88. The existing telephone services to Bandung and Seoul were extended by two hours daily during the year. An additional channel was made available to Tokyo.
89. The Company's "Harborphone" scheme continues to expand and facilities are available for any ship moored within the harbour to be fitted with a V.H.F. radiotelephone installation on hire, giving direct connexion between ship and ship or from ship to any subscriber on the Hong Kong Telephone Exchange. This service is proving both popular and useful, some 250 calls a day now being made to and from ships in harbour,
90. The Company's radio facsimile service, already available to and from Singapore and London, has been extended to include Japan and San Francisco, and a service to Manila is contem- plated.
91. The traffic figures for the year ended the 31st March, 1956, were as follows:-
Telegrams transmitted
Telegrams received
Radiophone mins. transmitted
Radiophone mins. received
Ship/Shore Radiophone mins. transmitted Ship/Shore Radiophone mins. received Radio Pictures transmitted 308 pictures Radio Pictures received 25 pictures
Press Broadcasts-Words handled
Met. Broadcasts-Words handled
1,060,960
1,121,050
413,825
787,149
60
151
82,217 sq. cms.
6,424 sq. cms.
55,000,000 700,000
ACCOMMODATION
92. The critical lack of space continues to have far reaching and serious repercussions. Lack of sorting and bag space in the major exchange offices of Hong Kong and Kowloon has forced us to decline legitimate International requests for more "closed" mails, and despite persistent pressure from United Kingdom, France and other major Administrations, it remains absolutely impossible to meet their requests, and will remain impossible until new major sorting offices are provided.
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