GENERAL SURVEY
THE 1967-68 financial year closed with a nett profit of only $832,149 compared with $3,618,173 for the previous year. This comparatively poor financial result was due mainly to the large decrease in the movement of merchandise into the Colony in the first six months of the financial year brought about by the political events in China and the civil dis- turbances in Hong Kong. The volume of goods traffic began to increase in October but was still relatively small during the last six months of the year compared with the quantity carried during the same period of the preceding year. The reduction in goods traffic, over 99% of which con- sists of imports from China, is reflected in the following figures:
(a) Gross Railway revenue $12,593,187 was $3,672,976 less than the
all time record of $16,266,163 in 1966-67.
(b) Goods revenue $4,741,719 was $3,407,810 less than the all time
record of $8,149,529 in 1966–67.
(c) Goods tonnage 566,452 was 477,699 less than the all time record
of 1,044,151 in 1966-67.
(d) Number of live pigs by rail from China 814,330 was 217,528 less
than the all time record of 1,031,858 in 1966–67.
2. The tonnage of goods imported from China was 564,162, a decrease of 45.75% from the previous year. The export tonnage was 1,425, a decrease of 45.55%-
3. The total number of passengers carried this year was 9,279,192 as against 9,473,899 in the previous year. Conditions in China continued to influence the movement of passengers to and from that country and the number carried was 588,498 compared with 679,326 in 1966-67 (See Appendix XIV). Although the Railway provided train services during the period of unrest when other means of transport were not readily available, there was less travelling generally between Kowloon and the New Territories at that time. This has affected the number of local passengers for the year which was 8,690,694 compared with 8,794,573 for the previous year (See Appendix IV). The upward trend of local traffic, however, was resumed after the disturbances began to subside and the number of passengers conveyed during the last six months of the year
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