THE HONGKONG GOVERNMENT GAZETTE, 30TH APRIL, 1898.
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8. The 320 British ships carried 2,264 British officers and 47 foreigners as follows:-
British,......
Germans,.
Americans,
Danes,
Swedes,
Austrian,
Portuguese,
Norwegians,
Total,.....
.2,264
8
20
5
4
1
2
7
.2,311
The proportion of Foreigners was therefore 2%, comprising 7 nationalities, an increase of .4%, with fewer British ships. In one case, that of the Vale of Doon," arriving in August, from Cardiff, a German was in command.
9. The 273 Foreign ships carried 1,689 officers, of whom 193 were British, as follows:-
Japanese, Chinese, French,...
Total,
122
64
7
.193
The proportion of Britishers in foreign vessels was therefore 10.8%, distributed under three different heads, a decrease on 1896 of 1.2% with an increase of 19 foreign ships (or 7%) Chinese vessels carrying only about 3% as against nearly 6% last year.
Of the crews of the British vessels-
Of the crews of Foreign vessels -
19.9% were Britishers.
1.1% other Europeans.
79.0%
"
Asiatics.
2.0% were Britishers.
28.3% other Europeans.
"}
69.7% Asiatics.
10. Taking the total of entries and departures, the average crew for British ships was 53, of which 21% were Europeans, and for Foreign ships 45, (8% less than the British ships) of which 30.3% were Europeans.
TRADE.
11. The first half of 1897 shewed a decrease over the corresponding period of 1896 of 358,660 tons of rice imported. The second half-year did little to improve matters, and the year closed with a falling off of over 343,000 tons compared with the already diminished crop of 1896. To this decrease
must in a great measure be again attributed the reduction in the figures relating to the British ocean- going vessels (this trade being chiefly carried in British bottoms), as well as in the junk trade which is a reflection of the " ocean-going trade.
12. Most of the other imports reported, however, show an increase for the year, and the total decrease is reduced to 48,828 tons. We thus get a decrease of 135,112 tons of European constructed shipping, with a decrease import return of 48,828 tons of cargo.
13. Of exports, a decrease of 103,685 tous of European-constructed shipping, reported a decreased export of 476,423 tous of cargo.
14. The transit returns give an increase of 7,062 tons of cargo.
15. A review of the trade of the port for the year is obtained, as in 1896, by a classification of Returns I and II as follows:-
Class I. Vessels that trade to and from Europe and distant countries, such as-
Canada.
Cape of Good Hope.
Continent of Europe. Great Britain.
Mauritius.
Sandwich Islands.
South America. United States.