7
There 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 13,989 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 3,991 chests, or 11.1 per cent., while 1909 shewed 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 Chests Chests Chests 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 Boiled by Opium Farmer, 782 1,044 864 Spurious Opium destroyed,... 14 51 247 Exported during the year, 28,333 35,938 39,609 Total,... 29,129 37,033 40,720 Stock remaining on 31st Dec., 7,123 4,509 5,808Of the several varieties of opium imported, Malwa decreased by 315 chests, or 6 per cent., Patna by 3,241 chests, or 16.6 per cent., Benares by 1,885 chests, or 22.5 per cent., and Persian increased by 249 chests. Of Chinese opium 1,223 chests were imported from Shanghai and re-exported to Haiphong.