1016
HONGKONG
Bar. Mean pressure Maximum
Minimum
Mean maximum
Jan. Feb. March April May June July Aug. Sept. Oct. Nov. Dec. Year 30.159 30.132 30.055 29.958 29.863 29.764 29.738 29.755 29.824 29.982 30.103 30.181 29.959 .30.367 30.390 30.308 30.158 30.045 29.88) 29-882 29.851 02.984 30.157 30.311 30.444 30 444 29.686 29.421 29.552 29.576 29.447 29.284 28.762 29,88 28.876 29.089 20.575 29.757 28.762
Mean temperature
66.4
Mean minimum
58.9
66.7
59.7 57.7 62.2 69.9 76.6 80.7 81.6 64.1 61.7 56.0 54.5
81.0
74.5 81.2 85.2 86.2
86.0
81.4 76.2 69.2 02.4 71.5 85.3 80.7 74.3 67.5 76.1
73.5
77.4 78.0
77.3
76.6 72.5 65.3 58.3
67.9
Maximum
79.2 79.0 82.1
88.6
91.5
93.6
94.0
92.9
94.0
93.8 85.6
81.9 94.0
Minimum
$2.0
40.3
45.9
55.6
61.1
09.2
721
71 6
65.6
60.8 60.6
40.7 32.0
Mean daily range
8.1
7.2
7.4
7.7
7.7
7.8
8.2
8.7
8.7
8.3 0.0
9.2
8.2
Mean humidity
74
79
84
85
83
83
83
83
77
Mean rain
1.545
2.091
2.991
5.900 13.159 16.496 14.210 13.482
8.833
Maximum in 24 hours
3.920
2.185
3.580
5.210 20.495 12.630 13.480
6.555
71 5.794 5.855 10.190
65 1.302 5.875 01,70 20.456
04 0985 86.867
87
Mean max. in 24 hours 0.688
0.710
1.160
2.256 4.844 4,438 3.973
3.257
2.951
2 743
0.843 0.522 8.649
Maximum in 1 hour
0.510
0.525
1.570
2 420
3.400
2.550
8.480
2.140
1 720
1.650
1,620 0.500 3.480
Mean max. in 1 hour
0.188
0.249
0.484
1.018
1.406
Hours of rain
65
94
87
Wind direction
Wind velocity mean Maximum
E15°N E14°N E8°N
14.4 15.0
46
88 E2°N
136.7
Hours of sunshine
1.004
0.285 0.165 94
73 57 44 26 34 E11°S 839°E
833°E E15′′N 21°N E29°N E27°N 165 14.9 13.5 12.5
9.6 12.2 E 14.7 13.8 12.7 53 49 46 42 49
66 88 85 49 63 108 77.7 79.5 110.7 152.1 155.4 197.6 197.2 200.1 214.5 196.2 189.7 100.4
It has been remarked that the meteorological returns indicate a progressive change in the climatic conditions generally of the Colony. The average yearly rainfall for the ten years ended 1904 was 20 inches less than the average for the immediately preceding decade.
TRADE
Hongkong is a free port, and there is no complete official return of the imports and exports compiled, but the value of its trade is estimated at about £50,000,000 per annum. During the year 1907 the following tonnage entered and cleared :-
1.369
1.333
1.187
0.702
2.116
96
79 S43°E 11.2 108
898 E3°S 13.4
NATIONALITY
ENTERED
CLEARED
NATIONALITY
EXTERED
CLEARED
Vessels. Tons. Vessels. Tons.
Vessels, Tons.
Vessels.
American
46 251,662
43
2.32,203
French
499
Austrian
30
106,523
30
104,138
German
862
591,758 1,206,457
602
865
Tons.
578,727 1,350,104
Belgian
1
2,003
1
2,903
Italian
12
•
31,701
12
81,704
British
5,283
5,092,830
5,296
5,923,703
Japanese
635
1,126,517
535
950,173
Chinese
365
300,314
361
283,142
Norwegian
201
205,728
201
265,870
Chinese Junks.. 14,782
1,320,892
14,782
1,430,578
Portuguese
194
40,998 194
02,890
Corea
it
21,098
14
21,998
Russian
13
30,912
13
29,090
Danish
21
Dutch...
69
41,122 142,100
21
35,583
Swedish
11
12,970
13
14,957
69
140,553
Small Craft
788
31,935
793
35,089
A total of 17,425 vessels of 10,374,425 tons entered, and 17,697 vessels of 10,045,028 tons cleared with cargoes. There also entered in ballast 6,394 vessels, of 1,137,798 tons, and 6,144 vessels of 1,475,640 tons cleared in ballast. A Parliamentary paper issued in August, 1905, showed Hongkong to be, in respect of tonnage, the largest shipping port in the world. The trade chiefly consists in opium, cotton, sugar, salt, flour, oil, cotton and woollen goods, cotton yarn, matches, metals, earthenware, amber, ivory, sandalwood, betel, vegetables, granite, &c., &c. There is an 'extensive Chinese passenger trade, chiefly restricted, however, to the Straits Settlements, Netherlands India, Borneo, the Philippines, Siam, and Indo-China,
Hongkong possesses unrivalled steam communication. The P. & O. S. N. Co. and the M. M. Co. convey the European mail weekly, the Norddeutscher Lloyd Co. maintain a regular fortnightly mail service between Bremen and Hongkong, the P. M. S. S. Co., O. & O. S. S. Co. and the Toyo Kisen Kaisha maintain a mail service with San Francisco, the Canadian Pacific Railway Co. a regular mail service with Vancouver, B.C.; a regular line has been established by the Northern Pacific S. S. Co. to Tacoma, and Portland, Oregon, and the Portland and Asiatic S, N. Co. also run a line of steamers to Portland; the Eastern and Australian S. S. Co., the China Navigation Co. and the Norddeutscher Lloyd keep up a frequent but rather irregular service with the Australian Colonies, and the Nippon Yusen Kaisha maintain services to Europe, Australia, and the United States (Seattle) In addition to all these, several great lines of merchant steamers run between ports in Great Britain and Hongkong, of which the China Mutual S. S. Co., Ocean S. S. Co. and the Glen, Warrack,
Warrack, Mogul, Ben, Union, Shire, and Shell lines are the most conspicuous. The Austrian Lloyd's steamers also ply from Trieste to Hongkong, those of the Hamburg-Amerika line from Hamburg, and the Navigazione Generale Italiana Company's steamers run monthly from Genoa. Regular steam communication between Java and Hongkong has been established by the Java-China-Japan Line. Between the ports on the east coast of China, Formosa and Hongkong the steamers of the Douglas S. S. Co. ply regularly twice a week, and those of the Osaka Shosen Kaisha weekly, and there is constant steam communication