COMMUNICATIONS
The original roads averaging 18 feet in width, with no footpaths, have had to be widened wherever possible and dangerous corners removed. At Un Long and Tsun Wan plans for major road widening and reconstruction have been completed. The construction of a new bridge at Tai Wan near Shatin, approxi- mately eight miles from Kowloon, was started during the year. The scheme is part of a plan to replace weak bridges by new ones more in keeping with modern requirements.
The two Government Quarries situated in Hong Kong and Kowloon employing a staff of 550 men, produced 190,000 tons of stone and 60,000 tons of premixed bitumen coated macadam for the road and building projects of the Public Works Depart- ment. Detailed surveys and plans were prepared for a new quarry in Hong Kong, as the existing quarry, situated in the ever growing residential and industrial area of North Point, was the cause of complaint by the public regarding the noise and dust nuisance from the quarry workings which, coupled with inferior stone and an uneconomical working face, made it necessary to consider an alternative site.
Important improvements and steady progress have been made with street lighting. Experiments with various types of lamps have been carried out and, with the erection of 700 new lamps, the total number installed at the end of the year was approximately 4,500.
Civil Aviation
Hong Kong Airport is situated on the mainland about four miles from Kowloon. Its operation is under the control of the Director of Civil Aviation. The airport is suitable for both landplanes and seaplanes as Kai Tak Bay is immediately adjacent to the runways, and both types of air traffic operate under a centralized control. In addition to the two runways, 13/31 (5,418' x 330′) and 07/25 (4,756′ x 230'), both of which
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