POPULATION
(Contd.)
It is, of course, the harbour and its shipping which has made the greatness of Hong Kong. In this respect also the progress achieved during the past thirty years is wonderful and shows a remarkable continuity. In 1897 the total number of ships engaged in foreign trade entered and cleared at this port other than junks was 9,944 with a total displacement of 12,124,599 tons. Statistics of the total tonnage of all kinds entered and cleared are unfortunately not available for that year; but in 1902, the first year in which these figures were recorded, a total of 21,333,566 tons of shipping of all kinds entered and cleared in Hong Kong. By 1924 the total tonnage of all kinds entered and cleared had reached the record figure of 56,731,077 tons. In that year 30,240 ships engaged in foreign trade other than junks entered and cleared at Hong Kong, and their aggregate displacement was 35,471,671 tons. It is interesting to compare the shipping statistics of London and New York for that year. The result can be shown at a glance as follows:
Ports Total tonnage Foreign going
of all tonnage excluding
kinds junks
Hong Kong 56,731,077 35,471,671
London 47,064,975 32,557,466
New York 40,022,503 37,773,000