Value of junk trade Hongkong
and China.
Imports from
Exports to
Hongkong.
Hongkong.
Total.
Foreign
Native
Native
6,973,483. 15,636,853 3,476,200 14,328,473 33,441,526 6,016,908 12,894.768 3,711,707 14,194,598 30,801,068 6,392,575 17,960,229 3,453,432 14,840,669 36,254,330 6,081,407 -13,297,933: 3,376,619 17,016,926 33,691,478 6,968,236 13,468,368 · 3,113,192 17,290,632 33,872,192 7,320,753 17,663,217 3,338,877 18,937,126 39,938,720 7,193,855 15,326,749 3,438,540 19,665,908 38,431,197 8,211,496 21,585,505 3,455,730 22,678,090 47,719,415 8,971,432 21,124,268 3,482,122 22,565,590 47,171,980 8,739,878 13,027,228 3,939,890 23,024,493 39,991,61
goods. produce. produce. Hk. Tls.
Ocean-
Year.
going
European
tonnage.
Still another test that can be applied is this.
In 1893 (the first year that we collected the cargo returns) European tonnage discharged -2,717,910 tons of cargo and the value of the foreign goods exported from Hongkong to China by junk, according to the Customs re- Iton to 6.4 Hk. Tls, in 1896 the ratio had turn, was Hk. Tls. 17,663,217 or in the ratio of risen to 1-ton to 8 Hk. Tls., but it dropped in 1897 to 1 ton to 5 Hk. Tls., owing, in the opinion
of the Commissioner of Customs, to transit privileges favouring at that time shipments in European bottoms instead of in junks.
not there should be a fixed ratio Whether or between total European tonnage and the total junk tonnage frequenting the port, is, I think, very doubtful, because, in the first place; junks are not the sole distributors, except to non-treaty Ports, probable trade does not expand rapidly, and, in the next place, the European tonnage is not solely employed in the carriage of goods to be distributed from Hongkong as a centre, for a not inconsiderable portion of the cargoes is in transit to more distant ports.
with which it
is
In 1893 the cargo discharged in Hongkong from ocean-going ships amounted to 74 per cent. of the registered tonnage arriving, and the transit cargo was 36 per cent., in 1897 the cargo discharged was only 59 per cent. while the transit cargo had gone up to 42 per cent...
PASSENGER TRAFFIC,
Arrivals. Departures. British ships 30,176 139,574 Foreign ships 65,820 62,665 River steamers 579,012 565,627 Launches
including Emigrants. (including
Emigrants
2,390,985 2,388,982
124,909 128,326
3,290,902 3,285,174
Junks.
Difference-Excess of arrivals 5,728.
REVENUE. -
"
The total revenue collected by the Harbour Department during the year was $183,628.01, a decrease of $50,615.11 on the previous year which is more than accounted for by the reduc tion of the rate of Light Dues from 2 cents to 1 cent. Light Dues Licences and Internal Ravenne Fees of Court and Office
$ 51,645.15 $ 81,516.00 $100,466.86
$188,628.01
THE HONGKONG WEEKLY PRESS AND
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longed to the Imperial Government in charge of the Militaoy Authorities.
One Master's Certificate was suspended for 2 weeks, two for one month, one for 2 months and three for 3 months.
EMIGRATION.
60,432 Emigrants left Hongkong for various places during the year, of these 47,278 were carried by British ships, and 13,135 by Foreign ships; 105,441 were reported as having beeu brought to Hongkong from places to which they had omigrated, and of these 82,694 were brought in British ships, and 22,747 by Foreign ships.
BUNDAY CARGO-WORKING.
During the year 258 permits were issued, under the provisions of the Ordinance; of these 65 were not availed of its being found unnecessary for the ship to work cargo on the Sunday, and the fee paid for the permit was refunded in each case, and 22 permits were issued free of charge to mail steamers. The revenue collected under this heading was $25,925; this was $14,075 more than 1897.
The Revenue Collected each year since the Ordinance came into force is as follows-:-
1892,
1893,
1894,
1895,
1896,
1897,
1898,
$ 4,800
$ 7.900
$13,375
$11,600
$ 7,575 $11,850 $25,925
As a revenue raising measure, therefore, it has been very successful, as a prevention of Sunday work, however, not much can be said for it; 1 per cent. of the total occan-going ton- nage entering availed of it in; 180 and 7 per cent. in 1898.
MARINE SURVEYOR'S SUB-DEPARTMENT.
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May 20, 1899,
In the same report (1894) I compared the work done at Hongkong by two men with work done at Liverpool by eleven men Cardiff by six men, and I showed that Liverpool there were about 40 vessels of 92,000
at Cardiff 27 vessels 53,000 tons, while at Hongkong with all its disadvantages of climate, &c., we had 56 vessels of over 100,000 tons to each surveyor.
Once more I must dwell on this subject, the amount of work performed by our surveyors continues to increase and, that it becomes necessary for me to draw attention to it is, I think, ample testimony that it is satisfactorily performed, for we all know that public duties ill performed soon declare themselves.
During the eleven months January Novem- ber, 1898. the tonnage surveyed at Liverpool was 967,762 tons, in Hongkong during the year 324,610 tons were surveyed, this gives 100,454 tons per surveyor at Liverpool and 162,305 tons per surveyor at Hongkong.
The Revenne derived by the Colony from the work performed by the Marine Surveyors has increased from $10,055.87 to $12,634.05 in 1898, the “overtime " fees alone in 1898 amounting to $570.
The Government Marine Surveyors are again presenting a respectful petition asking for a consideration of their position and an augmentation of their pay, and this I sincerely trust will meet with the success which, I think. it deserves.
SAD DROWNING ACCIDENT.
by this branch of the Harbour Department, and
Return No. XXII shows the work performed | ture dealer of this port, had been drowned A 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 for 1894 I referred at length to the case of the Government Marine Surveyor 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 con- vinced, are very onerous, the inspectioon 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.
"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 in- sure these conditions it is necessary that there should be an adequate and efficient staff. It will be seen from the report of Mr. Dixon at tached 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 circumstances.
"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 Total...
Government Marine Surveys practically do a STEAM LAUNCHES.
very large proportion of amalgamated work of On 31st December there were 147 Steam all these, having at the same time to so arrange Launches employed in the Harbour; of these that if possible there abo easy matter in a should be no delay or in- 58 were licensed for the conveyance of passen- gers, 72 were privately owned, 12 were the pro- place where, as may be expected, each owner or perty of the Colonial Government, and 5 be-agent considers his own interest as paramount.
convenience to any one.
MR. LAWRIE-SMITH'S DEATH AT TAKU. Shanghai. 8th May. The Shanghai public will learn with regret that a telegram was received here from Taku this morning containing the sad intelligence that Mr. R. Lawrie-Smith, the well known furni. Taku. Only a few hours before his wife re- ceived a telegram from him saying he was re- turning to Shanghai by the steamer Heinfung from a highly successful business trip to Tien- tsin, Weihaiwei, and Peking. No particulars are given of how the fatality occurred and it assumed that he fell inte the river while going aboard last night in the dark and was carried under in the strong current. The body has held, when we shall doubless get full particulars. been recovered, and we believe an inquest will be The greatest sympathy is felt with his widow
and child in their sad bereavement-China Gazette,
CORRESPONDENCE.
[We do not hold ourselves responsible for the opinions expressed by our correspondents.] AN ORDINANCE FOR THE REGIS. TRATION OF SERVANTS.
TO THE EDITOR OF THE “DAILY PRE99,” SIR,-I certainly was not aware that the Re- gistration of servants was formerly compulsory in this Colony under Ordinance. That being the case, it only shows that the reason the law became inoperative was the failure to properly enforce, it for which the officials concerned were greatly to blame. You are wrong in saying the Ordinance in Ceylon is practically inoperative. It may be infringed sometimes perhaps, as laws are apt to be, but I am told on good authority that the Ordinance is very generally observed i and is of very real valué. A casual case in the Colombo Police Court is no evidence of the vir- tual abrogation of the law.
I willingly concede the excision of paragraph 5 of my suggestions for the proposed Bill; it was intended more as an aid to the Police than anything else, but it would, perhaps, as you suggest, be hard on the possibly innocent.
There need not be any real difficulties in the way. Those would only arise from the relua- tance of some persons to be pat to trouble in the matter. Good servants would not be less readily obtainable, though the number of domestics might at first be a little restricted by the bad characters being sifted out through the action of the Bill. Moreover, there is no son to suppose that, because servants Government. Now domestic, not registered, they must all be engaged would be drawn from the main would when engaged simply
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