138
THE HONGKONG GOVERNMENT GAZETTE, 28TH MARCH, 1874.
10. The decrease in the Junk trade with Macao and the Ports to the North-eastward, amounts to 82,212 tons, of which 42 per cent is with the foriner port and 58 per cent with the Coast ports.
11. The accompanying Diagram will show that the Junk trade for 1873 is about on a par with what it was in 1871. I trust it may fall no lower, but strong measures are being adopted by the Cantonese with a view to withdrawing it from the Colony.
EMIGRATION.
12. Emigration on the whole to Countries other than China has increased by 1,047 persons. In the early part of 1873, there was a large demand for labour in California and several steamers in addition to those of the Pacific Mail line were laid on to meet this.
13. It is to be regretted that the laws controlling the conveyance of Chinese to the United States from British Possessions are not assimilated. As it is, vessels leave here with their number of
passengers as prescribed by the Chinese Passengers' Act of 1855; but on arrival at a port in the United States the vessels are remeasured and if they are found to have more passengers on board than the United States' laws allow, the Masters of the ships are liable to heavy penalties. These difficulties lead to much inconvenience which by an assimilation of laws might be avoided.
14. Much pains have been taken in endeavouring to prevent the export of young females from here who are in many instances sold for improper purposes. With this object in view, girls who have not been sufficiently able to explain their reasons for emigrating have not been permitted to proceed. But it has been found that in several instances vessels going to Singapore and other places, without coming within the meaning of the Chinese Passengers' Act, have taken twenty of the very class of persons whom this and the Registrar General's Departments have been endeavouring to protect.
15. The Government of the neighbouring Colony of Macao have lately issued stringent orders prohibiting the further Emigration of Chinese from there under contracts of service; and they have also established new Regulations by which none but free Emigrants shall leave Macao, Emigration under Contract to Portuguese Possesions however is permitted, the Government being in a position to overlook the labourers on arrival at their destination.
REGISTRY OF SHIPPING.
16. Twenty-three new vessels have been registered and twenty-five vessels have had their registers cancelled during the year. These, with a few transactions such as Mortgages, &c., is a sinall amount of work for the whole Registry of Hongkong, China and Japan.
17. With so little work in this branch of the Department it seems strange that it should be found necessary to make Shanghai a port of registry. Instead of the whole of the open ports in China and Japan performing their ship registry through Hongkong; they will under the contemplated change have to perform it through Shanghai, which appears a questionable advantage, seeing how far Canton, Swatow, Amoy and the Japanese ports are from that port.
18. The amount of fees collected under this head for the year is $491.
MARINE MAGISTRATE'S COURT.
19. There are fifty-one per cent. fewer cases than appeared in 1872. This is partly due to the shortened period of the stay of ships in port and to the smaller number of vessels arriving; as also in part, to the new system of hard labor introduced into the Gaol.
EXAMINATIONS FOR THE POSTS OF MASTERS AND MATES,
UNDER ORDINANCE No. 17 of 1860.
20. Of forty-five applicants under this Ordinance, thirty-six obtained Certificates and nine failed in showing themselves qualified.
MARINE COURTS, UNDER ORDINANCE No. 11 of 1860.
21. Three of these Courts have been held during the year.
22. One to enquire into the circumstances attending the casualty to the Peninsular and Oriental Steam Navigation Company's ship Bokhara, which struck on a sunken and unknown rock in the fairway of vessels navigating the Tathong Channel.
23. One into the circumstances attending an accident which happened to the Peninsular and Oriental Steam Navigation Company's ship Madras when off the Southeast end of Namoa Island.
24. The third enquiry was into the circumstances attending the alleged loss of life on board the Steam-ship Glenlyon while on a voyage from Singapore to Hongkong.
SEAMEN.
25. 6,046 seamen were legally discharged, and 6,154 seamen were shipped during the year.
I have the honor to be,
Sir,
Your most obedient Servant,
The Honorable J. GARDINER AUSTIN,
Colonial Secretary,
HONGKONG.
H. G. THOMSETT, R.N., Harbor Master, &c.
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