through passengers trains daily to and from Canton, three fast, one slow and two goods trains. There were six local passenger trains each way daily.
The rolling stock consisted of 32 coaches, 92 wagons and 16 locomotives. More coaches are urgently required and 24 are on order but delivery cannot be completed before 1952. The delivery of 192 wagons on order is expected to commence sometime in the coming year. A loss which could ill be afforded occurred when a second class coach was totally destroyed in a serious accident at Pu Kut in Chinese Territories on September 3rd, 1948, in which 29 persons lost their lives. Compensation for its loss has been paid. Assistance was rendered by the British Section especially in the removal of the injured who were treated in Kowloon.
It was decided to replace railway watchmen by Police during the year and the change produced immediate results in a reduction in the number of black-market ticket sellers, pilferers, loiterers and other undesirables who were in the habit of frequenting and entering by stealth the enclosed areas of the railway.
Roads.
The building and maintainance of roads in Hong Kong are subject to unusual topographical and climatic difficulties. Most of the the Colony is hilly and the construction of a
new road usually involves considerable blasting operations, but fortunately the rock thus blasted is suitable for use as road metal. Heavy downpours of rain in the Summer months are sufficient to cause grave damage to any road surface which falls short of a high standard of maintenance and further rains are liable to make repairs difficult and expensive. A sum of $320,000 was spent in 1948 in making good damage caused by rains to road cuttings and embankments. In spite of these difficulties the populated areas of the Colony are reasonably well served with roads. Within the 391 square miles of the Colony there are over 400 miles of roads, 173 miles being on the island, 106 miles in Kowloon and the remainder in the New Territories. About 90% of these roads are of modern metalled construction.
The output of stone from Hok Un Quarry has been in- creased, a new quarry has been opened at Hung Shui Kui in the New Territories and many private quarries have been opened. A contract had been let for the production of graded crushed stone from Morrison Hill with the intention that Government should take over the quarry when the contract is completed, but the new quarry plant has not arrived and the contract has been renewed.
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