Directory_and_Chronicle_1925 — Page 1096

HONGKONG

1017

1922.

No. Tonnage.

4,547 9,688,891

going, 49,000 vessels of 35,011,533 tons were engaged in foreign trade, as compared with 50,427 vessels of 29,543,564 tons in 1922. A comparison between the years 1922 and 1923 is given in the following table :-

Class of Vessels. British Ocean-going..

-

Increase.

Decrease.

No. Tonnage. No. Tonnage.

1923.

No.

Tounage.

Foreign

6,095 12,282,271

British River Steamers 4,866

3,731,227

Foreign

4,244

732,715

5,389 11,222,141 842 1,533,250 7,248 14,671,917 1,153 2,389,646 6,008 5,698,350 1,142 1,967,123 1,891 657,730

353 74,985-

**

Steamships under

60 tons (Foreign

6,520

200,363

4,811 · 142,392

1,709 57,971

Trade)....................

1,602 289,094

Junks, Foreign Trade 26,155 2,908,097 24,553 2,619,003

Total, Foreign Trade... 50,427 29,543,564 49,900 35,001,533 3,137 5,809,019 3,664 422,050

Steam launches)

-

plying in Waters 639,554 15,903,758 705,544 17,077,346 65,990 1,173,588 of the Colony......)

Junks, Local Trade...*18,263 *1,119,442 +22,778 +1,313,360 4,515 193,918

Grand Total............708,244 46,566,764 778,222 53,402,239 73,642 7,257,525 3,664 422,050

Net Increase...... 69,978 6,835,475

The actual number of individual ocean-going vessels of European construction during 1923 was 1,186, of which 529 were British and 657 foreign. In 1922 the corresponding figures were 1,092 of which 410 were British and €82 foreign. These 1,186 ships measured 3,468,321 tons. They entered 6,321 times and gave a collective tonnage of 12,979,033 tons. Thus 94 more ships entered 1,002 more times and gave a collective tonnage greater by 1,978,285 tons, an average of 1,974.7 tons per entry.

.

A Parliamentary paper issued in August, 1905, showed Hongkong to be, in respect of tonnage, the largest shipping port in the world. The trade chiefly consists of cotton, sugar, salt, flour, oil, cotton and woollen goods, cotton yarn, opium, matches, metals, earthenware, amber, ivory, sandalwood, betel, vegetables, granite, etc. There is an extensive Chinese passenger trade, chiefly restricted, however, to the Straits Settle- ments, Netherlands India, Borneo, the Philippines, Siam, and Indo-China.

Hongkong possesses unrivalled steam communication. The P. & O. S. N. Co. and the M. M. Co. between them maintain a weekly mail service to Europe. The Pacific Mail S.S. Co., the Toyo Kisen Kaisha and the Java Pacific Line maintain a service with San Francisco, and the Canadian Pacific Steamships, Ltd., maintain a regular mail service with Vancouver, B.C. The Bank Line, Ltd., and the Osaka Shosen Kaisha run regular steamers to Victoria, Vancouver, Seattle and to Tacoma; and the Bank, Admiral, Prince and Castle lines maintain regular services to New York. The Australian Oriental Line and the Eastern and Australian Line keep up a regular monthly service with the Australian Colonies, and the Nippon Yusen. Kaisha maintains services to Europe, Australia, and the United States (Seattle). The Toyo Kisen Kaisha and the Osaka Shosen Kaisha both connect with South American ports, the latter line also calling at Cape Town. The Natal Line provides sailings to South-African ports. In addition to all these, several great lines of merchant steamers run between ports in Great Britain and Hongkong, of which the China Mutual S.S. Co., Ocean S.S. Co. (Blue Funnel line), and the Glen, Bank, Mogul, Ben, Royal Mail, Shire, Barber, and Shell lines are the most conspicuous. The Norddeutscher Lloyd,

* Including 11,134 Conservancy and Dust Boats of 795,926 tons.

+

""

15,134

"

,,361,910