Directory_and_Chronicle_1926 — Page 1018

HONGKONG

959

the foregoing, 57,765 vessels of 38,770,499 tons were engaged in foreign trade, as ompared with 49,900 vessels of 35,011,533 tons in 1923. A comparison between the ears 1923 and 1924 is given in the following table:—

Class of Vessels. British Ocean-going..

Foreign

British River Steamers

""

Foreign Steamships under

60 tons (Foreign Trade)

1923.

1924.

No. Tonnage. No. Tonnage.

5,297 11,844,752 7,674 16,030,078

Increase. No. Tonnage.

622,611 426 1,358,161

Decrease.

No. Ton'ge..

92

7,120 6,524,661 1,112 826,311

5,389 11,222,141 7,248 14,671,917 6,008 5,698,350 1,891

657,730 2,318

840,347 427 182,617

4,811 142,392 7,831

231,833 3,020 89,441

Junks, Foreign Trade 24,553 2,619,003 27,525 3,298,828 2,972 679,825

Total, Foreign Trade... 49,900 35,011,533 57,765 38,770,499 7,957 3,758,966 92

Steam launches)

-

5,544

plying in Waters 705,544 17,077,346 678,750 16,622,806 of the Colony......

Junks, Local Trade...*22,778 *1,313,360 +27,977 +1,337,772 5,199 24,412

26,794 454,540-

Grand Total .................... .778,222 53,402,239 764,492 56,731,077 13,156 3,783,378 26,886 454,540

Net Increase......

3,328,838 13,730

The actual number of individual ocean-going vessels of European construction during 1924 was 1,123, of which 416 were British and 707 foreign. In 1923 the of corresponding figures were 1,186 of which 529 were British and 657 foreign. These 1,123 ships measured 3,552,722 tons. They entered 6,484 times and gave a collective tonnage of 13,809,974 tons. Thus 63 less ships entered 163 more times and gave a collective tonnage greater by 830,941 tons, an average of 5,097.7 tons per entry.

In the year 1925, 9,679 ocean-going steamers arrived in the Colony, the aggregate tonnage being 23,653,774, as against 12,971 steamers and 27,874,830 tons in 1924. The decrease was just under 15.2 per cent.

The river steamer figures of course showed a more remarkable decline-5,324 vessels and a tonnage of 5,907,993 for 1925 comparing with 9,438 vessels and 7,365,028 tons for 1924. The decrease in the number of steamers was something over 40 per cent., though the tonnage figures were not so conspicuously decreased, the decline being something under 20 per cent.

The aggregate totals were 15,003 vessels with a tonnage of 29,561,767 in 1925 as against 22,409 vessels and 35,239,838 tons a year ago, a difference of something like 16 per cent. The decrease in vessels was 7,406 and in tonnage 5,678,071.

If these statistics are further divided to show the extent of British shipping during the year, it is found that 5,297 British vessels, with an aggregate tonnage of 11,844,752,. entered during the year 1924, which figures declined in 1925 to 3,916 vessels with an aggregate tonnage of 9,866,820, a decrease of 1,381 in number of vessels and 1,977,932 in tonnage. The foreign figures were:-1925, 5,763 vessels, tonnage 13,786,954; 1924, 7,674 vessels, tonnage 16,030,078. The decrease was 1,911 in the number of ships and 2,243,124 in tonnage.

British river steamers entered in 1925 totalled 4,058 with an aggregate tonnage of 5,455,115, against 7,120 steamers and 6,524,661 tons in 1924, the decrease being 3,062 in steamers entered and 1,069,546 in the aggregate, tonnage. Foreign river steamers, principally Chinese, showed a decrease from 2,318 entrances and 840,347 tons in 1924 to 1,266 entrances and an aggregate tonnage of 452,878 in 1925. The number of en- trances dropped by over 40 per cent. or 1,052, and the tonnage by practically the: same percentage, or 387,469 tons.

* Including 15,134 Conservancy and Dust Boats of 961,910 tons.

+

15,212

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,, 654,199