THE GATE OF THE ORIENT.

New Zealand Herald, Volume XXXVIII, Issue 11771, 28 September 1901, Page 2 (Supplement)

THE GATE OF THE ORIENT.

INTERESTING FIGURES ABOUT THE

SUEZ CANAL TRAFFIC. If the Suez Canal is the front-door of the East, Port Said is the boot-scraper, abundantly clogged with human mud, but an advantageous perch from which to watch who goes out and in. The British Consul there vi able to collect a lob of interesting facts about the goings and comings of various people. During last year 3441 vessels, with 282,194 passengers, crossed the isthmus by the artificial waterway. They included 261 war vessels. The number of British vessels which passed through the Canal during the year 1900 was 1935, with a net tonnage of 5,606,421. In 1899 the total number was 3607 vessels, with a tonnage of 9,895,630. The transit receipts, which in 1899 amounted to 91,318,7721., and were higher than in any previous vear since the opening of the Canal, fell t090.623,608f. in 1900, being a decrease of 695.164f. The mean net tonnage per vessel has risen from 1951 tons in 1889 to 2743 tons in 1899, and 2830 tons in 1900. Owing to the events in China Russia sent out 37.000 troops, as against 11.000 in 1899, and 19,000 in 1898 ; France sent out 34,000 troops, as against 8000 in 1898 and in 1899 ; Germauv 24,000 troops, as against 2000 in 1899 and 4000 in 1898. On the other hand, the number of outward bound British troops through the Canal has fallen from 19,000 in 1898 to 15,000 in 1899, and 5600 in 1900. Since the end of the war with the United States Spain has withdrawn 22,000 troops from the Philippines, while America has sent out 13,000 troops. Owing specially to the large number of foreign warships and transports sent to China, the percentage of British tonnage has fallen from 66.6 in 1889 to 57.6 per cent, in 1900. At the same time, the tonnage of German vessels has risen from 10.8 to 15.1 per cent. If, however, we consider only merchant vessels, 2407 British, tonnage percentage has falbm. from 77.2 to 71 per cent., and that of Germany has risen from 9.3 to 11.1 per cent. Thus two out of three merchant vessels in the Canal and seven out of ten mercantile tons are British. These figures are reassuring, but at the" same time it is necessary to call attention to the rapid strides which Germany has been making in her competition for the currying trade with the Far Eos J. The North German Lloyd Company are said to have doubled their coasting trade during the last year in the East Indian arid Chinese waters.