2
Your Petitioners respectfully submit that some distinction should be made between these Vessels and the Trading or Cargo Junks. Your Excellency may possibly not be aware that the former class of Vessels are almost wholly employed in conveying to and from the Colony, Chinese Passengers, and in bringing Provisions from the neighboring Chinese Ports, and that it is on these Junks alone that the Colony is dependent for its daily supply of Fresh Vegetables, Fruits, Poultry, Eggs, and other articles of consumption. The Ports from which they come are within from one to three days sail, and some of them do not remain longer than is necessary either to land their Passengers or discharge their Provisions. Your Petitioners beg to lay before Your Excellency a List of the various Chinese Ports from which these Passenger or Provision Junks trade to this Colony; the number of Junks engaged therein; the number of Trips made to the Colony by each vessel during a month, and the duration of their stay here; in order to shew how hard the exaction of the Licensing and other Fees, and the necessity of reporting themselves at the Harbour Master's Office, will bear upon this class of Vessels.
LIST of PASSENGER or PROVISION JUNKS now trading at Hongkong from
Name of Chinese Port.
Chinese Ports. Number of Junks engaged. Number of Trips, each per Month. Duration of stay in Colony. Canton, 28 3 From 6 to 24 hours. Macao, 17 8 Kong-moon, 9 Chun Chün, 8 Toong-koon, 27 Sheak-loong, Tai-ping, Namtao, 3 Heong-sban, 10 Sum-chun, 5 55 Kowloong City, 20 Daily Immediate departure. Sei-hoong, 10 From 2 to 12 hours. Tsung Sheang, 11 Daily Immediate departure. Wong-kong, 10 From 6 to 12 hours. Koo Soo, 20 Daily Immediate departure. Chaong-sha, 50 Do. Tik-hoi, 10 Do. Tseen-wan, 49 10 From 2 to 12 hours. Tai-pang City, 24 Sha-yu-choong, 24 Chaong Chow, 24 Peng-chow, 12 Tai 0, 12 Mow-chow, 2 Kew-tow, " Eem-teen, " Tam-shui, "Taking the case of a Passenger Junk coming from Namtao as an illustration as regards this particular class of vessels, Your Excellency will observe that she will have to pay the enormous sum of 110 Dollars per annum simply for the privilege of bringing supplies of Provisions to the Colony, viz.:
License fee for one year,
$20
As she will arrive in the Colony every third day, she will have to pay for 120 "Anchorage Passes" during the year at 50 cents,
$60
And for the same number of "Day Clearances" at 25 cents,
$30
Total... $110
The above is what every Provision Junk coming from Namtao will have to pay per annum, provided she arrives here every third day according to the above statement. Provision or Passenger Junks from other Ports will be called upon to pay in proportion to the number of trips they make during the year, and, in the case of the Junks from Kowloong City which make a trip a day, (if they are also to be looked upon as Junks licensed to "ply between this Colony and other ports,") the yearly sum for fees will amount to no less than $293.75.
Your Petitioners feel persuaded this could never have been the intention of the Government to inflict this heavy tax on a class of vessels so useful to the Colony as these are, and whose profits must necessarily be small from the nature of the trade they are engaged in. The effect of this tax, if insisted on, Your Petitioners humbly submit will be to drive away a trade upon which we are all almost wholly dependent for the necessaries of life; or at all events to increase the cost of these necessaries to such an extent as to make it utterly impossible for the poorer classes to obtain them.
Your Petitioners beg to draw Your Excellency's attention to the fact that at the present time even the largest of the Licensed Passenger or Provision Junks pay only 10 Dollars per annum to the Government; and Your Petitioners would respectfully beg to submit, that, the payment of double that amount, as laid down in the Ordinance, is, of itself, a very high tax, and Your Petitioners believe it is as much as this class of vessels can possibly afford to pay out of their small profits, and that the payment of the "Anchorage Pass," "Day Clearance," or "Special Permit" fees in addition will be absolutely impracticable, especially, as they have likewise to pay taxes and fees to their own Government at the Ports to which they belong or from which they sail.
Your Petitioners would also respectfully beg to draw Your Excellency's attention to the clause which requires that the Masters of all Licensed Junks shall cause the Number of said License to be painted in black Figures 20 inches in length, on a white ground, on each bow-- this clause Your Petitioners respectfully submit is very objectionable as regards all classes of Licensed Junks, as these figures being fixtures would render them liable to many exactions from the Officials of the Chinese Ports to which they belong, as they would then be looked upon as foreign vessels, and impediments and exactions of all kinds would be felt by them at all the Chinese Ports to which they may have occasion to resort. Your Petitioners also beg to draw Your Excellency's attention to the fact that many of the Passenger or Provision Junks now trading here take their departure from the Chinese Ports they belong to for some other Chinese Ports, they not daring to clear for Hongkong, as it would subject them to greater exactions than they already pay, and in some cases would be prevented from leaving the Port altogether.
58