred at Khone by rapids. A railway, four miles in length, has been constructed across that island, and by means of it several steam launches have been transported to the upper waters, where they now ply. A telegraph line connects Hue in Annam with the towns on the Mekong, and these with Saigon. The cost of the Laos administration is borne by Cochin-China (to the extent of six-thiiteenths), Tonkin and Annam (five-thirteenths), and Cambodia (two-thirteenths), The local budget for 1918 balanced at 1,747,800 piastres.

In 1900 the territory of Kwang Chau Wail on the coast of China, leafed from China in 1898, and increased in 1899 by the addition of 2 islands in the bay, was placed under the authority of the Governor-General of Indo- China. The territory has been divided into 3 administrative circumscrip- tions, but the Chinese communal organisation is maintained. Its area is