German Clock for Harbour Customs Building ca. 1910?

Submitted by Martin Bode on Sun, 03/06/2016 - 16:15

During their research for a book about the history of a German factory producing clocktower-clocks, the authors came across a mention of a clock built for the “Hafenzollgebäude” in “Hongkong (China)” (Hafen = harbour, Zoll = customs, Gebäude = building).

They found it in a company publication dated 1928 and assume that it was meant for a building constructed around 1900. It might have been meant for a clock tower or for a building façade.

The company, “Turmuhrenfabrik Wilhelm Kühn”, was founded in 1816 in Gräfenroda/Germany and built more than 780 clocktower clocks in the 150 years of its existence.

Any thoughts about which "Harbour Customs Building" that could have been?

Why would the clock have been bought from a German company instead of a British one?

Danke/thanks for your thoughts!

Martin (Mo Tat Wan, Lamma)

Harbour Customs Building, c.1910

Hi Martin,

The 1908 Harbour Master's Report, http://sunzi.lib.hku.hk/hkgro/view/a1908/43.pdf, notes that Hong Kong is a free port, which I think means there wouldn't be much of a requirement for customs?

2.—Trade.
10. Hongkong being a free port there are no reliable statistics of other Imports and Exports except as regards certain items of cargo, dealt with in the Colony, of which, either from their nature and the circumstances under which they are imported, or from the fact that they are required by law to be specially reported, substantially accurate returns can be given. These items are Coal, Kerosene oil (which includes all products of petroleum), Opium, Morphine, Compounds of Opium, and Sugar. The figures for the three latter will be found in Appendix B.

But if the Harbour Master was the closest thing to a Customs Service, they had a new building built in 1906, so that's a possibility: http://gwulo.com/harbour-office

Regards, David