484.
Now what do we see? That since 1897 (the year of the petition) the amount paid for Sunday permits has increased year by year until in 1901, in addition to the $58,375 paid by shipping for Light Dues at the rate of one cent per registered ton, we have a contribution of $44,800 from 282 ships aggregating 466,802 tons, or at the rate of 9 cents a registered ton, for the benefit of one day's work in the discharge or shipment of cargo. It is evident from this, I think, that there still remains some inducement for ships to come to Hongkong, and that the benefit to be derived thereby is not so small as to be influenced by the payment of dues even exceeding the paltry 2 cents above referred to. It must be remembered that while dues are paid per ton of ship's register, freight is charged usually per ton of cubic measurement and that approximately a ship carries 1.875 of her registered tonnage: 2 cents therefore per ton of ship's registered tonnage represents only 13 cents per cargo ton, or, in other words, it only takes 13 cents of freight to pay 2 cents of Harbour dues.
A ship whose earnings on a round voyage are so stall or so precarious that an expenditure of a sum representing less than one halfpenny a ton of her freight may make an appreciable difference in her balance sheet at the termination of her voyage, is not one likely to bestow much benefit on this or any other port, and I venture to think that the staying away of such evident pauperism would be a thing rather to be desired than otherwise.
SEAMEN.
19. Twenty thousand five hundred and eleven (20,511) Seamen were shipped and 23,189 dis- charged at the Mercantile Marine Office and on board ships during the year.
One hundred and ninety-two (192) "Distressed Seamen" were received during the year. Of these, 69 were sent to the United Kingdoni, 5 to Sydney, 1 to Vancouver, 2 to Bombay, 3 to Calcutta, 1 to Brisbane, I obtained employment on shore, 2 went as passengers to Shanghai, 1 to Singapore, 1 to Melbourne. 2 to Manila. 1 to the United Kingdom, 1 taken charge of by United States Consul, 4 disappeared, 1 dismissed, 7 died at the Government Civil Hospital, 1 remained at the Government Civil Hospital, 2 at the Sailors' Home, and 87 obtained employment.
Three thousand eight hundred and eighty-eight dollars and four cents ($3,888.04) were expended by the Harbour Master on behalf of the Board of Trade in the relief of these distressed Seamen, and $207 by the Colony."
MARINE SURVEYOR'S SUB-DEPARTMENT.
20. Return No. XXIII gives a report of the work performed by this Sub-Department during the
year
1901.
The tonnage of vessels surveyed during the year 1901 amounted to 376,539 tons, an increase of 49,253 tons over tonnage surveyed during 1900.
During the same period the number of licensed steam launches surveyed increased from 187 in
1900 to 217 in 1901.
The tonnage of licensed passenger launches surveyed during the year amounts to 12,668 tons. The revenue derived from the work of this Sub-Department for 1901 amounts to $15,991.04 against $15,036.59 in 1900.
In the Return the surveys and reports on Government Pumping Stations, Disinfectors, Steam Road Roller, Stone Crusher, Dredger and Pontoon Crane do not appear, Government Launches now number 16, they are surveyed twice a year and take up a considerable amount of time and attention of this Sub-Department.
LIGHT-HOUSES.
21. The amount of Light Dues collected is as follows:
Class of Vessels.
Rate per ton.
No. of Ships.
Tonnage.
Total Fees collected.
$
c.
Ocean Vessels,
1 cent
Steam Launches,
River Steamers (night boats),...
بر بروج
1
"
3,580 | 5,553,310 163 7,175 1,054 799,719
55,533.10
71.75 2,666.45
Launches plying exclusively to Macao and West River, by
night,
582
River Steamers (day boats),
Free
785
31,348 946,068
104.68
Launches plying exclusively to
Macao and West River, by
day,
Free
797
44,041
Total,....
6,961 | 7,381,661 58,375.98