10. The Nationality of the Crews in British and in Foreign ships was as follows:-
VESSELS. BRITISH CREW. U. S. A. AND EUROPEANS. ASIATICS. 1913. 1914. 1913. 1914. 1913. 1914. British 361 385 24,728 24,264 1,022 866 134,220 135,214 Foreign. 430 440 1,430 1,571 31,447 24,428 126,923 118,268 Total 791 825 26,158 25,835 32,469 25,294 261,143 253,482Hence in British ships :-
And in Foreign ships:-
1913. 1914. 1913. 1914. 15.46 % 15.13% of the crews were British. 1.08 % of the crews were British. 0.90 % 0.64 % 0.54 % of the crews were other Europeans. 16.93% of the crews were other Europeans. 19.75 % 83.90 % 84.33% of the crews were Asiatics. 79.35% 81.98 % of the crews were Asiatics.2.-Trade.
11. It is once more necessary for me to call attention to the extreme inaccuracy of the reports by Masters of ships of cargo carried. There being no Customs, or other staff, to compile accurate statistics, I am dependent upon these reports for the figures upon which I base the remarks which follow, although I am able, in some cases, to obtain more reliable information elsewhere.
Imports.-Here is shown a decrease of 229,089 tons, or 4.6 per cent., which, considering the circumstances attending the last five months of the year under review, --the total withdrawal from the run of all vessels under the German and Austrian flags; the loss (or, at least, the non-delivery) of the cargoes consigned to the Colony in many of such vessels; the risks run by neutral and Ally shipping during the early months of the war, by reason of the German cruisers then at large; and the general sense of insecurity felt by both shippers and importers, etc., etc.-may be considered a remarkably small decrease.
Increases are shown under the headings Beans, Coal, Cotton, Flour, Hemp, Bulk Kerosene, and Liquid Fuel, while there are decreases reported in Case Oil, Rattans, Rice, Timber, and General.