Also machinery, drugs, leather, stationery, metals, other tissues, &c. Japanese returns differentiate Kwantung province from China, and the principal imports from the former are given as : £ 409,200 123,500 31,700 The leading exports to Kwantung province are cigarettes (36,500l.), tobacco, sugar, iron and steel, beer, &c. Together with other paper, iron and steel goods, &c. The imports from Egypt were practically limited to one item, raw cotton, of which 307,400l. worth was imported. Rice to the value of 232,500l. was the leading import from French Indo-China. The Philippine Islands imports comprised mainly flax, hemp and China grass (32,0001.), and sugar. The imports from Austria-Hungary were mainly paper, malt, paraffin wax, soap, &c. Swiss imports were chiefly watches and parts thereof, condensed milk and aniline dyes. British trade. The trade of Yokohama with the British Empire declined considerably in the aggregate from the figures for 1908, the decrease being from 8,526,030l. to 7,493,0407., a difference of 1,032,9907. This decline was, however, practically entirely in the imports, which went down 996,8801. during the year. The figures for the various sections of the Empire show great variations. A large decrease of 785,000l. in the imports from the British Isles accounted for the greater part of the total loss of imports, while a decline of over 310,000l. from India and over 8,000l. from Canada accounted for the remainder. Against these there was a substantial increase from Australia, with minor ones from Hong-Kong and the Straits Settlements. The principal imports from the United Kingdom were : Besides considerable quantities of machinery, building and bridge materials, drugs, steel goods, manures, wire, &c., for which separate figures for Yokohama alone are not available. In the above figures there are some considerable changes from the previous year. Grey shirtings have fallen off some 84,000l. and cotton satins 47,000l., while white shirtings and cotton yarn show declines of 34,000l. and 17,000l. respectively. Iron goods also show important declines and so do steel bars, &c. The imports of wool show an increase of 156,000!., bringing the amount near to that of previous years. Ammonium sulphate imports continue to decline. The total trade of the port with the United Kingdom in 1909 shows a percentage decrease on the figures of 1908 of 16 as against 19 increase and 22 decrease in the cases of France and Germany respectively. The imports from these countries decreased by 17.5, 1.2 and 14.3 per cent. respectively. The principal exports to the United Kingdom in 1909 included: The decrease in total export trade to the United Kingdom is accounted for chiefly by copper (125,000l.), habutæ (34,0007.) and silk handkerchiefs (48,0007.). Imports from British India, mainly rice and raw cotton, fell off considerably, chiefly owing to a decline (463,000l. to 100,000l.) in the rice import. This decrease is progressive, but was accentuated in 1909 by large stocks carried over from 1908, with abundant home and Formosa crops. There was an increase in raw cotton imports from 219,700l. to 276,000l. 17 In which habutæ shows a decline of 70,000l. Imports from Australia show an increase due to wool (157,000l. as against 41,000l. in 1908 and 526,000l. in 1907). Exports to Australia were mostly habutæ (193,000l.) and other silk goods. The small import trade with Canada shows an all round decrease, the wheat import having dropped out entirely. Staple exports to Canada (tea 51,4007. and habutæ 33,4007.) remained stationary, while there were slight increases in silk handkerchiefs, porcelain, lacquer, &c. The chief imports from Hong-Kong were tin (10,000l.). The exports were various Chinese comestibles (bêche-de-mer, cuttlefish, sharks' fins), ginseng, cotton yarns and cotton crape. Imports from the Straits Settlements were mainly tin (35,6007.) and rubber (36,5007.), both of which show increases, while exports were cotton crapes, tea, Chinese comestibles and jinrikishas (17,000l.). Shipping. The total shipping of the port for 1909 was 1,126 vessels of 3,332,124 tons (net registered). This shows an all-round decline, except in the case of Japanese shipping, and a total decrease of 67 vessels and 235,000 tons, due no doubt in part to decreased imports such as rice and sugar. The following table shows the shares of the chief participants in the two years 1908-09. TABLE showing Share of Principal Participants in Shipping Trade of Yokohama during the Years 1908-09. RETURN of British Shipping in the Port of Yokohama during the Year 1909. Freights.-To European ports freights have remained unchanged since last year, viz., raw silk, 16s. 4d. and 11s. 23d. per cwt.; waste and cocoons, 21. 98. and 21. 5s. per cwt. Similarly raw silk to New York was 3d. per lb.; tea to Pacific coast, 17. 5s. per 40 cubic feet; general merchandise to London, 21. 10s.; and to San Francisco, 11. 9s. per 40 cubic feet. The tendency has been for a fall in rates to Pacific coast ports owing to increased tonnage on the run. General business conditions.-The total quantity of specie and bullion imported and exported was : The total amount of customs duties collected at Yokohama during 1909 was 1,397,7501. In the clearing house the amount of bills cleared was : Foreign banks account for about 23,500,000l. of this amount. Paid and £ 23,000,000 44,000,000 16,888,500 39,031,400 20,690,400 38,940,400 The average monthly amount of deposits in all banks was 8,084,900l., as against 7,012,500l. in 1908 and 7,305,000l. in 1907, |