F
137
No.-
92
HONGKONG.
REPORT ON THE JUNK TRADE FOR 1891.
Laid before the Legislative Council by Command of His Excellency the Governor, on the 22nd February, 1892.
No. 20.
HARBOUR DEPARTMENT, HONGKONG, 11th January, 1892.
H. O. No. 330 of 9th July,
1891.
SIR,-In continuation of former correspondence marginally noted, I have the
H. O. No. 342 of 15th July, honour to furnish berewith statistics of the junk trade.
1891.
1. E. 0. No. 14 of 15th
August, 1891.
E. O. No. 529 of 15th
October, 1891.
2. These remarks and statistics are not included in the "Annual Report" in which being a document usually for publication it might be considered inexpedient that they should appear.
tached to Memo. dated
3. The favourable geographical position of this Colony renders it a great distributing centre; the Extract from Table 7 at large trade focussing here reaches its terminal markets partly in coasting steamers 27th July, 1891, in and partly in junks. Of the 2,753 European constructed vessels visiting the port C.S.O. 1,474 of 1891. in 1890, fifteen hundred and twenty-eight or considerably more than half and this half nearly double the size in tonnage ship for ship of the other moiety were vessels visiting the port twelve times or less, i.e., craft bringing trade acting as feeders to the Colony not as distributing agents that necessary part being performed by the remaining 1,235 smaller vessels plying to the port more than 12 times in the year. In the same year 23,343 junks in foreign trade with a total tonnage of 1,786,038 (or roughly speaking half the figures shown in paragraph 3 of the Annual Report those quoted there being the total in and out) assisted in the distribution of trade from this centre, taking the totals of the Report of 93 millions tons about two-thirds or 64 millions were the feeders and one- third or 34 millions the distributors assisted by 34 millions tons of junks. The European vessels being for the most part steamers of course carried by far the largest portion of the trade, The year 1890 was a bad one for the rice trade as was also 1891 and in the first named the number of small European steamers competing with junks became very marked and has not decreased.
4. In the year 1890, eight thousand two hundred and nineteen European constructed vessels with a total of 9,771,741 tons passed through the port giving employment to 46,686 junks aggregating 3,572,079 tons in foreign trade and 9,082 junks making up 332,473 tons in local trade, i.e., the ports of the island.
5. In 1891, the corresponding numbers are European vessels 8,707 measuring 10,279,043 tons or an increase of 488 ships with 507,302 tons and junks in foreign trade 45,403 with a total tonnage of 3,263,118 tons or a decrease in numbers of 1,283 junks representing 308,961 tons at the same time the junks in local trade run up to 11,930 equivalent to 463,537 tons or an increase over the previous year numbering 2,848 junks aggregating 131,064 tons. It is not credible that the increase of the local traffic satisfactorily accounts for the increased volume of trade and the decrease
of the foreign junk trade.
Table I.
Table II.
6. Attention is now invited to Table II a comparative statement for the past five years of Licensed Junks and Licensed Fishing Junks; the numbers and the revenues derived from the junk trade are as follows:-
Year.
Total Junks licensed.
Total Licence Fees,
Special Permit Fees.
Total Revenue for Licensed Junks.
Total Junk Revenue.
1887,
2,424
8,198
619.75
8,817.75
19,997.75
1888,
2,570
8,018
604.75
8,622.73
19,761.25
1889,
2,692
7,785
569.25
8,354.25
19,402.00
1890,
2,977
9,387
569.00
9,956.00
22,397.75
1891,
3,332
10,091
730.25
10,821.25
22,602,50
7. Special Permits are the monthly renewals of licences exempting the holders from reporting on each separate occasion of arriving taken out by licensed junks when in the waters of the Colony. Fishing junks under 100 piculs are further allowed to take these licences every six months only. The
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