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The total reported Import Trade of the Port for 1904 amounted to 26,588 vessels of 11,205,516 tons, carrying 7,889,978 tons of cargo, of which 4,758,052 tons were discharged at Hongkong. This does not include the number, tonnage, or cargo of Junks or Steam Launches employed in Local Trade,
Similarly, the Export Trade from the Port was represented by 26,639 vessels of 11,199,850 tons, carrying 3,436,726 tons of cargo. and shipping 670,811- tons of bunker coal.
Seventy-six thousand three hundred and four (76,304) Emigrants left Houg kong for various places during the year; of these, 52,496 were carried by British Ships and 23,808 by Foreign Ships; 149,195 were reported as having been brought to Hongkong from places to which they had emigrated, and of these, 121,735 were brought in British Ships and 27,460 by Foreign Ships.
The total Revenue collected by the Harbour Department during the year was $300,933.95, being an increase of $15,645.53 on the previous year. :--
1. Light Dues, .
2. Licences and Internal Revenue,
3. Fees of Court and Office,
$ 72,330.16 62,418.00 166,185.79
Total,...
.$300,933.05
(b.) INDUSTRIES.
For the first ten months of 1904 the Cotton Spinning industry suffered severely from the abnormally high price of Raw Cotton, and during the whole of that period short-time was resorted to. From November onwards a good demand was experienced for Yarn and full-time again adopted, but it was not until the middle of December that, as a result of large crops of Cotton in the chief producing countries, the cost of the raw material declined to a figure that permitted of spin- ning being carried on at a profit. At the end of 1904 the outlook for the industry was encouraging, and, provided the price of Cotton keeps at a reasonable level, the result of the working for 1905 is expected to be highly satisfactory.
The Sugar industry in the Colony during 1904 resulted in large profits to the two local refineries. Owing to the scarcity of supplies in consequence of the large deficiency in the European Beet Crop, prices gradually advanced throughout the year, without checking demand; the quantity of refined Sugar consumed in China largely exceeding that of any previous year, while there was also a good demand from other markets.
41 Steam-launches and other vessels with an aggregate tonuage of 7,290 were built during the year.
The other large industries in the Colony connected with repairing and docking ships and the manufacture of cement and rope, are in a prosperous condition.
(c.) FISHERIES.
A considerable proportion of the boat-population of Hongkong supports itself by deep-sea fishing, in which pursuit a large number of junks are engaged. The villages of Aberdeen, Stauley, Shaukiwan, and many others in the New Territory are largely dependent upon this industry for their prosperity. Fresh-water fish is imported from Canton and the West River.
Rules for the regulation, control, and licensing of Oyster Fisheries in the New Territories were made during the year.
(d.) FORESTRY, BOTANICAL SCIENCE AND AGRICULTURE. 111,198 trees were planted in Hongkong during the year including 195,645 pine and 1,978 camphor trees. It was proprosed at the commencement of the year to introduce a scheme for felling and re-planting pine forests on the block system with a twenty-five years rotation. But as the scheme was looked upon
A
with ill-favour by the public and as the opinion was expressed in well-informed quarters that a longer period of rotation was preferable, it was decided to suspend felling operations while the advice of the Indian Government was obtained. scheme of issuing Forestry Licences in the New Territories was initiated in the hope of inducing the Chinese to adopt more economical methods in dealing with the considerable plantations of pine trees formed before the cession of the Terri- tories, and with the object of tempting them to take up fresh areas of waste lands for further planting. The small area available for rice cultivation and the unfer- tility of the soil combine to prevent agriculture from becoming a prominent indus- try in the Colony. The low-lying land in the New Territories is probably utilized to nearly the fullest extent possible, and it is therefore from the profitable cultiva- tion of the steep hill slopes that any increase in the productiveness of the Territo ries may be derived. In this connection the cultivation of pine apple, and experiments that are being made with sisal hemp are of much interest.
(e.) LAND GRANTS AND GENERAL VALUE OF Land,
The amount received from sales of Crown land was over $486,000, being some $24,000 less than the receipts for the previous year.
Building land in the urban portion of the Colony and in the Peak District is limited in extent and steadily increasing in value. The natural consequence is that bouse-rents, especially on the higher levels, have advanced to an extent probably unknown in other British Colonies.
III-LEGISLATION.
Sixteen Ordinances were passed during 1904, of which six were measures for the amendment of existing Ordinances. The most important measure was the Sugar Convention Ordinance (No. 14 of 1904) giving effect to Article VIL of the Brussels Sugar Convention, 1902. By the Hill District Reservation Ordinance (No. 4) a residential area is preserved at the Peak.
The Opium Monopoly was further protected by an Ordinance (No. 10) controlling the importa- tion and sale of compounds of opium. By the Pilots Ordinance (No. 3) provision was made for the examination and licensing of Pilots, who must be British sub- jects.
IV-EDUCATION,
The number of Government and Grant Schools including Queen's College,
is 81, of which 23 are Upper Grade Schools in which at least part of the staff is European, and 58 are Lower Grade Schools, under purely native management. Broadly speaking the Upper Grade Schools teach in English, and the Lower Grade Schools teach in the Vernacular.
The total number of Scholars in average attendance at Government and Grant Schools was 4,970. Of these, 1,665 were in Government and 3,305 in Grant Schools; 2,906 Scholars received instruction in English, and 2,064 in the Vernacular. The proportion of boys to girls was 3,236 to 1,734, or a little less than two to one.
A small Anglo-Chinese School was opened at Un Long in the New Territory early in 1904; and arrangements were made to open a new School for children of British parentage at Caroline Hill, East Point, The Kowloon School for children of similar parentage, opened in 1902, has had an average attendance of 54.8 as against 46.4 in 1903.
The new Code for Grant Schools has been in force during the year, and hus worked very satisfactorily.
It was decided to introduce the study of Hygiene into all Government and Grant Schools and a suitable text book was prepared.
The Revenue derived from School Fees was $36,251.50. The Expenditure was $151,589, being 2.32 % of the total expenditure of the Colony.
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