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throughout the year; meanwhile the temporary terminal at Navy Street functions successfully. The new terminal comprising a rein- forced concrete pier, 1,250 feet long, 250 feet wide, with a three- storey building for passenger reception, cargo handling, car parking and restaurants, is being built with the assistance of substantial grants and loans from Government.
An increased movement of shipping has again been recorded with a consequent strain on storage facilities. Although transhipment cargo was at a lower level than last year the volume of imports and exports remained high. Details of vessels entered and cleared during the year, together with figures of cargo loaded and discharged, are in Appendix XXXVI which also shows the number of passen- gers, including emigrants, who landed and embarked during the year. The wharf and godown companies are estimated to have a total storage space of well over 1,000,000 tons, catering for the storage and transhipment of all types of refrigerated, dangerous and ordinary goods. This year saw the completion of two modern multi-storey godowns equipped for mechanical handling, one in Kowloon and the other at North Point. Two new cranes have been added to the wharf at North Point to facilitate direct discharging from hold to godown.
Most cargo handled in Hong Kong is at some stage or another transported by lighter. There are more than 2,000 of these lighters and junks and more than 500 of them are mechanically propelled. Mechanical lighters are particularly suited for the handling and transport of parcels of cargo and their numbers are constantly increasing. Bunkering services are provided at the four major oil wharves or by lighter, although the Mobil oil jetty at Lai Chi Kok was severely damaged in September by a drifting ship in typhoon Ruby. A temporary berth has been provided with the use of harbour moorings on loan from the Marine Department. Fresh water is also available, and the restrictions which the drought had imposed on the supply of fresh water to shipping were removed when con- ditions improved in May.
Officers of the Mercantile Marine Office supervise the engagement and discharge of seamen serving in British ships and also the crews of those ships whose countries have no consular representation in Hong Kong. Some 26,000 Hong Kong seamen are regularly em- ployed in a sea-going capacity in ships under many different national
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