PUBLIC RECORD OFFICE
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Reference :-
ILHC.O.8
885
18 PUBLIC RECORD OFFICE, LONDON
ALLY WITHOUT PERMISSION OF THE BE REPRODUCED PHOTOGRAPHIC-
COPYRIGHT PHOTOGRAPH-NOT TO
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On the other hand, Germany, Sweden, Norway, Denmark, Austria- Ilungary, and Greece open their coasting trade either unconditionally or on condition of reciprocity.
As to the share of British vessels in the coasting trade proper of the above countries, the statistics are too incomplete for tabulation. As regards the German coasting trade, out of 9,700,000 tons entered and cleared in 1901, one million tons were foreign, of which 400,000 were British.
As regards the British Empire, the trade between the United Kingdom and the various British Colonies and Possessions, and also the inter-colonial trade, has long been free from any restriction as to nationality of vessel.
The same is true of the coasting trade of the United Kingdom and of most of the Colonies. In the case, however, of Canada, the coasting trade is only open on condition of reciprocity, the foreign countries whose vessels are at present allowed to participate in it being Italy, Germany, The Netherlands, Sweden, Norway, Austria-Hungary, Denmark, Belgium, and the Argentine Republic. In New Zealand an Act was passed in 1903 (and assented to by His Majesty in 1904) authorising the Governor, so far as treaty obligations permit, to impose prohibitions or restrictions on foreign vessels as regards the carriage of passengers and goods in the coasting trade of the Colony in cases where the countries concerned impose similar disadvantages on British vessels as regards their coasting trades. It also authorised the imposition of similar prohibitions or restrictions in respect of the carriage of goods by the vessels of such countries between New Zealand and any other British possession which may legislate on similar lines.
It may be noted that the Customs Consolidation Act of 1853 (sections 324 and 325) appears to give power by Order in Council to exclude from the carrying trade between the United Kingdom and British Possessions vessels of countries that do not give reciprocity.
3.-Statistics of Shipping Trade within the British Empire.
The statistics of the carrying trade between different parts of the Empire are set out in Annexes I.-III.
The figures there given show that the entries and clearances in trade between the United Kingdom and the Colonies and Possessions amounted to about 15 million tons in 1906, of which 14 millions were British, the British vessels constituting 94 per cent. of the trade with cargoes and 63 per cent. of that in ballast. The entries in all the Colonies and Possessions in the trade with all other Colonies and Possessions amount annually to about 233 million tons, of which 20 millions (or 86 per cent.) are British.
Hence, taking the two together, the total tonnage of vessels entered and cleared annually in the trade, between different parts of the British Empire, i.e., between the United Kingdom and the various Colonies and Possessions and between the various Colonies and Possessions (excluding shipping between the various Australian States) is about 39 million tons, of which over 34 million tons are British.
As regards coasting trade proper, the information for the Colonies is very far from complete. So far as concerns the United Kingdom alone, over 99 per cent. of the tonnage with cargoes is British, nearly all the foreign tonnage being in ballast. Such colonial figures as are available show a proportion of 94 per cent. British tonnage.
per cent.
Of the foreign tonnage with cargoes engaged in the trade between the United Kingdom and the Colonics, 40 per cent. is Norwegian and 28 German, France with 6 per cent., and Russia and Sweden with 5 per cent. each coming next in importance.
The statistics of inter-colonial trade do not, in most cases, distinguish the nationality of the foreign tonnage, and particulars on this point are only available for the Australian Commonwealth, the Cape, Canada, British India, and the Seychelles. For these Colonies and Possessions the proportions of the total foreign tonnage belonging to the various foreign countries are as follows:---Norway and Sweden, 48 per cent.; Germany, 31 per cent.; Italy, 7 per cent.; France, 4 per cent.; Russia and Austria-Hungary, 2 per cent. each; and all other countries 6 per cent.
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The foreign tonnage engaged in the coasting trade of the United Kingdom, which, as already stated, is almost entirely in ballast, is mainly Norwegian, Swedish, and 'German.
4.-Extent to which the Foreign Countries whose Vessels share in the above
Trade give "Reciprocity.'
It is of interest to classify the foreign tonnage participating in the trade between the United Kingdom and British Possessions, according to the policy pursued by the countries to which the vessels belong, as regards the participation of British vessels in the corresponding trade of those countries.
The classification is given in Annex V.
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It will be seen that out of a total of 1,229,000 tons, 638,000 tons (or per cent. of the total) belong to countries having distant or over-sca possessions, and that of these 56,000 tons (or 5 per cent. of the total) belong to the two countries (Russia and the United States) which exclude, and 582,000 tons (or 47 per cent.) to the countries which permit, the participation of British ships in their colonial trade.
The remaining 591,000 tons (or 48 per cent.) belong to countries which have no important over-sea possessions. Of these 579,000 tons (or 47 per cent. of the whole) belong to countries which permit the participation of British ships in their coasting trade. Two thousand tons belong to Spain, which excludes British shipping from the greater part of her coasting trade, whilst the remaining 10,000 tons belong to various unspecified nationalities.
It follows that if "reciprocity were a test of the admission of foreign vessels to the trade between the United Kingdom and the Colonies, about 5 per cent. of the foreign tonnage now engaged in that trade would be excluded. The defects of the colonial statistics make it impossible to make a corresponding calculation for the inter-colonial trade.
5.-Different Classes of Foreign Shipping engaged in this Trade. The figures given above do not distinguish steam and sailing vessels, and as this distinction is important the following analysis will be of interest :-
Of the 1,229,000 tons of foreign shipping entered and cleared in the trade between the United Kingdom and its Colonies and Possessions in 1906, 488,000 tons were sailing vessels and 741,000 tons steam vessels.
Of the 3,227,000 tons of foreign shipping entered and cleared in the inter-colonial trade, 273,000 tons were sailing and 2,951,000 tons steam vessels.
These figures indicate that the character of the foreign tonnage partici- pating in the inter-colonial trade is somewhat different from that sharing in the trade between the mother country and the Colonies. The former is largely made up of the German, French, and other lines of steamships trading between European and Eastern or Australian ports, and calling at British ports en route.
These steamship lines (though of course competing with British lines trading to the Colonies) do not figure to any important extent in the entrances and clearances in the United Kingdom trade with the Colonies, their European ports of departure and arrival being Hamburg, Marseilles, and other ports outside the United Kingdom.
Much of the foreign tonnage which enters into the home trade with the Colonies consists, as shown above, of sailing vessels, of which a large proportion are of Norwegian nationality. These sailing vessels are largely engaged in special branches of trade, e.g., Norwegian (and to a smaller extent, Italian) sailing vessels, in bringing timber from Canada; German, Norwegian, and Italian sailing vessels in bringing timber and wheat from -Australia.
There is also a certain amount of Norwegian steam tonnage engaged in bringing food-stuffs and deals from Canada. The foreign vessels cleared outwards from the United Kingdom to the British Colonies and Possessions mostly carry coal, with a certain amount of pig iron, cement, salt, heavy machinery and bulky general cargo.
Tables are attached showing in detail the distribution by nationality of the foreign vessels-sailing and steam-carrying cargo between the United Kingdom and its principal Colonies and Possessions. (See Annex II.)
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