The Port.
COMMUNICATIONS
Chapter 11.
The prosperity of Hong Kong as a great commercial entrepôt depends to a large extent on the efficiency of its port facilities. In addition to ocean-going ships under a wide variety of flags, large numbers of sailing and motor junks and river steamers which sail from Hong Kong along the China coast can be seen daily in the harbour. There are also numbers of steam launches and junks and sampans which serve the port as ancillary craft for the larger shipping.
As may be seen from the Table at the end of this section the total net tonnage of vessels entering and leaving the Colony has shown an increase during the year. The total tonnage of vessels of over 60 tons has increased by approximately 10% and the tonnage for river steamers by about 25% over 1947 although during the last quarter of the year the number of American vessels using the port declined as a result of the shipping strike in America. Services between Hong Kong and Europe and the United Kingdom have been improved by the placing in service of a second P. & O. liner, the R.M.S. "Carthage", a sister ship to the R.M.S. "Canton", and by an increase in the number of cargo vessels carrying up
to twelve passengers. The congestion of passenger traffic to Europe though still serious has been eased by these measures.
The trend of fitting junks with mechanical means of power has persisted although such vessels are now limited to the of heavy oil engines.
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The repair and improvement of port facilities have continued throughout the year and local docking, repair and overhaul facilities of any magnitude for all types of vessels are now available. Vessels up to 750 feet in length can be dry-docked and the con- struction of ships up to 10,000 tons, subject only to the limitations imposed by shortage of supplies, is again possible.
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The port communication system has been extended to