July 22, 1896.1
THE TRADE OF THE COLONY.
1
The Harbour, Master, in his report for Inst year, says his department has now, at an infinite amount of trouble and pains on the part of the officers concerned, succeeded in producing statistics of trade usually only found at ports which have the advantage for this purpose of a Custom-house, and he ex- presses the hope that the information may be valued in proportion to the amount of time and trouble expended in its compila- tion. The statistics given are, from a public point of view, very valuable, but they are not calculated to be of much prac tical utility to the private merchant or trader. In imports only twenty-five articles are separately enumerated, all the rest, amounting in bulk to nearly one half the trade, being included under the comprehensive heading "general." In ex- ports there is no enumeration of articles given at all, but simply the gross number of tons. Nor is there any statement of values. The returns are consequently very meagre and incomplete as compared with those issued at ports where accurate statistics are compiled by the machinery of a Custom- house. The mercantile community of Hong- kong, however, has emphatically declared that it does not want detailed statistics of { the trade of the port collected, and under those circumstances we must be content with figures such as those now included in the Harbour Master's report.
J.
CHINA OVERLAND TRADE REPORT.
?
Master goes to show that our estimate at viding for the surrender of fugitive the time it was made was probably not from Borneo. As a matter of form Acts of very far out, but that the figure ought now this description have to pass through the to be advanced, say, to £50,000,000, the local Legislative Council, but, they are trade having considerably increased in the in reality dictated by the Imperial Gov- meantime. Taking the enumerated imports, ernment, and in matters of that -kind- exclusive of opium, at an approximation to the ratepayers of Hongkong could not their market value, we arrive at a total of in reason claim more than a consultative. over £7,000,000, and the 1,026,004 tons of voice, and that only in order that they general cargo, including such articles as might be able to point out any lo piece goods, hardware, clocks, watches, etc., circumstances that might seem to differentiate may reasonably be taken at an average of the case of Hongkong from that of other £20 to the ton, which gives us another places and call for some special adaptation of twenty and a half millions, while the opium the law. Another instance is that of the Mer imported may be taken as worth three chant Shipping Act. No one would be so millions, or say a total of thirty millions foolish as to claim that the Legislature of for imports. The exports amounted to Hongkong, whether with or without an over one and a half million tons, and £20 as unofficial majority, should be at liberty to an average would probably be an under-throw over the principles on which the valuation, so that we arrive at a total for merchant shipping law of the Empire rests exports of not less than thirty-one millions and adopt brand new principles of its own, sterling, or for imports and exports together but it is right that the colony should have a £61,500,000. The colony has not many consultative voice in the matter in order exports of its own, and the imports of to-day that our special local interests may be constitute for the most part the exports of adequately safeguarded. This, we take it, is to-morrow, but in view of the above figures, all that the clause in the petition meant which are exclusive of through cargo not but it has been taken to mean more, and its landed, we may not unreasonably take introduction was therefore unfortunate. £50,000,000 as representing the legitimate bona fide turnover of the colony. We should like, however, to see the figures discussed in detail by experts.
What the petition really asked for was local control over municipal affairs, to be exercised through the Legislative Council. We think, and have thought from the outset, that a petition for the establishment LOCAL CONTROL OF MUNICIPAL of a Municipal Council would have had
"
AFFAIRS.
If a
These figures, while they do not afford much assistance in following the course The meaning of the phrase "a consulta- of the market in its various ramificative voice in questions of an Imperial tions, are eminently useful as showing "character" in the petition of the ratepayers the gross trade of the port and whether of Hongkong praying for constitutional it is increasing or declining, a point of reform seems to have been entirely mis much importance from a public point of apprehended. It must be admitted now that view and to each resident individually. It the phrase was an unfortunate one, because will be remembered that a few years ago it may be taken to mean a good deal more an outcry was raised about the decline of than what the petitioners really intended. the trade of the port and we were threatened Lord RIPON in his despatch says it " seems with "the sad fate that overtook the island "to point to some kind of Imperial Federa- "of St. Thomas;" notwithstanding that at "tion" and that "the subject raised is so the time there was a notable increase in the "wide and so vague that it would be useless shipping trade, the life blood of the colony. to attempt to discuss it." "The question Just at that time the life blood of the colony of the general remodelling of the colonial did not seem to be accorded its proper, im- system of Great Britain," his Lordship portance as a criterion of our commercial goes on to say, "for it would pro- prosperity; it was said that although more bably amount to no less, as it would ships were entering the port they were necessarily become part of any scheme for carrying less cargo, and something in the "a Federation of the Empire, is a most in- nature of universal ruin was prognosticated. teresting question; but one of too wide The dispute, which took rather an acrimoni- "and far reaching a scope to be dealt with ous turn, had its origin in the discussion of "in regard to a single case alone.' the Colonial Estimates in the Legislative scheme of Imperial Federation were adoptod Council, and the need of some more exact we may take it for granted that those colo- measure of the trade of the port than a nies, like Hongkong, which are really only statement of the gross tonnage entering and trading centres or coaling stations, and leaving was much felt. That want is sup where the bulk of the community is non-. plied by the statistics of the cargo shipped British, would have a very small voice if and discharged now included in the any accorded them in the deliberations of Harbour Master's report, and the time and the Imperial Council, and would have to trouble expended in their compilation is trust probably to some official of the Colo- well applied.
nial Office to guard their interests.. Nothing, we are sure, could have been farther from the minds of the signatories to the petition than a request that they should immediately be admitted to a share, in the direction of the general policy of the Empire. What was intended, as we under- stand, was that with regard to Imperial affairs that have to be dealt with locally the petitioners did not claim that they should be allowed to exercise through their repre- sentatives the same full control that they claimed a right to exercise over purely local affairs, but that they would be satisfied with a merely consultative voice. As a concrete in stance we may take the law of extradition Various Extradition Acts have been passed by the Legislature, one quite recently pro-
The figures are also interesting, not only as facilitating a comparison of the gross bulk of the trade of one year with that of another as measured by quantities, but also as affording rough and ready means of calculating its gross value. Some years ago, as the result of rather laborious calculations and inqui- , the probable value of the gross trade of Fongkong, was stated in this column as £40,000,000 sterling. That figure was accepted by the Government and officially ed by Sir GEORGE BOWEN, and it has since been generally adopted whenever a statement of the value of the trade of the port had to be made, as for instance public memorials An examination of now published by the Harbour
the
-
|
more chance of success, and that had it been granted the concession would have been of more practical utility than an unofficial majority in the Legislative Council. However, it is possible that the end aimed at may ultimately be achieved by securing a recognition of the Legislative Council as endowed also with municipal functions. Lord RIPON seems to have taken rather liberal views on the subject, and had his despatch been published at the time it was received, in accordance with his Lordship's request, further representations might have been made to him which might have resulted in better terms being ob tained for the colony than those which have been granted by his successor.
"With
regard to the institution of a Municipal "Council," Lord RIPON wrote, “I frankly
"f
CC
<<
say that I should like to see one esta "blished at Hongkong." He goes on,. however, to point out what he conceives to be the difficulties in the way, one of which "is that of separating municipal "from colonial matters," but he thinks that: "the Sanitary Board might be developed
into a satisfactory Municipal Council. 'controlling all or some of the revenue: "which is now derived from the rates" When the Sanitary Board was first esta blished as a popularly constituted body we hailed it as the forerunner of a Municipal Council, and that it will ultimately develop into something of the kind, notwithstanding the present cloud under which it labours, we have no doubt. As long ago as 1847 Parliamentary Committee recognised, that Hongkong required municipal institution. and with the lapse of time the requirement has made itself more acutely felt. If however, the difficulty of separating muni- cipal from colonial affairs is found to be s great as it is officially represented to be, may have to make some sort of a com- promise on the basis
allowing the Legislative Council to perform also som of the functions of a Municipal Council, which might be accomplished instance, by giving to that of making by-laws, rules,
hich are
nade by Executive Council, and by.