Directory_and_Chronicle_1933 — Page 437

CHINA

Shipping: VessELS ENTERED AND CLEARED, 1928 TO 1931

379

FLAG

American

Belgian

British

Danish

1928

1929

1930

1931

No.

6,377

Tons 6,364,102

No.

Tons

No.

Tons No.:

Tons

6,933 18

6,653,495

65,304

6,638 48

6,490,35

164,988

6,130 22

6,177,767 69,411

48,523

56,036,567

50,845

57,926,507

49,402

57,216,927

50,534

240

60,560,794

653,432

301

837,513

389

Dutch

937,316

399

761

1,007,999

2,647,009

886

3,236,819

883

Finnish

3,347,982

948

90

3,470,873

42,980

219

178,916

32

French

35,864

1,371 1,967,216

1,310

2,135,878

1,131

German

1,846,278

882

1,543,183

1,429

3,703,228

1,350

4,334,903

1,045

Greek

4,245,842

824

3,443,874

2

6,874

4

6,792

Italian

231

569,441

238

971,809

211

Japanese Mexican

734,495

236

748,433

29,839

39,065,724

31,705

42,349,647

33,755

45,630,705

31,589

43,042,411

Norwegian

16,090

2,166

3,786,532

2,487

4,618,901

2,043

Panamanian

4,218,277

2,493

5,497,770

4

P. rtuguese

3,358

925,233

4,150

1,180,097

3,339

Russian

16,228 1,121,459

30

108,980

3,723

61

22,139

Spanish

1,188,137 5,452

2

120

Swedish

191

Now-Treaty Powers

2

Chinese Shipping

51,259

Junks

40,941

321,815 2,242 33,044,523 3,477,698

93

286,911

97

347,087 .

117

441,391

45,573 40,404

41,133

44,333

40,822

39,343 3,741,003

-

Total

186,851 152,630,001

181,607 180,005,101

26,395,051

26,189,314 8,489,285

3,060,856

186,514 154,667,910 180,981 155,605,954

FREIGHT.

The Shipping tables are self-explanatory, but, as is customary, some of the facts brought out by them are indicated here. The total of the entrances and clearances was 181,607 vessels, aggregating 160,005,101 tons, as against 180,981 vessels, of 155,605,954 tons, in 1930. The maintenance of the gradual yearly appreciation in tonnage that, except for the bad years 1925 to 1927, has been a feature of the past decade, is in some ways a satisfactory indication of the growing importance of the place held by China's carrying trade in shipping circles; but, on the other hand, con- sidering the high percentage of the world's shipping that is lying idle on account of the general trade depression and the fact that the tonnage plying to and from China is far in excess of requirements, it would appear that the reason for the increase shown in the tables is justified by competition for cargoes rather than by an increase in the freight offering here. Great Britain maintained her lead, with an increased proportion of the total tonnage; Japan, whose shipping suffered somewhat severely from the boycott, took second place as usual, but with a slightly decreased tonnage as compared with the previous year; China took a better third place than in 1930; while the other flags although contributing many fine ships to the trade with China, are not in the running with Great Britain, Japan, and China for a quantitative place in the list. Navigation. on the Yangtze was much impeded by the floods, and seven ocean vessels known to have been scheduled to call at Hankow refrained from doing so through fear of getting into difficulties. Loadings direct for abroad from that port, however, were approximately the same as in the previous year and amounted to 50,978 tons. The Haiho, leading from Tangku to Tientsin, silted up again in July, and neither coasters nor deeper draught ocean-going vessels could get up to the bund to load and discharge. Matters were not helped by the incidence of a strike of of the Haiho Conservancy's Chinese employees, which caused the. suspension of dredging operations throughout the critical month of June, and the resulting extra handling of cargo in transhipping at Tangku was hurtful and expensive. The North China shipping market was depressed on the whole, decreases in the number of entrances and clearances being recorded at all three of the principal ports of Tientsin, Kiaochow, and Dairen, while towards the end of the year the Japanese lines suffered particularly through boycotting and the refusal of underwriters to accept war risks on vessels of that flag; but the amount of ocean freight leaving Kiaochow at least was well up to the average, and, owing to various factors that included an increased activity in the export of timber from the Soviet maritime provinces and the opening of negotiations for the chartering of a number of vessels for the Soviet fishing fleet, the demand for tonnage on the Dairen freight market was brisker at times than for many years.

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J

According to the system of measurements in use for ships' cargoes, there was a decrease in the exports from China to Europe, North Africa, America, and Canada