1877 — Page 235

4. Of the sailing vessels, 760 in number and of 463,632 tons capacity; 280, mensuring 234,282 tons, or 37.63 per cent.. of vessels and 50.53 per cent. of tons, were under the British Flag; and, of the¦ whole trade in Foreign bottoms, steam and sailing, consisting of 2,869 vessels and 2,445,755 tons, British vessels absorb 2,075 vessels and 1,850,558 tons, or 72.32 per cent. of vessels and 75.66 per cent. of tonnage capacity.

5. There has been an increase in the trade between Hongkong and the Coast of China anl Formosa, but chiefly in Native bottoms. The trade with Cochin-China, and with Great Britain has also improved; but between this Port and other parts of the world there is no considerable difference.

6. The trade with the Ports of Hoi-how in the Island of Hainan, and Pakhoi, and Haiphong in the Gulf of Tonquin is becoming one of importance, a total of 108 vessels and 42,155 tons having been entered, and 119 vessels measuring 46,671 tons cleared during the year, but this does not give the entire traffic of the recently opened Ports, as vessels leave here for those places and return by way of more Southern Ports in order to fill up cargo and passengers, and although these vessels may bring passengers from the new Ports, the vessels are entered at this Office as having arrived from the last Port of departure which is probably Saigon or Bangkok.

cargo

and

I am informed that if the Chinese Merchants at Pakhoi could depend on steam-vessels calling at that Port regularly, the trade of the place would increase. It is said that the junk owners combine together, and will not carry produce for Merchants who have been known to ship cargo by steamers, A regular line of steam-vessels would place Merchants at Pukhoi in an independent position, and would soon cut short the monopoly of the carrying trade now enjoyed by owners of junks.

7. I attach a Diagram showing the amount of tonnage, in Foreign and Native built vessels, that has been entered during the period contained between the years 1867 to 1877, inclusive. I purposely commence with 1867 as that was the first year in which this Government kept a record of the junk trade.

8. The Diagram will show at a glance that, while the years 1867, 1868 and 1869 were periods of depression, there was a steady increase for the three following years; and that for the years 1873 and 1874 there was again a decrease, since when the tonnage of all classes of vessels has steadily risen until it has reached its present range of 29,369 vessels measuring 4,244.543 tons, with a total of 441,972 seamen. These numbers consist of vessels arriving from Ports outside the Colony, and do not include the local traffic between the villages of the Colony and the City of Victoria.

9. It is only by consulting the Summary in return XV that a correct notion can be formed of the vast traffic of this Colony. That return shows that a grand total of 67,951 vessels measuring 8,594,348 tons with crews numbering 978,965 have been on the move in this Port during the year. These vessels have not only carried their cargoes and crews, but have assisted in the transport of 1,329,504 Chinese passengers, and this traffic is irrespective of the many steam-launches which ply in the waters of the Colony, conveying passengers of whom without very great additional trouble no record could be kept.

10. His Excellency the Governor in a conversation with me touched on the desirability of keeping a record of the value of the Imports and Exports of the Colony. I have made inquiries on the point, and with regard to Singapore-a free Port, like Hongkong, but with an Import and Export Office-I find that in consequence of the rapidity with which vessels arrive and leave the Colony, there is great difficulty in keeping correct records. Vessels have to leave before there is time to deposit proper copies of the manifests, and after the vessels have left, Firms from pressure of work, frequently delay the sending in their cargo lists until much valuable time has been lost, and confusion must necessarily often creep into the records. To establish such an Office here would require an addition to the Staff and increased accommodation in the building.

11. Correct trade statistics are a matter of much importance in a Colony like Hongkong, and 1 venture to suggest that, should the Government deem it of sufficient consequence to establish an Import and Export Office, much valuable information on the subject could be obtained either from the Un-official Members of the Legislative Council, or from the Chamber of Commerce.

JUNK TRADE.

12. This trade, ever a fluctuating one, has kept up its character as such in 1877. In the month of January there was an increase; in February a sudden decrease took place, and little difference was observed until June when there was an increase, and this increase has continued until the end of the year.

13. The number of documents issued from this Office, in February was nearly the lowest number issued during the eleven years that Ordinance No. 6 of 1866 has been in force, and in October the maximum for the same period was reached.