ASIA : HONGKONG. 389 



Francisco. These rates are liable to fluctuations. Shippers in for- 

 eign bottoms from China usually get a rebate of about 15 per cent. 

 Nearly all local transportation is done by native boats; in the 

 interior, by river steamers to seaport. Business is pooled, and the 

 rebate is given only to those shippers who during the year have not 

 shipped except on steamers in the pool. England controls about 65 

 per cent of the trade in foreign bottoms. The terminal charges for 

 porterage fees, etc., are generally covered by one-half of i per cent 

 of the cost of the goods, except in very bulky, light, and cheap goods. 



DUTIES. 



Foreign printing paper is at present admitted free of duty. An 

 attempt is being made to have a tariff imposed. Books and Chinese 

 paper pay an import duty of about 49 cents gold for 133^ pounds 

 first quality, and 28 cents gold for second quality. 



Goods from and to the interior pay half duty (that is, one-half 

 of the import and export duty) at the ports, if transit passes are 

 provided ; otherwise, they will be subject to payment of the likin 

 taxes chargeable between the provinces, which generally amount 

 to a considerably higher figure than the half duty. The half duty 

 for cotton is about 12^ cents gold per 133^0 pounds; for rags, 

 i^ cents; for hemp, 12^ cents; and for bamboo and straw, an ad 

 valorem duty of 2^2 per cent is charged. 



L. S. WILCOX, 



HANKAU, March 15, 1899. Consul. 



HONGKONG. 



In reply to Department circular of November 16, 1898, I may say 

 briefly that there is no market for American paper in Hongkong. 

 However, if the colony is considered as a distributing center for the 

 Asiatic coast and the American producer believes that he can com- 

 pete with the papers that are manufactured here by the Chinese for 

 sale to the Chinese, I may say that the market is practically unlim- 

 ited. The Chinese as a nation are great consumers of paper, but 

 it is usually in a form unknown to American paper makers. Mil- 

 lions of tons of it are burned annually as offerings to their gods; 

 this is called "joss paper. " It is used as window panes, for the lining 

 of their shoes, for firecrackers, for punk sticks, and a vast amount 

 for toys and for ceremonial occasions. 



MANUFACTURE. 



In Hongkong, there is one modern paper mill, fitted with the latest 

 and most improved English machinery, at an original cost of $400,000 



