1887-1903
HONG KONG, 1902.
371
For vessels under the British Flag, this table shows an increase of 387 ships of 358,148 tons. These figures are, however, misleading, for river steamers are responsible for an increase of 397 ships of 157,539 tons. This leaves a net decrease of 10 ocean-going ships, with an increase in tonnage of 200,609 tons.
The above increase in river steamers is due to the fact that the one vessel which ran in 1901 and not in 1902 is more than counterbalanced by two which started to run at the end of 1901, and two which started to run at the beginning of 1902.
The fall of 10 ocean-going vessels is a genuine decrease, which loses a portion of its significance when we consider the increased size of vessels as evidenced by the increase in tonnage.
For vessels under Foreign Flags, we find a large increase, viz., 1,267 ships of 1,358,709 tons, of which 301 ships of 93,627 tons are due to river steamers, one new French vessel having started to run in 1902, and another French ship having run more often in 1902 than in 1901. The remainder, 966 ships of 1,285,082 tons, is due to-
1. An increase of 453 Norwegian ships of 372,021 tons.
2. 186 German ships of 307,897 tons.
3. 169 Chinese ships of 55 tons.
4. 150 Japanese ships of 221,619 tons.
and smaller increases in other nationalities.
The actual number of ships of European construction (exclusive of river steamers and steam launches), entering the Port during 1902, was 718, of which 350 were British, and 368 foreign. These 718 ships entered 4,047 times, giving a total tonnage entered of 6,284,258 tons. Thus, compared with 1901, 37 more ships entered 477 more times, and gave a total tonnage increased by 728,926 tons.
The following table indicates the nationality of the various ships entering the Port, the numbers of vessels under each flag, and the tonnage carried by them, compared with the similar figures for the previous year:-
Flag Ships No. of times Entered Total Tonnage 1901 1902 1901 1902 1901 1902 British 321 324 1,770 1,753 2,894,519 2,965,030 Austrian 20 20 53 50 128,483 125,929 Belgian 1 .9 3 12,407 3,624 Chinese 4 17 10 135 3,349 163,396 Corean 1 1 796Page 23
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