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THE HONGKONG GOVERNMENT GAZETTE, 15TMп MARCH, 1873.
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16. I regret having to call attention to the number of casualties that have happened in 1872 to ls frequenting Hongkong. In nearly all the cases that have come under my observation I find at the use of the lead has not received that attention by which safe navigation may almost ways be ensured, and to this oversight, much more than to the existence of unknown rocks, do I ribute the casualties which every one must deplore.
17. A desire to outdo rival ships in the rapidity of their movements too frequently leads an over ergetic shipmaster to sacrifice safety and security to his anxiety to make a quick passage. As a eral rule the Coast is well surveyed, but it is almost impossible in the most careful examination of Coast to discover and lay down the position of every rock and stone lying near the shore. Much rust be left to the discretion of the officer in charge of the navigation of the ship as to how near the ast, on dark nights or in hazy weather, it is prudent to approach. A timely cast of the lead will ally caution him as to his nearness to it. This neglected, all theories as to position are based on merc onjecture.
JUNK TRADE.
18. It is satisfactory to find that, in the great increase of the traffic of the Colony, the Junks are This arises from maintaining their ground, and still retain a goodly proportion of the carrying trade. two reasons; one is the greater cheapness of this means of conveyance; the other is that Junks only are ermitted to visit non-Consular Ports. But for this prohibition steam would shortly drive nearly the hole native craft out of all competition, as it must already have considerably reduced it.
19. If the Junk trade is not what it was ten years ago, it must not be attributed to the so called falty Legislation of the Government, but rather to the fact that Chinese traders are as much alive to the value of time in the transport of their goods as are any other merchants. As a proof of this we see Chinese themselves becoming owners, or part owners of steam vessels, to the exclusion of their own native slow-going craft.
20. The Junk arrivals for the year 1872 exceed by 61,644 tons from Macao, by 301,460 tons from Ports in China and Formosa, and by 91,888 tons from the villages of the Colony (denominated in the returns Local trade), the arrivals for 1870; and the total number of Chinese passengers brought in this class of vessels from the same places is 22,051 more than arrived in the same year.
21. I attach a Diagram showing the monthly range of the number of documents issued by this Department in connection with the Junk trade, which will readily show its improved condition. The mallest number (2,200) issued was in February, 1867; the greatest number (5,400) was issued in May, 1872.
22. In considering the steady increase shown by these figures, it must be remembered that every re- xation has, from time to time, been made that the objects for which Ordinance No. 6 of 1866 was framed, would admit of. The prices of Licenses, Passes, &c., have been gradually reduced; and a large number of well known Junk owners have been permitted to avail themselves of the Special Permits which, requiring them to report but once a month, materially decrease the irksomeness attending the frequent reporting at this Office which necessarily obtained in the early stage of the introduction of the new law, and of which Native traders so constantly complained. These concessions have tended decrease the issue of papers considerably, nevertheless a far more than corresponding increase of trade has more than doubled it.
the
EMIGRATION.
It relaxes
23. The introduction of Ordinance No. 8 of 1871 has been attended with great success. stringent nature of the Chinese Passengers' Act, 1955, allowing a greater number of passengers to embarked in vessels proceeding on voyages proclaimed as being of less than 30 days' duration than s hitherto been permitted from Hongkong and the Consular Ports of China.
24. Before this Ordinance was passed, the restrictions were so great, and the number of passengers allowed to be carried so small, that ships leaving here for the Straits Settlements took but their twenty Chinese passengers in each ship. Under the new order of things 8,480 men, 1,042 women, and 263
de and female children under 12 years of age were despatched to Singapore in 1872.
25. There is no material change in the Emigration to other Countries.
26. The records exhibit a large number of Chinese as having returned to their native Country. There were 886 from the Australasian Colonies; 719 from Siam; 3,236 from Manila; 4,259 from the United States of America; 4,065 from Saigon, and 10,482 from the Straits Settlements.
27. In marked contrast with this, I find that the two vessels which arrived here from Havana during the year brought but 58 Chinese from that Colony; whilst in 26 vessels measuring 20,566 Pas only 68′′ Chinese were brought from Callao.