Sessional_Paper_1900 — Page 438

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The Revenue collected each year since the Ordinance came into force is as follows:

:-

1892,

$ 4,800

1893,

7,900

1894,

15,375

1895,

11,600

1896,

7,575

1897,

11,850

1898,

1899,

.... 25,925 21,825

SEAMEN.

19. Eighteen thousand three hundred and fifty-four (18,354) seamen were shipped, and 21,094 discharged, at the Mercantile Marine Office and on board ships during the year.

Two hundred and twelve (212) "Distressed Seamen" were received during the year; of these, 33 were sent to the United Kingdom, 1 to Singapore, 2 to Sydney, 1 to Calcutta, 1 drowned, 3 died, 2 remained at the Victoria Gaol, 4 at the Government Civil Hospital, and 165 obtained employment.

Five thousand four hundred and forty-two Dollars and Twenty-five Cents ($5,142.25) were expended by the Harbour Master on behalf of the Board of Trade in the relief of these "Distressed Seamen," and $704 by the Colony.

MARINE SURVEYOR'S SUB-DEPARTMENT.

20. Return No. XXII shows the work performed by this branch of the Harbour Department, and in forwarding this I again desire to record my appreciation of the manner in which the work of this sub-department is carried out.

In my Annual Report of 1894 I referred at length to the case of the Government Marine Sur- veyor and his Assistant, and I reproduced an extract from a report made by me in a letter dated 14th June, 1892, as follows:-

"The duties of these Surveyors, I am convinced, are very onerous, the inspection of "boilers and engines, especially during the hot weather, being most trying.

"The conditions also under which these surveys are held at Hongkong are peculiar, "owing to the short time that vessels as a rule remain in port. In order to save time, applica- "tions for survey are constantly received before the vessel's arrival, and it frequently happens that the completion of the survey is the final act before she again leaves. They cannot "even afford to wait for their passenger certificates, clearances being frequently granted "them by me on receipt of a report from the Surveyor that the requirements of the law have "been complied with.

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"It is, therefore, most important that the work of surveying vessels should be carried on as expeditiously as possible, and the importance of these surveys renders it imperative "that the examination should be thorough; in order to insure these conditions it is necessary "that there should be an adequate and efficient staff. It will be seen from the report of "Mr. Dixon attached hereto that the survey of a vessel for Passenger Certificate occupies "himself and his Assistant eight hours, spread over a number of visits, about four. The "time consumed, however, on this work is often considerably in excess of this eight hours, "as the ship may be anywhere between the Hunghom Docks and Aberdeen. Other surveys, though not occupying so much time, in each case, are made under somewhat similar cir-

4

*cumstances.

6.

"There are four local Marine Surveyors carrying on business in Hongkong; in addition to these, some of the Steamship Companies employ special surveyors for their vessels. The Government Marine Surveyors practically do a very large proportion of the "amalgamated work of all these, having at the same time to so arrange that if possible there should be no delay or inconvenience to any one. No easy matter in a place where, as "may be expected, each owner or agent considers his own interest as paramount.'

AL

In the same report (1894) I compared the work done at Liverpool by eleven men and at Cardiff by six men, and I showed that at Liverpool there were about 40 vessels of 92,000 tons per surveyor and at Cardiff 27 vessels of 53,000 tons, while at Hongkong with all its disadvantage of climate, &c., we had 56 vessels of over 100,000 tons to each surveyor.