Chapter VIII.

Hong Kong.

Hong Kong is in many ways the ideal of what a port should be. It owes much to locality and to its capacity, but its preeminent position is due to its being a free port under the British flag. As in most places in the world where powerful interests have much at stake, abuses crept in, and some sections of the community got to be favoured, and others, equally entitled to respect and consideration, had to struggle against injustice and adverse conditions. Most, if not all, of these objections have been removed, and the local laws and regulations show no blots, or only a few, in this respect. Every nationality in the world claiming to do foreign trade with the East is represented here. Englishmen might well be proud to see what may be done under their flag when the great national principles of free trade are given full scope, and commerce, untrammelled by vexatious regulations, is allowed to grow and develop in its might.

The colony gives no returns of imports and exports, that being impracticable; but it is the chief centre, and, as it were, the focus of the trade of China and Japan with the West. The Board of Trade returns show that it imported from the United Kingdom, in the five years 1879-83, merchandise valued at £17,087,000, of which £16,264,000 were manufactured goods and produce of Great Britain and Ireland, £13,257,000 being apparel, cottons, linens, and woollens. The imports into the United Kingdom from Hong Kong consist of portions of the produce of China, Japan, and other Eastern countries, which it was found most convenient to send through that port, and also the above merchandise shipped to Hong Kong direct from the United Kingdom was only a portion of the goods intended for such countries, the remainder being shipped to them direct. Hong Kong received from Great Britain 365,000 tons of coal and fuel in five years, 1879-83; but she also obtains large supplies of these articles from other countries, some of which are nearer and more handy than England.

The revenue of the colony averaged about £244,000 a year for the five years 1879-83. The revenue for 1884 was $1,171,099 ($118,350 less than the previous year); at 4s. 2d. a page 94 dollar, this is £243,977. The population in 1883 numbered 7,990 whites, 1,722 coloured, and 150,690 Chinese; total, 160,402. The taxation is, therefore, $7.31 per head. For such a rich port this compares favourably with the taxation per head in the poor, ill-taxed agricultural settlements. The revenue is raised by rents on Crown lands put up to auction for terms of years; by rents on stone quarries, and market charges; by spirit licences, and licences to sell and prepare opium, and by market charges. There are the usual stamps, court fees, &c. There are taxes on houses for lighting and police purposes, and there are port charges.

Chinamen live cheaply almost anywhere; they probably can do so effectively in this great port. Predial labour is paid in kind, and ordinary labour is about 17 cents of a dollar a day. Skilled and mechanical labour is proportionately paid higher, but it is not dear.

In the year 1884 the number of vessels that entered Hong Kong harbour was 26,763, measuring 5,167,231 tons, and having 431,429 people as crews. Among these were 23,473 Chinese junks, of 1,687,594 tons, with 290,846 crews. There were 2,397 vessels under the British flag, measuring 2,685,194 tons, and having 106,364 crews. The next in importance are the Germans, with 474 vessels, 309,171 tons, 10,389 crews. The Americans come next with 146 vessels, 192,803 tons, and 5,797 men (the Americans have always fewer hands on their commercial—especially sailing—vessels than other people). The French have 104 vessels, 156,120 tons, and 20,346 men. Out of the total number of British vessels it seems that only 148 arrived direct from the United Kingdom. The movements of commerce are most complicated, but the study is deeply interesting, and of great moment for a commercial people. The rise of such ports as Hong Kong and Singapore are only possible on free trade principles. Although all the great powers of the world, as may be seen, are interested in these ports, and do much of their Eastern trade through them, every friend of freedom must be fearful to see them so insecure as to be open to a passing raid, and the heavy attendant losses, by any enterprising ironclad.