1. General statement. Tainan is on the western coast of Taiwan 25 miles from the Pescadores and 150 miles from Amoy on the China coast. The population is the largest of any of the provinces, numbering 1,487,999 in 1940, of whom 47,854 were Japanese and 7,071 were foreign Chinese.

Political divisions in Tainan consist of ten gun (counties), two shi (cities), 8 gai (towns) and 58 sho (clusters of villages). The aborigine area comprises 165 square miles of the total of 2,100. Ordinarily in Taiwan the aborigine territory corresponds to the mountain area, but apparently the large forestry development at Arisan has served to cut down the area so designated in Tainan Province. The aborigines numbered 14 villages, 284 households, and 1,710 individuals in 1938.

Tainan City had been the capital of Taiwan under the Dutch and under the Chinese administration, but lost much of its importance with the deterioration of its harbor, the improvements of the harbors at Keelung and Takao, the removal of the capital to Taihoku, and the re-orientation of the island from China to Japan when the Japanese acquired sovereignty in 1895.

Tainan is a rich agricultural area, with most of the Taiwan salt beds, a large part of the fish-cultivation area of Taiwan, and the very extensive commercial lumbering development at Arisan east of Kagi. The Gyunikuki oilfield is near Bansha in Shinei-gun. A little to the northeast is the Rikujukei oilfield and farther north near Chusho in Kagi-gun is the Toshikyaku field. Oil production is not thought to be large.

2. Geography. Tainan Province is about 65 miles from north to south and 45 miles from east to west, with an area of 2,100 square miles. The eastern part is mountainous, with foothills sloping to the west into the plain which extends to the sea. The highest mountain in the Japanese Empire, the 13,000 foot Mt. Niitaka, is on the eastern border. The Tainan plain is the largest plain in Taiwan, extending about 62 miles from north to south and 25 miles from west to east. The coast is very low and continually is being extended by the sediment of the many rivers.

The Dakusui River (sometimes called the Seira River in its lower reaches) separates Tainan Province on the north from Taichu Province. To the south, in order of direction, the main rivers running into the sea are: Shinkobi River, Kyukobi River, Hokko River, Bokushi River, Hassho River, Sobun River, and the Nisoko River on the southern border between Tainan and Takao Provinces,

The combination of heavy rains, steep mountains, short rivers and low plains has resulted in much damage from flash floods and overflow. The possibility of damage has been greatly minimized by extensive river conservation measures, in particular by the immense Kanan ir

rigation system and the embankments along the Dakusui River.

The river mouths are used for small fishing craft, but there are no good ports. Ampin formerly was a very important port for trade with the China Coast and still is so used, but silting has greatly reduced its value. Next in importance is Toseki, but it is reported to have exports per year valued at only ¥10,000. Hotei, south of Toseki,

is of still less importance.

3. Climate. As shown in table 1 the annual rainfall at Tainan City is 66 inches with a maximum over a period of some 20 years of 101 and a minimum of 38 inches. The average monthly temperature varies from 62° F. in February to 82° F. in July. The humidity varies from 77 to 84 percent. Thunderstorms occur about 12 days per month in July and August, and one day or less per month in January, February, October and November. At Arisan the mean 1939 temperature was 70.7° F. and the rainfall 197 inches. Between Kagi and Mizukami is a post marking the Tropic of Cancer.

From March to about the first of July there are southwesterly and heavy westerly winds. From August until about the first of March the winds are usually northerly and northeasterly. The winds are variable during March, August and September, often changing from north to south.

took a toll of 55,000 houses and 15,000 lives. As the force of the disturbance tends to be confined to a small geographic area, the burden upon the local authorities is correspondingly great. Two years after the 1935 quake, which visited only Shinchiku and Taichu Provinces, the reconstruction of the devastated area was reported to be only partly finished. The earthquakes usually are felt more severely in the north than in the south.

5. Land use. a. The Arisan forests. Lumbering of the forests on Mt. Ari was carried on by the GovernmentGeneral until September 1, 1942, when it was turned over to the Taiwan Development Co. A special 30" gage branch of the government railroad runs east from Kagi-shi for 46 miles to the forests, this line being extended as the lumbering progresses. The end of the line is reported to be at an elevation of 7,000 feet, the line having 73 tunnels, 65 bridges, and many sharp curves.

Although about 70 percent of the area of Taiwan is in forests, there are but three important lumbering centers: Taihei-san and the valley of the Dakusui River in Taihoku Province, Hasen-san in Taichu Province, and the most important one, Arisan. Most of the ¥12,388,628 of lumber produced in 1940 came from these centers. Bamboo, firewood and charcoal appear to be produced all over the island for local use, the value of these products in 1940 being respectively, ¥2,870,949, ¥4,575,080, and ¥4,014,422. In 1936 the oak and cypress from Arisan was valued at ¥1,640,000, but this production has been greatly increased in an effort to make Taiwan self-sufficient in lumber for the war program. From 1930 to 1940 the annual imports varied in value from ¥1,499,969 to a low in 1940 of ¥57,660.

The Arisan forest covers an area of 27,000 acres with trees of red cypress, mongolian oak, hemlock, pine and spruce. Some are 3,000 years old. Two of the largest have been called holy; they bear the cord with the Shintoistic emblem and are spared.

Lumbering is carried on by modern, mechanical equip

ment.

The "pride of Kagi" is a modern sawmill which is said to be the largest in the Japanese Empire.

A 1934 report states that the sparks of the wood-burning forest railroad, and the burning of grass and bush by the aborigines, cause the destruction of extensive areas of forest.

b. Afforestation. An extensive program of afforestation has been developed in Taiwan to maintain the supply of camphor and other commercial trees, and for other purposes. A report for the year 1938 gives a total of 468 special purpose forests covering an area of nearly 700,000 acres. The forests were for protection against flying sand, wind protection, the maintenance of fish, protection against damage by sea water, the prevention of falling rocks, soil conservation, water reservoirs, and landscape purposes. Afforestation along the Tainan seacoast is of considerable importance, as the winter monsoons are reported to cause great damage to production along the western coast of the island. Before the government program of afforestation was developed, it was estimated that 16,000 ko of loose sand along the Taiwan coasts was blown by the

monsoon winds in storms "so dense that one could hardly see an inch ahead of him." Occasional sea-water inundations cause further damage.

c. Fish cultivation. Sabahi, a favorite fish of the Chinese, oysters, lobsters, carp, grey mullet and other fish are raised in salt and fresh water pools and on the mud flats. Oyster shells are placed on bamboo sticks stuck into the flats. They attract immature oysters carried in by the tide. These young oysters, nourished by the tides, grow to a large size in a year. Sabahi are raised in salt water pools where schools of young fish, caught in the open sea, grow to marketable size in a year.

d. Statistics on land use. The following tables give unusually detailed data on uses of taxed and untaxed land. Tables 2 and 3 are for Taiwan as a whole, tables 4 and 5, for Tainan Province, which has two tax offices, one at Tainan City and the other at Kagi City. The tables include data on shrine sites, military sites, and other significant types of land usage.