The evening times., 1899-08-04
COMMERCE. OF HONGKONG
A Gratifying Increase of American
Shipping.
Consul General wfIdmnn Predicts
Its Continued Growth During the
Present Year-Imports From the
United states and the Philippines.
The City a Vast Bonded Warehouse

Rounsevelle Wiidman. American Consul
General at Hongkong, has transmitted to
the State Department a report on that
city's trade during the year 1898.
In il he says: las Hongkong has no
custom house, the only Official source OF
information concerning imports and e2-
ports is the annual report of the h2rbor
master His report for the year ending
December 81, 1895, has just been published,
and il contains many items of interest TO
American exporters and shipowners who
are interested in the commerce of south
ern China and the Philippines. 1t will also
be interesting to note the increase or
American shipping in this port in 1888 over
1857. This has all taken place since Au-
gust, within period of four months Inc
increase for 1899 Will be fully double tnat
OF 1888, because of the large number OF
ships plying between Manila and Hong
kong that have gone under the American
flag, and because of the greater consump-
lion of American goods in Manila
THE total tonnage entering and clearing
this port for the year 1855 amounted 10
IL. .265. $50 tons, an increase compared with
1897 of J. .327 COG tons. There arrived 59,Slo
vessels. aggregating S,64S,214 toos- Eleven
steamers flying the American nag enterei
during 1898, as against in 1897. Thlrty-
two sailing vessels came in under the
American flag, as against 80 in 1897;
America standing second to Great brltain'
with 36 under the British flag.
THE year 1898 was marked by heavy
trade in rice and coal, and the introduction
of oil from Langkat, Sumatra- The de-
mand for rice was largely from Japan, and
that for coal was result OF the late war
with Spain and the centring OF so many
foreign fleets in this harbor. The Amerl-
can kerosene-oil trade remained practically
the same as in 1897 American -four shows
a considerable increase in spite OF the fact
that from April TO August the Manila mar
ket was practically closed 10 il. Hongkong
imported from the United States 270,20i
tons of cargo. against 27S, III tons from the
continent of Europe and 4l6.377 tons from
Great Britain. The imports from the Phil
ippine Islands amounted TO l69,526 TONS
The exports from Hongkong 10 the United
States amounted TO l4S.525 tons and TO the
Philippine Islands TO 2,395 tons, leaY-
ing a balance of trade heavily in our favor.
Among the imports in which the United
States is interested are l03. .544 tons Of ficur
36,6Il tons Of cotton and cotton yarn, 80 ,l6O
tons OF hemp, g.. 1862 tons of kerosene in
bulk and 50 115 tons OF kerosene in case,
all OF which items except kerosene show
an increase over 1887. There arrived dur
ing 1888, on vessels of all classes 3,29O,sO-
passengers. The total revenue OF the har-
bor department, which is made up of light
dues, licenses, and internal revenue and
court and Office fees, amounted to $751;
62S0l.
These figures in some measure show
Hongkongs Importance in the shipping
world. The peculiarity of the Hongkone
trade is that the consumption of import:
on the island itself is 50 small, as COM
pared with the bulk of the trade, that il
can be stated that almost all imports arr
again exported. Hongkong has often beer
called a vast bonded warehouse and clear
ing house for southern China and the sur
rounding countries