118 THE BRITISH EMPIRE: — HONG KONG
The principal items of trade for 5 years are given as follows : —
Imports (consign- ments) into Uni- ted Kingdom :
Sugar and pre- served ginger
Silk, all sorts .
Drugs .
Feathers
Exports from Uni- ted Kingdom .
Cottons, yarns.
Woollens
Iron, and iron & steel manu- factures
Machinery
Tobacco .
1907
69,543
116,153
97,784
37,529
1,335,334 439,155
306,067 160,760
78,800
1908
59,952
132,277
41,304
62,118
1,303,016
258,804
271,020 164,643 112,104
1909
60,629 170,906
28,797 43,108
1,962,213 316,433
225,935
90,048
135,004
1910
1911
50,108
160,116
29,525
51,177
1,873,515 403,663
243,382
90,848
143,365
63,882
169,270
29,124
43,885
1,371,018 291,028
210,525
65,785
114,191
The registered shipping (Dec, 1911) consists of 73 sailing vessels of 14,822 tons and 110 steamers of 35,162 tons ; total tonnage, 49,984;' 22,675 vessels, including 12,862 junks and 1,617 (s/z) steam-launches, repre- senting altogether 11,533,429 tons, entered in 1911, and 22,303 vessels including 12,472 junks, and 1,646 (s/z) steam-launches, representing 11,529,679 tons, cleared in 1911. The number of fishing and other boats frequenting the harbour and bays of Hong Kong in 1911 may be estimated at 19,000.
There is an electric tramway of 9J miles, and a cable tramway connect- inc The Peak district with the lower levels of A'ictoria. The British section of^'the Hong Kong-Canton Railway was begun in 1907, and opened to traffic on 1st October, 1910.
Money and Credit.
The British banking institutions in the Colony are the Hong Kong and Shanghai Banking Corporation, whose head office is at Hong Kong, the Chartered Bank of India, Australia and China, and the Mercantile Bank of India, Ltd. There are also several foreign banks.
Money, Weig^hts, and Measures.
The money, weights, and measures in use at Hong Kong, and the British equivalents, are : —
The Mexican Dollar = 100 Coits.
,, British ,, = ,, ,,
,, Chinese Tael = 10 Mace. 100 Candareens = 1,000 Cash - about Ss. 4fZ.
Hong Kong 50, 20, 10, and 5 cent, pieces, and 1 cent, pieces (copper) imported from England, and the Mil or Cash (copper) no longer coined.
The Tael . " ' - ^1 9^- avoirdupois
,, Ficul .
,, Oatty .
, , GhcJc .
,, Cheung .... Besides the above weights and measures of China, those of Great Britain are in general use in the colony.
= 14| inches. = 12tV feet.
