CO129-340 - Governor Nathan Acting Governor May - 1907 [4-6] — Page 46

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the Norwegian flag, is probably due almost wholly to the

continued withdrawal of vessels which had been attracted to

the Far East owing to the temporary disappearance of

Japanese Ships during the Russo-Japanese War; as is

evidenced by the fact that Japanese trade shows an increase

in 1906, compared with 1905, of 536 ships of 1,206,494

tons.

3.

The return of commodities imported

and exported, set out under the heading "Trade" are for

the reasons given in the third paragraph of my above-quoted

Despatch unreliable and misleading, and I am giving

instructions for future years that, while the Harbour

Master should continue to collect such information on the

subject as may be available, he should not include these

figures in his report, except when, as in the case of the

Sugar and Opium Returns, their accuracy can be vouched for.

4.

The Emigration Returns show

an increase of 12,404 persons going abroad over the figures

for 1905, and a decrease of 5,571 persons returning to

China. It is satisfactory to note that 15,541 more

emigrants were carried in British Ships than in the

previous year,

5.