222
Of Junks in Foreign trade 1,814,218 tons entered, and 1,812,470 tons cleared. Of Junks in Local trade 194,291 tons entered and 192,002 tons cleared.
British Ocean-going tonnage therefore represented 29.9 %.
River
Foreign Ocean-going
River
:)
1)
"
Junk tonnage (Foreign trade)
>
(Local trade)
""
20.4 %.
"
26.3%.
"
.03%.
21.0%.
92
2.2%.
2. 5,313 Steamers, 226 sailing vessels, and 29,466 junks in Foreign trade, entered during the year, giving a daily average of 96 vessels us against 93 in 1897.
For European-constructed vessels the average daily entry would be 15.17 as against 13.63 in 1897, and of the steamers arriving 68.12 per cent. were British.
3. A comparison between the years 1897-1898 is shown in the following Table :--
Comparative Shipping Return for the Years 1897 and 1898.
1897.
1898.
INCREASE.
DECREASE.
Ships. Tonnage. Ships. Tonnage. Ships. Tonnage. Ships. Tonnage.
British.. Foreign,
6,783 8.268.766 7,456 3,161
3,855,833 3,602
8,705,048 678 436,882| 4,547,085 441 681,252
Junks in Foreign 57,808
Trade,
*
++
+
3,441,205 58,936
3,626,754 1.131
185,459
Total,..... 67,747 15,565,894 69,994 16,879,487, 2,247 1,313,593
Junks in Local
Trade,
9,540
372,280 9,635
386,293 89 14,013
Grand Total,... 77,293 15,938,174 79,629 17,265,780 2,336 |1,327,606|
NETT,.....
---
2,336 1,327,606
---
---
*Including 18.968 Conservancy and Dust Boats measuring 401,274 tons. Including 18,700 Conservancy and Dust Boats measuring 409,840 tons.
4. For vessels under the British flag this table shows a large numerical increase, but a com- paratively small tonnage increase (673 vessels of 436,882 tons). This is accounted for by an increase in small steamers running to Macao and Canton and the West River Ports, amounting to 759 vessels "in and out" measuring 143,398 registered tons, and at the same time a decrease in lorchas, on the same route of 257 vessels of 12,896 tons, the balance, viz., 502 vessels of 130,502 tons, represents the increase in the River trade and this, being deducted from the figures given above, leaves a total exclusively in favour of ocean-going traffic under the British flag of 171 vessels in and out," aggregating 306,380 tons, or an average of about 1,800 tons per vessel.
For vessels under. Foreign flags there is a substantial increase over 1897 (441 vessels measuring 681,252 registered tons), of this, two West River steamers represent 91 vessels and 5,925 tons, and the lorchas take another 1,121 tons.. Taking these two items into account, a balance is found in favour of ocean-going traffic under Foreign flags, of 359 vessels representing 674,206 registered tons. Of this balance the vessels under the Japanese flag contributed the largest share by 177 vessels measuring 406,179 tons about one-half of which, or 52 vessels of 196,968 tous, goes to the credit of the "Nippon Yusen Kaisha" (European line) and 25,426 tons to the three new Pacific Liners, the balance of increase under this flag was made up by outside steamers attracted by the enhanced freights on coal and rice in the first half of the year.
Next in order come vessels under the German flag; after deducting the lorcha trade which has dropped out altogether, and those old friends who have left us, we still have an increase over 1897 of 39 vessels of 144,889 tons.
The new
steamers of the Hamburg-American Line are the chief contributors to this increase, the first of these steamers arrived here in March and at the end of the year they are credited with 34 vessels "in and out" representing 116,670 tons, Nine new ships under this flag also called here during the year representing in the aggregate "in and out" 25 vessels and 22,044 tons, in these last were comprised 3 coal hulks en route for Kiaochow and 3 cruisers for the Chinese Government.
The Norwegian flag shows an increase of 125 vessels of 88,899 tons, made up chiefly by 11 new steamers and the return to these waters of some of the older vessels which were away in 1897.
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