pared with 236 tons in 1946. Of the companies regularly calling at Hong Kong, four are British, 2 Chinese and 3 Philippine, while America, France, Norway and Siam claim one apiece. The Chinese air transport companies continue to carry the bulk of the traffic in and out of the Colony and during 1947 handled 63% of the passengers. Although fares remain on the whole high by comparison with those prevailing in Europe and America, there were considerable reductions: a journey to Manila at the beginning of the year cost $800 and at the end of the year $300, while the fare to Shanghai has been reduced from $700 to $380. Airport fees remain at the same level as
in 1937.
In spite of the hazardous approach to Kai Tak the aerodrome still retains its record that no fare-paying passenger carried by a civil aircraft has yet been injured since flying began in 1930. During 1947, one accident occurred when a plane flying in from the Philippines crashed 50 feet below the peak of Mount Parker with the loss of its crew. No passengers were carried.
After the re-occupation of the Colony air traffic control services were manned by the Royal Air Force, but during the year under review the demobilisation of service personnel before it was possible to obtain qualified civil staff caused con- siderable difficulties and resulted in restrictions in the use and operation of the airfield. By the end of the year these difficulties had been overcome and the majority of these services are now staffed by civilian employees.
Aviation relations with China were placed on a mutually satisfactory basis by an agreement between China and the United Kingdom which was negotiated in Nanking during the early part of the year by representatives from London and Hong Kong. The agreement, which was signed on 23rd July, 1947, gave British airlines the right to use four of China's airports. As a result of this agreement a company known as Hong Kong Airways Ltd. was formed with the backing of the British Over- seas Airways Corporation to operate routes to Shanghai and Canton and the first British scheduled service to China arrived in Shanghai on 2nd December. A similar agreement with the Philippines Government was negotiated in Manila in December, 1947, but has not yet been signed.
The Railway.
Kowloon is the southern terminal of a railway system extending to the north as far as Hankow in central China. From Shumchun on the border of the New Territories northward to Canton the route is now operated by the Canton-Hankow Rail- way, and is referred to as the southern section of that line. From Shumchun south to Kowloon, a distance representing 36 kilometres out of a total of 183 kilometres, from Kowloon to Canton, the railway is operated by the Hong Kong Government and is known as the British Section of the Kowloon-Canton Railway. As the railway is operated in two sections an agree- ment was in force before the war whereby each section collected
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