224
6. The 239 British ships carried 2,401 British officers and 44 foreigners as follows:---
British,
Germans,
Americans,
Danes,.....
Swedes,
Austrian,..
Portuguese,
Norwegians, Pole,
....2,401
8
19
3
4
Total,...............2,445
The proportion of Foreigners was therefore 1.8% comprising 8 nationalities, a decrease of .2%, with fewer ships.
The 317 Foreign ships carried 2,068 officers, of whom 235 were British, as follows:-
Japanese,. Chinese,
French,
Dutch,
American,
Hawaiian,
Total,...
.119
95
10
8
2
1
.235
The proportion of Britishers in foreign vessels was therefore 11.8%, distributed under six different heads, an increase on 1897 of .5%, with an increase of 44 foreign ships (or 13.8%). Chinese vessels carrying 4% as against about 3% in 1897.
Of the crews of the British vessels-
Of the crews of Foreign vessels-
19.3% were Britishers.
1.0% 79.7%
other Europeans. Asiatics.
2.0% were Britishers. 26.6% other Europeans.
71.4%
39
Asiatics.
Taking the total of entries and departures, the average crew of British ships was 57, of which 20% were Europeans, and for Foreign ships 47, of which 28.6% were Europeans.
TRADE.
7. The year 1898 was marked by a large deal in rice and coal and by the introduction of the trade in Bulk Oil from Langkat (Sumatra).
A demand for rice in Japan created a market which was largely availed of, and the returns for the first half of the year show that 469,000 tons were reported by ships entering, which was over 100,000 tons more than during the whole of 1897, and of which the bulk was en route for Japan. The import continued in a lessened degree during the second half and at the end of the year 747,000 tons had been reported, being more than double what it was in 1897.
Coal in the first half year showed an increase of 120,000 tons and by the end of the year 817,967 tons had been reported as arriving, being an increase over 1897 of about 36%.
Bulk oil, which made a large stride in the first half year, fell off in the second half, but the year shows an increase of 19,580 tons. Case oil was practically the same as in 1897. Sugar and flour show a considerable increase, and the Import Return closes with a nett increase over 1897 of 645,428 tons of cargo reported.
In exports, a nett increase of 552,072 tons of European-constructed shipping reported an increase of 137,979 tons of cargo.
The transit return gives an incresse of 167,860 tons.
There can be no necessity for me to again refer to the fact that we are entirely dependent for the above figures on gratuitous information compiled together without any special staff or machinery.
8. Using the classification adopted in previous years we find that the total import trade of 1898 was represented by 35,005 vessels aggregating 8,453,983 tons, carrying 5,958,465 tons of cargo, of which 3,938,143 tons were discharged in Hongkong.