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8
Hong Kong Annual Administration Reports, 1841-1941
COLONIAL REPORTS- ANNUAL.
TRADE.
As pointed out in previous reports, the figures which used to appear under this heading were, as a whole, so inaccurate as to be, in some cases, most misleading. They have, therefore, been omitted from this, as from my three previous annual reports. However, in certain items of the import trade, fairly accurate details are available, and as to these the following remarks may be of interest.
Coal.-1,115,120 tons were imported during the year. This quantity, compared with the imports for 1909, shows a decrease of 11,716 tons, or 1.04 per cent. This decrease is so small as to be negligible, but is explained by the dull tone of the market in the Colony throughout the year 1910, and the necessity of adjusting stocks after the somewhat largely increased imports of 1909. Of the various varieties of coal imported, Japanese heads the list. Next comes that from North China and Manchuria, which holds its own, if not actually increasing. Cardiff, though only used by men-of-war, and imported almost solely by the Admiralty, comes third. There have been increased shipments from Hongay; but from Australia and India large decreases appear, while no Labuan coal was imported during the year.
I remarked last year upon the fact that, in spite of the large increase in coal imported, the shipments of bunker coal in the Colony had fallen off considerably. This year, the opposite occurred. There is a falling off in imports, but an increase of 22,140 tons, or 3.5 per cent., in the quantity of bunker coal shipped. But, of the total amount of coal imported, little more than half is shipped as bunker coal, the remainder being re-exported.
Kerosene Oil.-Here, enormous increases are reported: in bulk oil of 20,559 tons or 57.7 per cent., and in case oil of 13,899 tons or 38.6 per cent., while liquid fuel has increased by 5,089 tons or 117.2 per cent. These increases appear to be due to competition between the Asiatic Petroleum Company and the Standard Oil Company, whose business is largely increasing in the interior of China in consequence of their activity in opening up new distributing centres.
As last year, I add a few remarks about certain other items of import of which I have been able to collect information.
Opium. The imports of raw opium show a decrease of 3,990 chests, or 11.1 per cent., while 1909 showed a decrease of 6,087 chests or 14.5 per cent. The exports declined by 7,641 chests, or 21.2 per cent., in 1909 the decrease was 3,620 chests, or 9.7 per cent. During the last three years the raw opium trade of the Colony is described by the following figures:
1910 1909 1908 Stock in hand 1st January 4,509 5,808 4,707 Imported during the year 31,743 35,734 41,821 Total 36,252 41,542 46,528