69. Mr. WONG U-lam, A.M.I.Mech.E., A.M.I.Loco.E., Assistant Mechanical Engineer, was appointed as Acting Mechanical Engineer on 1st August, 1961.
70. A total of 13 officers retired during the year after serving the railway for periods ranging from 9 to 36 years.
STAFF WELFARE
71. Earned leave granted during the year to the total staff of 585, amounted to:
4,137 days vacation leave
6,605 days casual leave.
Total paid sick leave for the year amounted to 1,756 days and a further 38 days no-pay leave was also approved. Maternity leave totalling 150 days was also granted.
72. Railway Club. The Railway Club, run purely on subscriptions from railway staff, continued to flourish. Up to 31st March, 1962 the Club had repaid a total of $37,425.50 to Government on the loan of $43,000.00. In March, 1962 there were 443 members.
73. Film Shows. Film shows were run at the expense of the Club once a week throughout the year for members and their families and were always well attended.
74. Sports. During the year the Club entered a team in the miniature football competition organized by the Hong Kong Civil Servants' Association. A table tennis tournament was held for teams representing the various sub-departments of the Railway and was enthusiastically supported.
75. Education. During the year under review, the Railway Club School continued to function with success. The pupils' attendance was good with an average of 98.6% and their progress in studies was satisfactory. All the eighteen candidates who were permitted to sit for the 1961 Joint Primary 6 Examination passed every subject required in the examination, while ten did particularly well and were hence allotted places in secondary schools by the Education Department.
76. As in previous years, seven classes ranging from Primaries I to VI were run with a total enrolment of 280 pupils. Applications for admission far exceeded the vacant seats available. We could only afford to admit about 12% of the applicants to our school. An expansion is, therefore, considered necessary.
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