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One hundred and thirty-six thousand and twenty (136,020) returning emigrants were reported to have been brought to Hong- kong from the several places to which they had emigrated either from this Colony or from Coast Ports, as against 74,109 in 1918. Of these, 92, 385 arrived in British ships, and 43,635 in Foreign ships.
-Gentement of Number of Emigrants to Straits Settlements, 1916
to 1919, compared with Total Chinese Emigration,
1910,...
1911..
No. of Emigrants
10
Straits Settlements.
Tatal Nor of Emigrants.
76,705
111,058
100,906
135,505
1912...
84,024
122.657
1913..
102,358
142,759
1914,
44,974
76,296
1915.
41,278
68,275
1916,
82,797
117,653
1917,
63,292
96,298
1918,
8,019
49,830
1919,
11,638
59,969
(6.)—Industri£S.
(1.)-Under European Management.
Engineering and Shipbuilding.—The figures are as follows for the year 1918 and 1919 : —
vessels of 3.455 gross tons and 1,700 III P.
5,489
1018.
Taikon Dockyard and Eng. Co., Ld, Hongkong and Whampoa Rock Co., Id., W. Bailey & Com Kwonk Tuck Cheong, Lau Sup Kee...
§.
5,810
"
150
200
1,723
1,030
9:00- 480
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Total,..
.17 veeeels of 11,448 gross tons and 9,090 L.ILP.
Taikoo Dockyard and Eng. Co., Tal.......... 776 vessela of 22,311 gross tons and 14,450 L.JJ.P. Hangkong & Whampoa Dock Co. Lt g
W. S. Bailey & Co....... Kwong Tack Cheong,
Total,..
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17,415
700 948
$1
13,975
1,750
12
800 11
25 vessels of 41,374 gross tons and 30,975 1.H.P.
Sugar Refineries.-1919 was a good year. Demand from China was consistent, at steadily advancing prices, with the excep tion of a period of one to two months during the summer, when heavy speculation destroyed all confidence in the market. During the latter part of the year the incidence of the Japanese boycott threw an unusually heavy demand on all other sources of supply, thus adding a stimulus to an already brisk demand for Hongkong Refineds. As a matter of interest, prices of raw sugar in Java rose from f. 13 in January to f. 42 at the end of December.
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India and the Persian Gulf, in common with markets the world over, have felt the pinch of a general shortage of supply, and there were demands from all sources for Refineds, much in excess of Hongkong's capacity for export.
Yarn.-The quantity of Yarn imported into the Colony during 1919 was greater than during any of the war years, and the market on the whole kept very steady.
Yarn prices dropped slightly at the commencement of the year and reached their lowest in April/May, when 10s. Yarn was sold at $190 per bale. The price then advanced and at the end of the year business was done at over $200. Yarn of higher counts, say 208., rose from $260 to $365.
The total quantity of Indian Yarn imported during the year amounted to 142,000 bales, and 22,000 bales were brought forward from the previous year.
Clearances were very good and totalled 147,000 bales, leaving a carry over of 17,000 bales.
Speaking generally, the year has been a profitable one for both merchants and dealers.
Cotton-Liverpool Cotton in January was quoted at 20'04d. per lb, for spot and during the end of the month it receded a few points and steadily declined until about the end of March it was quoted at 15'86d. for ready and 13-61d. for forward. It then rose steadily, with very few set-backs, until the end of July when it was quoted at 21'44d. for sput, 2171d. and 21-792. for September/Octo- ber respectively. It again declined and during September it touched as low as 17-60d, for spot. After reaching this point it again firmed up and steadily advanced to 27:50d. at which it was quoted at the end of the year.
The year opened with Exchange at 3/4. It declined slowly until by the beginning of March it reached 3,01. It then reacted and has steadily risen with a few fluctuations until at the close of the year T/Ts. on London were quoted at 4/10).
Trading has been rendered somewhat difficult by the various alterations in the value of the Rupee which in January was equi- valent to 1/6 and rose at the end of the year to 2/52.
Rope Making. The demand for Manila Cordage was fairly good but the total turnover showed a falling off from that of the previous twelve months. The high rates of exchange and freight which ruled throughout the year affected considerably our exports to gold standard countries.
Cement Manufacture. The demand continued good during the year and tonnage was more plentiful. The high exchange again interfered to a very large extent with exports to gold standard countries. On the whole the turnover compared favourably with the last three years.
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