June 26, 1905.]
Might I ask you, as Chairman of the Com- mittee, to put forward their application to H. E. the Governor.-Į am, etc.
GERSHOM STEWART
Acting Hon. Secretary, Coronation Committee.
Colonial Secretary's Office,
Hongkong, 22nd March. SIR-In reply to your letter of the 10th inst. relative to the proposed Statue of Her Most Gracious Majesty the Queen, I am directed to inform you that His Excellency the Governor has requested the Secretary of State for the Colonies to forward the application of the Coronation Committee to the proper quarter for the Royal approval.-I have, etc.,
F. H. MAY.
Colonial Secretary. The Hon. Mr. Gershom Stewart.
GOVERNOR'S DESPATCH TO SECRETARY
OF STATE.
Government House, Hongkong; 14th March, 1905. SIE-I have the honour to inform you that
the Committee which carried out the arrange-
ments for the celebration in Hongkong on the occasion of the Coronation of Their Majesties the King and Queen desire to utilise funds which still remain in their bands for the erection at Hongkong of a Statue representing Her Majesty the Queen, and to employ Mr. George E. Wade, the eminent Sculptor, to make
the statue.
I have now to request that you will be good nough to forward to the proper quarter this application for the Royal permission for the erection of the statue and, if granted, that you will ascertain the wishes of the King with regard to the artist to be entrusted with the work.—I have, eta,
The Right Honourable,
MATTHEW NATHAN. Governor &o.
Alfred Lyttelton, K.C., M.P.
REPLY FROM THE SECRETARY OF STATE.
Downing Street, 12th May. 1905. SIR,-I have laid before the King your despatch No. 73 of the 14th of March, and His Majesty has been pleased to approve the pro- posal to erect in Hongkong a Status of Her Majesty the Queen.
His Majesty has also been pleased to approve the suggestion that the statue should be made by Mr. George Wade.—I havé, etc.
ALFRED LYTTELTON.
Sir M. Nathan, K.C.M.G.
Governor &c. &c..
&o.
Colonial Secretary's Office, Hongkong, 15th, June. Sir-Referring to my letter No. 1939/05 of the 22nd March last, I am directed to inform you that His Majesty the King has been pleased to approve the proposal of the Coronation Committee to erect a statue of Her Majesty the Queen in this Colony.
His Majesty has also been pleased to approve the suggestion that the statue should be made by Mr. George Wade.--I have, etc.
F. H. MAY, Colonial Secretary.
The Hon. Mr. Gershom Stewart,
HONGKONG STEAM LAUNCHES.
Of
On the 31st December, says the Harbour Master in his report for 1904, there were 262 steam launches employed in the harbour. these, 106 were licensed for the conveyance of passengers, 134 were privately owned, 16 were the property of the Colonial Government, and 6 belonged to the Imperial Government in charge of Military Authorities.
BUS.
Seventeen master's oertificates were pended, 7 for one month, 3 for six weeks, 3 for two months, 3 for three months, and 1 for six months; 2 engineer's certificates were pended for 1 and 6 months respectively. Three
masters were cautioned.
sus-
Four hundred and forty-three (443) engage. ments, and four hundred and fifty-six (456) dis- charges of masters and engineers were made from 1st January, to 31st December,
CHINA OVERLAND TRADE REPORT.
Fourteen (14) steam launches were per- mitted to carry arms, &c., for their protection against pirates; of these, twelve were viously permitted, and two during this year.
SHIPPING AT HONKONG.
HARBOUR MASTER'S REPORT,
pre-
The Harbour Master's Report for 1904 is printed in the Hongkong Government Gazette,
current issuTLE. Here are extracts :---
SHIPPING ENTERED AND CLEARED.
The total tonnage entering and clearing during the year 1904, exclusive of steam launches in local trade, amounted to 24.754,042 tons, being an increase, compared with 1903, of 714,180 tons, and the highest tonnage yet recorded.
There were 58,093 arrivals of 12,388,892 tons, and 58,099 departures of 12,365,150 tons.
Of British Ocean vessels, 2,162 ships of 3,862,802 tons entered, and 2,156 ships of 3,845,932 tons cleared.
Of British River Steamers, 2,937 ships of 2,849,896 tons entered and 2,935 ships of
2,847,464 tons cleared.
2,679,908 tons entered and 1,851 ships of Of foreign ocean vessels, 1,845 ships of 2,670,939 tons cleared.
235,144 tons entered and 519 ships of 235,227 Of foreign river steamers, 517 ships of tons cleared.
52,892 tons entered and 1,027 of 52,892 tons Of steam launches in foreign trade 1,027, of
cleared.
Of junks in foreign trade, 18,100 of 1,524,874 tons entered and 18,151 of 1,547,396 tons cleared. tons entered and 31,469 of 1,165,300 tons cleared. Of junks in local trade, 31,505 of 1,183,376
Thns:-
per cent.
British ocean tonnage represented 31.2 Foreign
"1
British river
Foreign
11
Steam launches in foreign trade Junks
21.3
23.1
1,9
JI
.5
**
19
11
་་
12.5
"Local
23
95
100.0
7,435 steamers, 26 sailing vessels, 1,027 steam launches, and 18,100 junks in foreign trade, entering during the year, giving a daily average of 70, as against 68 in 1903.
For vessels of European construction, exclusive of steam launches, the daily average was 20.36 against 19.9 in 1903.
For vessels under the British Flag, there was an increase of 1.741 ships of 2,155,798 tons, of which 1,389 ships of 1,225,498 tons are river steamers. The remainder, 352 ships of 930,300 tons, are a net increase in British Ocean tramp steamers in ballast, attracted to the vessels, due to a large influx of colliers and other Far East by the war.
The increase in river steamers is due to the fact that 10 new vessels started to ply during the year.
an
decrease of 1,308 ships of 1,946,897 tons, of In vessels under forsign flags, there is a
which 159 ships are river steamers. The river steamer tonnage, however, shows increase of 36,008 tons, giving a net decrease in foreign ocean shipping of 1,149 ships of 1,910,889 tons.
This decrease due to:-
(i) The disappearance of all Russians and almost all Japanese ships from the run since the war began. (ii) A large number of small German and Norwegian vessels being transferred to the Japanese coast trade. (iii) A considerable decrease in numbers (but increase in tonnage) of vessels un- der U.S.A. colours.
4
The decrease in numbers of foreign river steamers is due to the smaller number of individual vessels plying, while the increased tonnage is accounted for by the larger size of
those left.
The actual number of ships of European con- struction (exclusive of steamers and steam launches) entering during 1904 was 885, being 509 British, and 78 foreign.
and
These 885 ships angred 4,007 gave a total tonnage of 6,543,710 hs. Thus compared with 1903, 144 more ships entered 12
898
times less, and with a total tonnage decreased by 466,471 tons.
|
14
The 509 British vessels carried 3,876 British officers and 51 foreign officers, as follows :----
British
3,786 Dutch Norwegian United States French Swedih
Total,
45
1
3,837
Thus, the proportion of foreign officers in British ships was 1,07 per cent. comprising five nationalities. An increase of 0.18 per cent., with an increase of ships.
The 376 foreign ships carried 2,764 officers, of which 183 were British borne as follows :—
In Chinese Ships
11
United States Japanese French Belgian
Total,
...
98
18
60
183-
ships was, therefore, 6.62 per cent., distributed The proportion of British officers in foreign
among five nationalities. A decrease of 2,68 per cent. with a decrease of ships.
CREWS.
IN BRITISH VESSELS. 17.8 per cent. were British.
1.9
81.2
+
1
Other European. Asiatic.
IN FOREIGN VESSELS.
1.8 per cent. were British.
26.9
71.3
*
}}
Other European.
A siatic.
•
This shows a slight increase of British and other European in British vessels and other European in foreign vessels, with a slight falling off in the proportion of Asiatic.
HONGKONG DURING 1904,
GENERAL OBSERVATIONS FROM THE BLUE BOOK.
The outbreak of war between Russia and Japan on the 8th February was not without effect on the shipping trade of Hongkong. The percentage of British to total tonnage entering and clearing which had fallen con- tinuously from 75 to 59 in the previous 10 years, rose to 70 in 1904 owing to causes already given in this report. The war brought in its train courts of the Colony, relating to its effect o various questions, involving recourse to the lan
charter parties and to the refusal of duty by tion in blockade running resulted in same heavy seamen on ships carrying contraband. Specula- losses to the Chinese and there was tightness of action at Chemulpo on the 9th February some money at the end of the year. After the naval
Russian wounded were treated in the Hongkong attention paid to them was duly recognized by Hospitals pending removal to Europe and the
the Russian Government. Later 4 officers and who had taken refuge at Weihaiwei, were 61 men from a Russian torpedo boat destroyer,
transferred to Hongkong and arrangements for their maintenance here made in consultation with the Russian Consul.
An attempt was made in the latter half of the year to start the shipment to South Africa via Hongkong of indentured labourers_recruited in the Kwang Si and Kwang Tung Provinces on similar conditions as regards terms of engage- ment and arrangements for transport to those embodied in the Convention for shipment of labourers to South Africa from the Treaty Ports, which was signed in London on the 13th May, 1901. An agreement was made by the Acting Consul General at Canton with the Viceroy of the Two Kwang for despatobing to Hongkong labourers recruited at Wuchow by the Chinese officials, The class of recruits obtained in this manner was not satisfactory nor were the numbers obtainable from the two Provinces, in the face of opposition from persons interested in recruiting for other countries, sufficient to justify the maintenance of the depot here. The attempt was therefore aban- doned after 1,746 labourers had been despatched. A rebellion in Kwang Si, which died down towards the end of the year, enabled Hongkong to render a service to China by rigorously