4. The arrivals entered in Table I exhibit the large increase in the trade of the Colony, of 3,503 vessels, 941,240 tons, and 69,144 men, of which, the Junk trade shows an increase to the extent of 2,849 vessels, measuring 363,104 tons, leaving the increase of trade in foreign vessels at 654 vessels and 578,136 tons; of the latter increase, 65 per cent is in British tonnage, and 35 per cent is in tonnage of other nationalities.
5. Of the increase in the trade alluded to in the preceding paragraph, I find that that in the trade between this Port and the Ports of China and Formosa is the largest, it being 707,271 tons of the arrivals in 1870, Chinese Junks laying claim to 42 per cent of this, British vessels to 36.6 per cent, and foreign vessels to 21.4 per cent.
6. There is also a total increase of 189,195 tons on the trade of Hongkong with the following Countries ---- Australia and New Zealand at the rate of 12.1 per cent, Great Britain 48.7 per cent, India and Singapore 24 per cent, Siam 8.3 per cent, and the United States of America 6.9 per cent; whilst there is a decrease of 49,179 tons in trade with Japan. The places not mentioned remain nearly the same.
7. In separating the steam tonnage from the tonnage of sailing vessels, I have not considered the native craft, as Chinese merchants had not, up to the end of 1872, adopted the use of their native flag on such steamers as they owned. The amount of tonnage of sailing and steam vessels under other flags is 1,905,866 tons, of which 1,216,223 tons are propelled with the aid of steam; 76 per cent of this latter tonnage is under the British Flag; 10 per cent is under the French Flag; 7.5 per cent is under the Flag of the United States; and 4.5 per cent is under the German Flag. The remainder of the percentage consists of Spanish and other vessels.
8. I trust steps will shortly be taken to bring the large steam trade of the Colony under periodical official inspection.
9. It is to be observed that in the foregoing statement I have referred only to vessels engaged in trade outside the Colony entering the Port. If, to the 31,394 vessels arrived in 1872 be added the departures, which, in the same year were 30,875 vessels; and if again to this sum we add the arrivals and departures of those engaged in the local trade alone, it will be seen that the movements of about 75,000 vessels, measuring nearly 8,000,000 tons have been recorded by this Department during the year under review. This total excludes the movements of the 2,000 fishing vessels licensed under Ordinance No. 6 of 1866, which, under certain conditions, are allowed undisturbed ingress and egress.
10. Comparisons have been made between the cost of administering the Government Departments now and their cost in former days, the year 1863 being taken as the model year.
11. I find, so far as this Department is concerned, on reference to the records, that in 1863, 1,822 vessels, measuring 894,924 tons, manned by 29,561 seamen, arrived in this port. These were British and foreign ships only, the movements of Junks not being noticed in those days, with a result to which the Police piracy reports will testify.
12. The records for 1872 show that 1,232 more British and foreign vessels, measuring 1,010,342 tons, manned by 81,465 seamen, arrived in that year than came here in 1863. This alone is sufficient to account for some of the increased expenses of this Department, but when to this increase of work is added the boarding and recording the movements of 28,340 native Craft, all wonder at the greater expenditure must cease.
13. Ordinance No. 4 of 1867 (Gunpowder Storage) has also added to the duties and cost of the Department.
14. In 1863 the Departmental revenue about balanced the expenditure. In 1872 the revenue exceeded the expenditure by $20,226.
15. I am much gratified to find that steps are being taken for the erection of light-houses to mark the approaches to Hongkong, for, although the port and its vicinity are nearly entirely free from hidden dangers, it is important that the Masters of the numerous ships frequenting these waters should be enabled, under almost any circumstances of weather, so to distinguish the neighbouring groups of islands as to ensure them a certain means of reaching the Port of Hongkong, no matter whether bound to it, or seeking its harbour as a place of refuge.
16. I regret having to call attention to the number of casualties that have happened in 1872 to vessels frequenting Hongkong. In nearly all the cases that have come under my observation I find that the use of the lead has not received that attention by which safe navigation may almost always be ensured, and to this oversight, much more than to the existence of unknown rocks, do I attribute the casualties which every one must deplore.
17. A desire to outdo rival ships in the rapidity of their movements too frequently leads an over energetic shipmaster to sacrifice safety and security to his anxiety to make a quick passage. As a general rule the Coast is well surveyed, but it is almost impossible in the most careful examination of Coast to discover and lay down the position of every rock and stone lying near the shore. Much must be left to the discretion of the officer in charge of the navigation of the ship as to how near the Coast, on dark nights or in hazy weather, it is prudent to approach. A timely cast of the lead will fully caution him as to his nearness to it. This neglected, all theories as to position are based on more conjecture.
JUNK TRADE.
18. It is satisfactory to find that, in the great increase of the traffic of the Colony, the Junks are maintaining their ground, and still retain a goodly proportion of the carrying trade. This arises from two reasons; one is the greater cheapness of this means of conveyance; the other is that Junks only are permitted to visit non-Consular Ports. But for this prohibition steam would shortly drive nearly the whole native craft out of all competition, as it must already have considerably reduced it.
19. If the Junk trade is not what it was ten years ago, it must not be attributed to the so-called faulty Legislation of the Government, but rather to the fact that Chinese traders are as much alive to the value of time in the transport of their goods as are any other merchants. As a proof of this we see Chinese themselves becoming owners, or part owners of steam vessels, to the exclusion of their own native slow-going craft.
20. The Junk arrivals for the year 1872 exceed by 61,644 tons from Macao, by 301,460 tons from Ports in China and Formosa, and by 91,888 tons from the villages of the Colony (denominated in the returns Local trade), the arrivals for 1870; and the total number of Chinese passengers brought in this class of vessels from the same places is 22,051 more than arrived in the same year.
21. I attach a Diagram showing the monthly range of the number of documents issued by this Department in connection with the Junk trade, which will readily show its improved condition. The smallest number (2,200) issued was in February, 1867; the greatest number (5,400) was issued in May, 1872.
22. In considering the steady increase shown by these figures, it must be remembered that every relaxation has, from time to time, been made that the objects for which Ordinance No. 6 of 1866 was framed, would admit of. The prices of Licenses, Passes, &c., have been gradually reduced; and a large number of well-known Junk owners have been permitted to avail themselves of the Special Permits which, requiring them to report but once a month, materially decrease the irksomeness attending the frequent reporting at this Office which necessarily obtained in the early stage of the introduction of the new law, and of which Native traders so constantly complained. These concessions have tended to decrease the issue of papers considerably, nevertheless a far more than corresponding increase of trade has more than doubled it.
EMIGRATION.
23. The introduction of Ordinance No. 8 of 1871 has been attended with great success. It relaxes the stringent nature of the Chinese Passengers' Act, 1855, allowing a greater number of passengers to be embarked in vessels proceeding on voyages proclaimed as being of less than 30 days' duration than has hitherto been permitted from Hongkong and the Consular Ports of China.
24. Before this Ordinance was passed, the restrictions were so great, and the number of passengers allowed to be carried so small, that ships leaving here for the Straits Settlements took but their twenty Chinese passengers in each ship. Under the new order of things 8,480 men, 1,042 women, and 268 male and female children under 12 years of age were despatched to Singapore in 1872.
25. There is no material change in the Emigration to other Countries.
26. The records exhibit a large number of Chinese as having returned to their native Country. There were 886 from the Australasian Colonies; 719 from Siam; 3,236 from Manila; 4,259 from the United States of America; 4,065 from Saigon, and 10,482 from the Straits Settlements.
27. In marked contrast with this, I find that the two vessels which arrived here from Havana during the year brought but 58 Chinese from that Colony; whilst in 26 vessels measuring 20,566 tons only 68 Chinese were brought from Callao.
REGISTRY OF SHIPPING.
28. Twenty-six vessels, measuring 7,856 tons, of which 17 are propelled by steam, aggregating 1,520 Horse Power, have been registered at this Office during the year.
29. Twenty-four vessels, measuring 7,644 tons, of which 13 are steamers with a total of 1,656 Horse Power, have had their Registers cancelled in this Registry for the reasons stated against their respective names in the proper Return.
1
36
4. The arrivals entered in Table I exhibit the large increase in the trade of the Colony, of 3,503 vessels, 941,240 tons, and 69,144 men, of which, the Junk trade shows an increase to the exted of 2,849 vessels, measuring 363,104 tons, leaving the increase of trade in foreign vessels at 654 vessels and 578,136 tons; of the latter increase, 65 per cent is in British tonnage, and 35 per cent is in tonnage of other nationalities.
5. Of the increase in the trade alluded to in the preceding paragraph find that that in the trade between this Port and the Ports of China and Formosa is the largest, it being 707,271 tons in of the arrivals in 1870, Chinese Junks laying claim to 42 per cent of this, British vessels to 36.6 per cent, and foreign vessels to 21.4 per cent.
excess
6. There is also a total increase of 189,195 tons on the trade of Hongkong with the following, Countries ----Australia and New Zealand at the rate of 12.1 per cent, Great Britain 48.7 per cent, India and Singapore 24 per cent, Siam 8.3 per cent, and the United States of America 6.9 per cent; whilst there is a decrease of 49,179 tons in trade with Japan. The places not mentioned remain nearly the same.
7. In separating the steam tonnage from the tonnage of sailing vessels, I have not considered the native craft, as Chinese merchants had not, up to the end of 1872, adopted the use of their native flag on such steamers as they owned. The amount of tonnage of sailing and steam vessels under other flags is 1,905,866 tons, of which 1,216,223 tons are propelled with the aid of steam; 76 per cent of this latter tonnage is under the British Flag; 10 per cent is under the French Flag; 7.5 per cent is under the Flag of the United States; and 4.5 per cent is under the German Flag. The remainder of the percentage consists of Spanish and other vessels.
8. I trust steps will shortly be taken to bring the large steam trade of the Colony under periodical official inspection.
9. It is to be observed that in the foregoing statement I have referred only to vessels engaged in trade outside the Colony entering the Port. If, to the 31,394 vessels arrived in 1872 be added the departures, which, in the same year were 30,875 vessels; and if again to this sum we add the arrivals and departures of those engaged in the local trade alone, it will be seen that the movements of about 75,000 vessels, measuring nearly 8,000,000 tons have been recorded by this Department during the year under review. This total excludes the movements of the 2,000 fishing vessels licensed under Ordinance No. 6 of 1866, which, under certain conditions, are allowed undisturbed ingress and egress.
10. Comparisons have been made between the cost of administering the Government Departments now and their cost in former days, the year 1863 being taken as the model year.
11. I find, so far as this Department is concerned, on reference to the records, that in 1863, 1,822 vessels, measuring 894,924 tons, manned by 29,561 seamen, arrived in this port. These were British and foreign ships only, the movements of Junks not being noticed in those days, with a result to which the Police piracy reports will testify.
12. The records for 1872 show that 1,232 more British and foreign vessels, measuring 1,010,342 tons, manned by 81,465 seamen, arrived in that year than came here in 1863. This alone is sufficient
to account for some of the increased expenses of this Department, but when to this increase of work is added the boarding and recording the movements of 28,340 native Craft, all wonder at the greater expenditure must cease.
13. Ordinance No. 4 of 1867 (Gunpowder Storage) has also added to the duties and cost of the Department.
14. In 1863 the Departmental revenue about balanced the expenditure. In 1872 the revenue exceeded the expenditure by $20,226.
15. I am much gratified to find that steps are being taken for the erection of light-houses to mark the approaches to Hongkong, for, although the port and its vicinity are nearly entirely free from hidden dangers, it is important that the Masters of the numerous ships frequenting these waters should be enabled, under almost any circumstances of weather, so to distinguish the neighbouring groups of islands as to ensure them a certain means of reaching the Port of Hongkong, no matter whether bound to it, or seeking its harbour as a place of refuge.
16. I regret having to call attention to the number of casualties that have happened in 1872 to vessels frequenting Hongkong. In nearly all the cases that have come under my observation I find that the use of the lead has not received that attention by which safe navigation may almost always be ensured, and to this oversight, much more than to the existence of unknown rocks, do I attribute the casualties which every one must deplore.
17. A desire to outdo rival ships in the rapidity of their movements too frequently leads an over energetic shipmaster to sacrifice safety and security to his anxiety to make a quick passage. As a
general rule the Coast is well surveyed, but it is almost impossible in the most careful examination of Coast to discover and lay down the position of every rock and stone lying near the shore. Much must be left to the discretion of the officer in charge of the navigation of the ship as to how near the Coast, on dark nights or in hazy weather, it is prudent to approach. A timely cast of the lead will ully caution him as to his nearness to it. This neglected, all theories as to position are based on more conjecture.
JUNK TRADE.
18. It is satisfactory to find that, in the great increase of the traffic of the Colony, the Junks are maintaining their ground, and still retain a goodly proportion of the carrying trade. This arises from two reasons; one is the greater cheapness of this incans of conveyance; the other is that Junks only are permitted to visit non-Consular Ports. But for this prohibition steam would shortly drive nearly the whole native craft out of all competition, as it must already have considerably reduced it.
19. If the Junk trade is not what it was ten years ago, it must not be attributed to the so called faulty Legislation of the Government, but rather to the fact that Chinese traders are as much alive to the value of time in the transport of their goods as are any other merchants. As a proof of this we see Chinese themselves becoming owners, or part owners of steam vessels, to the exclusion of their own native slow-going craft.
20. The Junk arrivals for the year 1872 exceed by 61,644 tons from Macao, by 301,460 tous from Ports in China and Formosa, and by 91,888 tons from the villages of the Colony (denominated in the returns Local trade), the arrivals for 1870; and the total number of Chinese passengers brought in this class of vessels from the same places is 22,051 more than arrived in the same year.
21. I attach a Diagram showing the monthly range of the number of documents issued by this Department in connection with the Junk trade, which will readily show its improved condition." The smallest number (2,200) issued was in February, 1867; the greatest number (5,400) was issued in May, 1872.
22. In considering the steady increase shown by these figures, it must be remembered that every re- laxation has, from time to time, been made that the objects for which Ordinance No. 6 of 1866 was framed, would admit of. The prices of Licenses, l'asses, &c., have been gradually reduced; and a large number of well known Junk owners have been permitted to avail themselves of the Special Permits which, requiring them to report but once a month, materially decrease the irksomeness attending the frequent reporting at this Office which necessarily obtained in the early stage of the introduction of the new law, and of which Native traders so constantly complained. These concessions have tended to decrease the issue of papers considerably, nevertheless a far more than corresponding increase of trade has more than doubled it.
EMIGRATION.
23. The introduction of Ordinance No. 8 of 1871 has been attended with great success. It relaxes the stringent nature of the Chinese Passengers' Act, 1855, allowing a greater number of passengers to be embarked in vessels proceeding on voyages proclaimed as being of less than 30 days' duration than has hitherto been permitted from Hongkong and the Consular Ports of China.
24. Before this Ordinance was passed, the restrictions were so great, and the number of passengers allowed to be carried so small, that ships leaving here for the Straits Settlements took but their twenty Chinese passengers in each ship. Under the new order of things 8,480 men, 1,042 women, and 268 male and female children under 12 years of age were despatched to Singapore in 1872.
25. There is no material change in the Emigration to other Countries.
26. The records exhibit a large number of Chinese as having returned to their native Country. There were 886 from the Australasian Colonies; 719 from Siam; 3,236 from Manila; 4,259 from the United States of America; 4,065 from Saigon, and 10,482 from the Straits Settlements.
27. In marked contrast with this, I find that the two vessels which arrived here from Havana during the year brought but 58 Chinese from that Colony; whilst in 26 vessels measuring 20,566 tons only 68 Chinese were brought from Callao.
REGISTRY OF SHIPPING.
28. Twenty-six vessels, measuring 7,856 tons, of which 17 are propelled by steam, aggregating 1,520 Horse Power, have been registered at this Office during the year.
29. Twenty-four vessels, measuring 7,644 tons, of which 13 are steamers with a total of 1,656 Horse Power, have had their Registers cancelled in this Registry for the reasons stated against their respective names in the proper Return.
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