BIG CHINESE INDUSTRY

Golden Bay Argus, Volume XIII, Issue 51, 19 May 1910, Page 4

BIG CHINESE INDUSTRY

The Han-yang Iron and S-.-fl

Work* are situated near the old Chinese city of Ha-koiv f six hundred miles tip the Yang-tze river; and as vessels drawing at least 20ft of water can be brought alongside the company’s wharv.es it follows that transport is not a matter of any difficulty. Neirly 4000 Chinese controlled by 30 European engineers, foremen, electricians and miners are employed by this corm pauy, and when it is realised that the average wage for unskilled labour does not exceed 5d per diem., with skilled native mill and furnace labour ranging between 5s to is 6d per day. The Han-yang Company practically controls-Wf not owns — the iron-ore mines of Tayeli, which are situated some -two hundred miles further up river. They have an output of 1500 tons per day, and the ore -which is of excellent quality —averaging over .60 per cent, is brought down to Hankow, in the company’s home-made steel lighters, which are towed by tugs, also constructed on the spot. L 111 the matter of construction, material fitting, turnings, bearings, etc.,, the company is essentially.sglf-support-ing. At Hankow the raw material is turned into sheets, plates, bars, railway, and other structural material, girders and bridge requisites, and many other steel products. In addition, a large percentage of the output is shipped to Japan, that country having already proved herself a ready and willing customer for all the available raw material.

Roughly speaking, the Han-yang plant includes three blast 7 fur races of the most modern and improved tvpe, with a combined daily capacity of 500 tons of pig-iron ; four openhearth steel furnaces, each with a 60-ton daily capacity ; rolling mills for bars, rails, plates, and fittings; and bolt, nut and spike machines. At present, however, this plant is totally inadequate ,:tp-:fulfil the d - fnahdjs made-upon it, and additions are how being made. Other extensions of a wide and comprehensive nature are contemplated- A v

'All! the cogk used;iiij the wafMjte brougjhETrffiujg’aiang„ rsl)e re large icollierieshare established on ‘a. tributary ”of the 1 ' Yang-tze. ; Although these mines are nearly two hundred*tpijps fr<?ni ; . the. ( work, coal can. aV: Hankow for’a iitpli bver 5s perJffttTßthe transport, beingj yvatgr and r accomplished, by : the means of. native labour^alone.