The-Hong-Kong-Weekly-Press-1900-10-13 — Page 16

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has for the first time e foreign imported coal Sumatrai ng disappeared from the market, has fallen off, while the Russian, oil ased, though still small in quantity natiye import Chinese-spun yarn pre- while rice made an enormous advance foods and bad harrests. Exports showed, the large increase of nearly £395,000, the main advance being in beancake and raw yellow silk. These, with other silks, straw-braid, and vermicelli, are the chief exports. 5,150 head of cattle of the large and sturdy breed collected from the interior were shipped alive to Port Arthur and Vladivostok for the Russian troops. Seven million eggs were also sent to Vladivostok,

Of shipping Mr. Tratman says :--“The total tonnage which entered the port in 1899 was 1,362,512 tous, as against 1,160,654 tons in 1898. Great Britain had a total entry of 619 ships, followed by China with 409, and Germany and Japan with 203 and 201 respectively; Russia showed an increase of entries from 26 to 160. Of the total tonnage, Great Britain figurod for 44-15 per cent.; China, 22:03 per cent.; Japan, 13.88 per cent., and Germany, 11:39 per cent. In the foreign trade, Japan was easily first with 52.60 per cent., whilst in the coast trade Great Britain headed the list with 53:78 per cent. ̈ ̄

THE HONGKONG WEEKLY PRESS AND

no less than 11,487, worth of foreign goods were sent to Kwangohow Bay via this port in 1899

- The total number of transit passes taken out was 1,052 inwards and 378 outwards, against 251 and 236 respectively in 1898. 632 inward passes were taken out by a British firm, and 302 by Chinese.

The steamers under the British flag that visited this port during 1899 numbered 33, being four more than in the precoding year; the value of the cargo conveyed by them, how ever, decreased from 14,5517. 178. 1d. in 1898 to only 6,500l. 156. in 1899, British vessels rarely visit Hoihow for any other purpose than to take up emigrants for Siam or the Straits Settle ments, the regular trade of the port being served almost entirely by steamers under the French and German flags,

A very considerable increase is to be noticed in the number of French steamers that visited the port during 1899, as compared with the number for the year before. On the other hand the number of vessels under the German flag remained about the same in the two years, while the Danish flag was not seen at all during 1899. The low average tonnage of the French steamers as compared with that of the German and British (French average 554 14 tons, Ger- man 703 tons, British 1,082 45 tons) is accounted for to some extent by the fact that a small French steamer of about 35 tons made three or four trips a month between Kwangchow Bay and Hoihow throughout the year.

In 1899 a steamer under the British flag took advantage of the new Inland Navigation Regu- lations, and the agents report as follows on the undertaking:-The. China Navigation Com pany's steamer Hoangho was employed last year No merchant vessel of foreign typo under from the beginning of August until the season the Chinese flag has been seen here since 1883, closed at the end of November in the Gulf of and no foroigu sailing vessel since 1881. Pechili trade, aud met with an encouraging As in 1899 the number of Chinese passen- measure of success. The Chinese, showed per-gers leaving Hoihow during 1899 was consider- fect willingness to uso the steamer, and no d.ffi-ably in excess of the number of those arriving. culties were placed in the vessel's way. Junks This is in marked contrast with former years probably secure proferential treatment at the when the number of nativos arriving and Chinese customs, but the extent to which they leaving was about equal, and is probably to be benefit as compared with the steamer owned by attributed to the high price of food which con- foreigners cannot be known, duty on cargo tinned to prevail throughout the year. carried by junks being bargained for by the Comparatively few passengers to and from owners of the vessels, who arrange with the Hongkong are officials of the native custom-house for the pay- steamers; on the other hand, in the course of ever conveyed by British ment of a lump sum on the whole cargo. Ship- 1899 over 76 por cont. of the passengers to, and ments by steamers are liable to pay tariff rates all the passengers from, the Straits and Siam of duty, and shippers are put to the trouble of travelled by vessels under the British flag. Of making their own arrangements with the native the passengers that arrive here from Hongkong customs. But the greater security of shipping probably half are omigrants returning from the by a foreign-owned steamer, and the greater Straits and Siam. punctuality in the delivery of cargoes, appear to be counter-attractions. of even greater force than the disadvantage just mentioned.

KIUNGCHOW (Homow).

:

FRENCH INDO-CHINA.

Mr. Tremlett, Consul for Great Britain at Saigon, says in his report on Fronch Iudo- China during 1899 :-

Mr. Consul O'Brien Butler in his report on On 10th March, 1899, a decree was issued the trade of this port during 1899 says:-- fixing the attributions of a Director of Civil Whilst the value of the trade of KiungchowAffairs of Indo-China, whose functions are for 1898, so far as it came within the cognisance of the Foreign Customs, showed a not incon- siderable advance over that for the preceding year, the value for 1999 was still higher, being 697,1551. 18. (net total trade), or no less than 171,404. 158. 2d. more than in 1898.

Foreign goods were imported to the value of 376,5391 3s. and native produce from other treaty ports to the value of 2,4091.38., the figures for these items during 1898 being 285,7311. 58, Sd. and 9511. 178. 2d. respectively.

Native produce of local origin was exported the value of 329,8751. 168. in 1899, against 240,2907, 58. 9d. in 1891.:

exported.

:

意

after sowing, of pure indigo

Cochin China. 681,000 tons, or 18,00 port of 1898. Exp flour wore 110,700 ton

the harvest was satisfactory. 791,700 tons, As anticipated in my

1000

in all Indo-China, 150,000 tons; only 19,000 The consumption of salt reached 46,000 tons; tons were exported. The number of "pelds” of coffee, in Indo-China is put at Cochin China, 161,600; Cambodia, 37,000: Annam, 234,000; Tongkin, 800,000; "Total, 1,2 duction is estimated at 240,000 kilos., which is

1,232,600. pro

probably exaggerated.

The total of all shipping that cleared from Saigon during the year 1899, including the Messageries Maritimes mail boats and the steamers of the Compagnie Nationale, was 631 of 789,330 tons.

The British flag accounts for 152 vessels of 200,652 tons cleared, their average tonnage was 1,320 tons..

For the first time since the existence of the colony a duty of 3 per cent. is imposed upon the im- port of coin. It appears from the statistics of the customs for nine months of 1899 that the in- crease in the importation of French cottons continues, being 1,189,230 kilos. more than dur- ing the same period of 1898. The import of gunnies depends naturally upon the quantity of rice exported; during nine months of 1899 it reached 23,115 bales against 19,350 bales dur- ing the whole of the previous year. The con- sumption of petroleum increases steadily, be- ing 4,000,000 kilos, last year in excess of 1898.

HONGKONG.

have been reported since last week's issue, the Four fresh cases of plaguo and four deaths

numbers for the year being 1,075 cases and 1,017 deaths at noon yesterday.

Library and Museum last week shows that the The return of visitors to the City Hall

former institution was visited by 503 non- Chinese and 142 Chinës, the latter by 177 non- Chinese and 1,815 Chinese.

Company launched and handed

On the 9th inst. Messrs W. S. Bailey and over from their new yard the first of two large lighters ordered from the firm by the Green Island Cement Company, Limited, and ren- dered necessary by the expansion of the. Company's business for the speedy" c riage of cement from their Macao Factory to Hongkong for shipment.

car-

At eleven o'clock on the 10th inst. Sergeant. Torret was in Queen's Road Contral when he general. On 19th September the contract for saw an Indian, whose name turned out to be the construction of the Haiphong-Hanoi Vietri Abilul Cassam, at the door of the International Railroad was signed at Hanoi. I cannot as yet Hotel. He produced a ticket and handed it to- say anything about these lines beyond the fol-wards the proprietor, who was in the act of lowing:-Hanoi to the frontier of China putting his hand in his pocket when the Ser- (Kwangsi) which is transformed to one motre geant went forward; seized the ticket, and took rail from sixty centims, of the railway from the Indian into custody for selling Macao lot Phulang Thuong to Langson. This line will tery tickets. At the Magistracy on the 10th be completed at the end of 1900-Hanoi to inst. the man was fined $25, or a month. Haiphong is in construction; it will be put into working order in the course of 1902-Hanoi to Ninh Dinh (via Nam Dinh) is in construction; it will be put into working order in the course

of 1902.

suspicious looking Chinaman at Shatin and on The other day Sergeant Landor arrested a searching, him found him in possession of paper relating to a Triad Society. The man's Of the foreign goods imported, 11,6681. 4s.

explanation was that he had got the paper from The Cousoil Supérieur met at Pnom-penha man at West Point who had told him that worth were re-exported in 1899, against 6641. | (Cambodia) in October, and voted, among other it would save him from being molested in 58. 9d. in 1898. No native produce was re-things, improvements to the port of Saigon; the New Territory. On visiting the house at the construction of an observatory; and duties The bulk of the trade of this port is with upon betel and tobacco (native). It was remark- police found quite a number of articles relating West Point mentioned by the defendant the Hongkong, the value of the imports from and ed that, from statistics, the export trade of Indo-to the Triad Society. The occupier was taken the exports to that colony during 1899 being China had increased 50 per cent. in three years, into custody and brought before Mr. Hazeland 342,6231. 88. and 315,3921. 178. respectively, and that the import of French products had on the 10th inst. and remanded,

and leaving 33,915. 158, and 14,4821. 19s, as the also increased notably. figures for all other places together.

The following is the return of the average amount of bank notes in oironlation and of specie in reserve in Hongkong during the month ended 30th September, as certified by the Man- agers of the respective banks ------

Cambodia, Tonkin, Annam, Laos.--Nothing of public interest has transpired in any of these provinces during the year under review, except that the first and second Kings of Luang-Pra- bang visited Saigon in October. The capital, Luang Prabang, is an important town of 40,900 inhabitants, situated on the left bank of the * Mekong at its confluence with the Nam Khone. Indigo has always received more or less atten- tion in Cambodia and Laos, also in Cochin China on the river banks after the floods, and is nów assuming considerable importance. The culture attracts the native by its quick returns, a first

The trade with other treaty ports is insigni- ficant. 2,4091, 38. worth of produce was im ported from Pakhoi and Swatow, and local produce to the value of 8,5431. 28. was sent to these ports, the only ones with which Kiung chow carries on trade by means of vessels of foreign type.

Nearly all the foreign goods re-exported from thi now go to Kwangehow Bay, the new kra

settlement to the north-east of the Leichow Peninsula. Whilst these e-exports only amounted in value to 5951, 88, 7d, în 1898,

Banks Chartered Bank of India, amount. Reservę. Average Specie in

Australia and Chins 58 2,760.507 $1,500,000. Hongkong and Shanghai

Banking Corporation 7,950,297. 5,000,000 National Bank of China

Limited Masonga

150000

Total

485.595

$11 155 199:83.6