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HONG KONG ANNUAL REPORT
Ferries. The 'Star' Ferry Company, Ltd. operates a pas- senger ferry service across the narrowest part of the harbour, a distance of approximately one mile, from a point in the centre of Victoria to Tsimshatsui at the southern extremity of the Kowloon Peninsula. Eight vessels are in service and operate daily for 19 hours. A three-minute service, taking eight minutes to cross, is maintained during the day, and a regular service until well past midnight. Over 36 million passengers were carried in 142,000 crossings during the year, the average daily load being 100,000 persons.
The Hongkong and Yaumati Ferry Company Ltd. operates a fleet of 46 diesel-engined ferry vessels which maintain 6 cross-harbour ferry services as well as ferry services to the outlying districts in the New Territories.
The routes inside the Harbour consist of services connect- ing Wilmer St., Jubilee St., Stewart Road and Tonnochy Road on the Island, to Shamshuipo, Mongkok, Jordan Road and Kowloon City on Kowloon Peninsula. In addition to carrying passengers, the Jubilee Street to Jordan Road ferry service also provides the only vehicular ferry service in the Colony. A second vehicular service is under consideration.
During 1956 a record number of passengers and vehicles were carried, being 81,750,000 and 1,251,000 respectively, an increase of 4,500,000 passengers and 79,000 vehicles over the previous year's figures.
On 3rd July, 1956, a new ferry service was opened between Kowloon City on the eastern part of Kowloon Peninsula and Wantsai, directly connecting the eastern areas of the Harbour for the first time by a regular enfranchised ferry service. Since its commencement, this service has carried over 1,980,000 passengers.
Of the services to outlying districts, the Cheung Chau route again carried large numbers of holiday makers through- out the summer. It was further improved during the summer season by extending the last ferry leaving Hong Kong to