15
Communications
TODAY as always Hong Kong relies upon an efficient system of communications. When the Colony lived largely by entrepôt trade its position on the China Coast was of the greatest importance. In the changing conditions of today, with the emphasis on industrial production and export that position, as the focus of so many of the communications routes of eastern Asia, is still of vital importance. As an industrial city Hong Kong lives by the efficiency of the systems by which people and goods are moved to and from the port and airport and to and from homes and work places within the city itself, as much as by its telephone, postal and telecommu- nication links with the rest of the world.
The Port of Victoria is a fine natural harbour with all the additional facilities required by modern ship operators. Berths at government buoys or at private wharves and piers permit a con- tinual flow of shipping through the port with a minimum of delay, while modern cargo handling equipment ensures the rapid turn round vital to shipping economy. Chinese crews have an excellent reputation for hard work and ability, and may be engaged for an entire ship, or for individual shipboard departments. All the ancillary services essential to the efficient day-to-day running of a ship can be provided at short notice by ship contractors, repairers and chandlers specializing in maintenance and painting, victualling, watering and refuelling. Regular and frequent services are main- tained by many well-known and old-established shipping lines, some 20 companies providing regular sailings to Europe and a similar number to the North American continent. There are also regular services to Australian, New Zealand, South American, South African and Asian ports.
The Director of Marine administers the ports of the Colony and his department co-operates closely with shipping and commercial interests through the Port Committee and the Port Executive