420
THE HARBOUR MASTER'S REPORT.
The Report of the Hon. R. Murray Rumsey, Harbour Master, for 1893 is published in the Gazette. We make the following extracts :-
SHIPPING.
.
THE HONGKONG WEEKLY PRESS AND
|
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.
The American flag contributes to the increase 30,778 tons, chiefly owing to the chartered transports which called here after the fall of | Manila, and to the adoption by the Northern Pacific Co. of American nationality.
The total tonnage entering and clearing amounted to 17,265,780 tous, being an increase 'compared with 1897 of 1,327,606 tons, and over three-quarters of a million tons more than in any previous year. There were 39,815 arrivals Danish colours give an increase of 15,641 of 8,648,274 tons, and 39,814 departures of tons, due to the ships of the. East Asiatic Co. 8,617,506 tous. Of British ocean-going ton-which called here first in May and continued någe 2,597,342 tons entered, and 2,580,187 tons | during the year. cleared. Of River Steamers (British) 1,765,495 tons entered, and 1,762,624 tons cleared, mak. ing a grand total of British tonnage of 8,705,648 tons entering and clearing. Of Foreign ocean- going tonnage 2,273,871 tons entered, and 2,267,239 tons cleared. Of Foreign River Steamers 2,994 tons entered, and 2,231 tons cleared, making a grand total of Foreign ton- nage of 4,547,085 tons entering and clearing.
Of Junks in Foreign trade 1,814,218 tons entered, and 1,812,470 fous cleared. Of Juuks in Local trade 194,291 tons entered and 192,002 tons cleared.
British Ocean-going tonnage
therefore represented. British River tonnage therefore
represented
The Chinese flag showed an increase of 12,159 tons.
The Swedish flag desorted us during the year, taking about 24,090 tons, and other nationalities call for no special remarks.
The actual number of ships of European construction-exclusive of river steamers which entered the port in 1898 was 556, being 239 British and 317 Foreign; these entered in the aggregate 3,564 times, giving a total tonnage of 4.871213 tous; in 1897 the ships numbered 592 and the entries 3,437; in 1896 the ships wore 579 and the entries 3,2:5; the total tonuage in 1896 was 4,487,767 and in 1897 29.9 per cent. it was 4.369,563. The feature in 1898 is that fewer ships made more frequent returns and 20.4
gave a large increase in tonnage.
19
|
The 239 British ships carried 2,401 British officers and 44 foreigners as follows :—
British, Germaus,
Foreign Ocean-going tonnaga
therefore represented
26.3
"1
Foreign River tonnage therefore
represented
.03
"
Junk tonnage (Foreign trade)
represented
Americans,...
21.0
Danes,
"
2.2
Austrian,
Portuguese,
Norwegians,
2,401
8
19
|
|
|
[May 20, 1899.
Case oil was practically the same as in 1897. Sugar and flour show a considerable increase, and the Import Return closes with a net in- crease over 1897 of 645,428 tons of cargo reported.
In exports, a net increase of 552,072 tons of European constructed shipping reported an in- crease of 137,979 tons of cargo.
The transit return gives an increase of 167,860 tons.
There can be no nécessity 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.
Using the classification adopted in previous years we find that the total import trade of 1898 was represented by 35,005 vessels aggre- gating 8,453,983 tons, carrying 5,958,465 tons of cargo, of which 3,938,143 tons were dis. oharged in Hongkong.
Similarly, the export trade of 1895 was ropre- sented by 34,989 vessels, aggregating 8,425,501 tons, carrying 3,006,474 tons of cargo, and ship... · ping 493,651 tons of bunker coal.
Comparing the above with 1897 we get the gratifying result that in 1898 the import trade of the colony was increased from all parts of the world, and that this increase amounted in the aggregate to 659,833 tons of cargo dis- charged. Farther we find that, during the same period and by the same means, others were benefitted also, for the cargo in transit was advanced by 167,860 tons.
In exports generally there was an increase of 1,205 ships and 229,151 tons of cargo.
During the year 11,058. vessels of European construction, aggregating 13,252,733 registered tons, carried 8,143,656 tons of cargo made up as follows:-
Import cargo
Export
Bunker coal shipped
Junk tonnage (Local trade) re-
presented
5,313 Steamers, 226 sailing vessels, and 29,466 junks in Foreign trade, entered during the year, giving a daily average of 96 vessels as against 93 in 1897. For European-con- structed 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. A comparison between the years 1897-1898 is shown in a table. For vessels under the British flag this table shows a large numerical increase, but a comparatively 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 measur- ing 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.
19
For vessels under Foreign flags there is a substantial increase over 1897 (441 vessels mea- suring 681,252 registered tons); of this, two West River steamers represent 91 vessels and 5,925 tons, and the lorchas take another 1,121 tone. 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 tons, 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 out- side steamers attracted by the enhanced freights on coal and rice in the first half of the year.
Next in order come vessels nuder 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 28,041 tons; in these last were comprised 3 coal halks en route for Kiaochow and 3 cruisers for the Chinese Government.
Sweden,
Pole,
Total,
2,446
The proportion of Foreigners was therefore 1.8 per cent.. comprising 8 nationalities, a decrease of 0 per cent, with fewer ships:
The 317 Foreign ships carried 2,068 officers, of whom 235 were British, as follows:-
Japanese, Chinese, French, Dutch, American, Hawaiian.
تم
Total,.
Transit
£,388,489
2,241,194
2,020,322
493,951
8,143,656
The total number of tons carried was there- fore 61 per cent. of the total registered ton- nage, or 80 exclusive of River steamers, and was apportioned as follows: Imports,-
Foreign do.,
Transit,-
119
95
British Ships,.
10
Foreign do.,
1,939,956 1,448,533
3,388,489
Exports,
I
British Ships....... 1,196,521
1,044,673
235
2,241,194
British Ships....... 1,189,460 Foreign do.,
830,862
7
2,020,322
British Ships, Foreign do.,
280,473
213,178
493,651
Total,....
8,143,656
In- Do-
drese, urease.
The proportion of Britishers, in foreign vessels was therefore 11.3 per cent., distributed under six different heads, an increase on 1897 | of 0.5 per cent. with an increase of 44 foreign ships (or 13.8 per cent.į, Chinese vessels carry- ing 4 per cent, as against about 3 per cent. în 1897.
Of the crews of the British vessels-19.3 per cent. were Britishers, 10 per cent. were other Europeans, 79.7 per cent. were Asiatics. Of the crews of Foreign vessels-2.0 per cent. were Britishers, 26.6 per cent. were other Europeans, 71.4 per cent. were Asiatics.
Taking the total of entries and departures, the average crew of British ships was 67, of which 20 per cent. were Europeans, and for Foreign ships 47 of which 23.6 per cent, were Europeans.
TRADE.
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.
Bunker Coal,-
*!
The imports are given in the following table:-
1897.. 1898.
Articles.
Beans
Bones Coal
Cotton yarn and cotton
Flour Hemp.... Kerosine (bulk) Do. (case) Lead Liquid fuel Opium Pitch ...
Rattan Rice
8andalwood Sulphar
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 tous were reported by ships entering, which was over 100,000 tons more than during the whole | Sugar of 1897, and of which the bulk was en route for Tea.... Japan. The import continued in a lessened Timber degree during the second half and at the end General 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, be- ing an increase over 1897 of about 36 per cent.
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,
Total... Tranzit
11,092 11,092
600 - 600 601,544 817,987 216,423. 30,581 36,611 6,030: 85,904 108,544 17,640
66,180 11,800
43,360
47,782 67,362 19,680
80,348
59,115
1,231
5,496 4,200
:1,296
2,150 2,160
2,531 2,538 107
1,700
1,700
2,920 6,441 9,521
381,180 747,395 386,266
3,459 2,055
1,404
2,040
535
1,505
211,777 267,422 55,045
5,929 6,554 625
64,862
46,599
18,283
60,551
1,745,001 3,888,489 731,378 85,950 1,852,462 2.020,322 167,880
1,211,700 1,181,149.
Grand total. 4,595,525 5,408,811 899,238
Net..... 818,288
THE JUNK TRADE.
A review of the junk trade of the Colony may not be without interest at the present time.