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.