THE HONGKONG TELEGRAPH. THURSDAY, MAY 14, 1936.
Exclusive Details of Air Raid Precautions PROTECTING HONGKONG FROM THE MENACE OF GAS ATTACK
:
LOCAL EXPERTS DEVELOP PLAN OF DEFENCE
HOTELS, BANKS AND Y.M.C.A. AS SHELTERS
GAS MASKS FOR ALL CIVILIANS
"Telegraph" Special Representative
For some years past the local Committee appointed to deal with the safeguarding of Hongkong in the event of a gas raid has been quietly developing the details necessary to complete its elaborate plan of defence.'
I AM NOW ABLE TO REVEAL SOME OF THE STEPS ALREADY TAKEN BY THIS COMMITTEE.
HOLLYWOOD DRAMA IN RAILWAY
ANNUAL REPORT
WAR
ON THE WATERFRONT
Two pages in the Annual Report of the Manager of the Kowloon Canton Railway, issued last night, read almost like the script of a Hollywood drama.
They tell the story of the in tense competition that occurred last year between the Railway and the river-boats.
Despite this extraordinary competition, and the economic de- pression existing in South China, cimphasised in the Report, the railway succeeded in carrying a record number of 2,799,353 pas- sengers during the year, as compared with 2,683,444 in 1934 and
2,765,726 in 1933.
K.C.R. Made World revenue
Record Last Year
It was disclosed in the Annual | Report of the Manager of the Kow- loon Canton Railway, issued fast night, that what is believed to be a
world record for a single-engined express was established by the K.C.R. during last year's Jubilee celebrations.
when the morning express train from Canton on Jubilee. Nay, consisting of 12 coaches with a normal carrying capacity of 1,174, brought 2,237 puasenkura to Hongkong.
were
Recelts and net operating
$1,411,674
and $500,654 vapectively, na ngainst $1,639,775 and $696,604 in the previous year. The former figures would have been increased to $1,512,405 and $601,385 had terminal through trafle receipts the of the British section of the K. C.R. remained at 35 per cent.
The shipping war, which com menced in December, 1934, was
the result of Diesel-engined vessel, the "Lee Hong." being placed on the Hongkong-Canton
run.
CUT-THROAT REDUCTIONS
In the face of this new threat
"eut-throat"
rc.
= RADIO BROADCAST
Hongkong Hotel Dance Orchestra
CHILDREN'S CONCERT
From Z.B.W. on a wavelength of 365 metres (845 kilocycles):
5-6 p.m. Hongkong Hotel Dance Orchestra.
6 p.m. Children's Studio Concert. 6.30 1.
Dance Music,
77
7 p.m. Selections from Musical Comedy.
Fanfare-Selection: From "Erik Charell's "White Horse Ian;" The Merry Widow (Lebar); Song-Te Shield the husband's honour"Helen" Offenbach). Friedel Schuster (So. μεταπολ.
7.30 Ragamuffin's.
p.m. Harry Roy's Tiger
Fox-Trot Medley; it Don't mean a
my baby; I got rhythm; Memories of thing: lappy. feet; Everybody loves you: Rain and Goodbye blues; Fox. Trai Medley.
Tauber (Tenor).
7.45 p.m. Songs by Richard
me
1. Let me love you tonight (Tun- bridge); 2. Night and Day (Cole One of the most vital parts of the Committee's plans,
Porter); 3. Let me awaken your heart (Tanber); 4. You mean the I learn, provides for the selection throughout the Colony
world to
(Tauber); 6. Sonja, 1 love you (Tauber). of suitable buildings where the people engaged in main-
8 p.m. Time, Weather; Stock Quo- taining essential services--such as electric lighting, horns, whose ear-piercing noise to an already over-glutted service,stions and Announcements.
8.05 p.m. Chinese Studio Concert. will leave no doubt regarding the progressive waterworks, transportation, gasworks, telephones, etc. warning they are meant to convey.ductions were made by the various
11 p.m.
Close Down. 8.05-10 p.m. European Pro- will be safe from gas and bombs.
As soon as the local Committed steamboat companies.
gramme from ZEK on a fre- decide which measure to adopt. These reductions culminated inquency of 640 kilocycles. Efforts are also being made by the Committee to test warnings will be made in the fares being cut so much toʻthe 8.05 p.m. A Concert. ensure that:
Colony, in order to educate the bone that at one stage it was Pianoforte Solo-Mazurka in D populace.
possible for passengers to travel Major, Op. 33, No. 2 (Chopin between Hongkong and Canton | Mazurka in A Fiat Major, Op. 69, No. by boat at a fare of ten centst 2 (Chopin). Izace Jan Paderewski; At the commencement of this Song Jennie with the Light Brown Inir (Foster)....John McCormack, war the Bailway Administration (Tenor); Violin Solo Dance of the was informed that the combative ioblins (Bazzini)...Yehudi Menuhin; mensures taken by the various SongsCume back to me (de Curtis): steamboat companies were direct- Venetinn Serenade (Melichar)...
against the Lee Hong" and not Beniamino Gigli (Tenor); Song-Ave against the railway,
Marin (Verdi),...Margherita Perros (Soprano); Instrumental Cradle ....The Angelus Octet.
8,35 P.it. "Peer Gynt Suite No. 2" Gries)
Selected buildings in the Colony are adequately protected; The first and second floors of certain public and private buildings are carmarked for rapid conversion into gas shelters; Water and food supplies are rendered safe from infection; Recognised signals may be given to the population in the event of a sudden attack;
Ambulance services, doctors and fire, brigades are familiar with their special duties; and
CHEAP GAS MASKS
shortly be informed that cheap and It is hoped that the public will effective gas masks, within reach of the pocket of every citizen of the Colony, will be available.
The Committee intend to make effective gas masks available as soon as they are procurable.
tain a mask suitable to the pockets
The larger companies thought
Effective, gas masks, within reach of the pocket of every The difficulty at present is to obthat the economic pressure they Song: (Brahma); Serenade (Schubert)
inhabitant in the Colony, are available.
or pm. Harry Lauder Mem-
The essence of any air defence measures is that relating to De of the Chinese population and to were exerting on this new vessel plan is that the public be in-contamination work.
focal meteorological conditions, would quickly drive her off the formed, through the press and One of the most pernicious poi- One of the diffeulties that has had run.
8.52 As the year progressed, how. by posters and individual cir-son gases is mustard gas and its to be tackled in Hongkong is the culars, of the steps necessary to allies.
9 p.m. Daventry News Bulletin and perishable nature of gas masks in ever, it became evident that the
struggle was likely to be a prolong- | Aunouncements. The Government estimates for humid climates. safeguard the populace in the
ed one, and the railway was forced 9.20 p.m. Songs by Webster the current year contain allotments
to take various steps to augment Booth (Tenor). event of an air raid, and this, I
to the Sanitary and Medical De- understand, will be done soon.
its through partments totalling $16,3GO
passenger receipts which by March had shrunk ap For many years past there has this work. which one might an Air Kalds Protection imagine to consist of the erection been
proximately 40 per cent. organisation in Hongkong, his infor
Decontamination centres in all other defended ports.
various parts of the city, to where The defence of the Colony civilians may take their clothing. from gas attack is, of course, à bedding, etc, to be decontaminated Governmental responsibility, in the event of a gas attack.
and the Government has met this responsibility by appointing an influential Committee of Govern- ment oficials, assisted by civi lions who had special qualitien- tions-technical and otherwise und by the military authori- ties.
for
GASES ARE PERSISTENT
It is worth noting that the actual danger from gas ruids is by no means at an end when the hambs cense dropping. Gases, and especially mustard gases, are so persistent that they can affect people for days after a raid. Cleansing of clothes, even to jumping into the har bour, is the only remedy.
year, the Hongkong
At present gas masks, if im
tel ported, would
anything from $20 to $50 each. But
shortly new type is
being manufactured in England, and It is probable that this will be marketed in Flongkong, when available, at a cost not exceed ing $1.
Naturally, the regular Army and the Hongkong Volunteer Defence Corps are already equipped with the available type of military gas- musk.
The "Lee Hong" ceased to be a
British ship on December 6 when declared the vessel to be the pro- an order of the Supreme Court perty of the On Wos Navigation Company.
CAUSED BIG LOSSES
Since that date she has been in the lands of a Receiver and has not run. During her short but Any Hongking citizen çan eventful career "she caused con- tain one of these masks by siderable losses to both steam- becoming a member Volunteers.
ob-
of
the
boats and railway by upsetting the economie balance of transport) between Hongkong and Canton.
ANTI-AIRCRAFT DEFENCE · It must have been evident to all residents of the Colony, during
It was early recognised by the Commillee that underground .cel- lara would constitute a dangerous method of protection from gas This bombs, the contents of which are Government appropriated a total the recent sarial night
maioc-
of
The only redeeming feature from the railway point of view is that it has demonstrated in no uncertain manner its potentialities
heavier than air, and consequently of $36,808 for Anti-Gas purposes. uvres, that the placement sink to the lowest possible level. When the next Budget comes be searchlights (and, naturally, anti-a passenger-carrying medium
The danger from high explosive fore Legislative Council in Septem- aircraft guns with them) has been vis-a-via the river steamers.
1. At Dawning (Cadman); 2. mine to-night (Posford). Mifanwy (Forster); 3. The World
9.30 p.m. Dance Music. 10 p.m. Big Hen: Close Down."
ZEESEN PROGRAMMES
listeners will be broadcast from Zeesen mi
Speele) IPORTAMEN Jor Fer Fantart
[ollows!
DJB DJB DJN DJB
South Asia Zone, broadtrant frume DB, (10.74 metres) Kad DJM (32.45 metres),
4.50 p.m. German Folk Bone-
19.74 m 26,200 ke 1303 p.1. 19.74 m 35,700 ke 441-8.ik pan.
31.45 m 1,510 ke 4.40-8.15 p.29,
19.74 m 18.200 ken.m.12.30 q.m.
SOUTH ASIA ZONE
4.55 p.m. Greetings is our listenar. 5. p.m.
Her Youth Programmer A Talk
about. "Race" by Dr. Grom. 5.20 p.m. News and Economic Review in
English
3.45 p.m. Beptel for Villa, Visia, Clarinet,
Hern, Bassoon, Cebo and Double- (Continued on Page 4
RAILWAY
bombs precludes the use of the top ber, it is quite possible: that the system tite vilian population, the report of the Manager leaves AGREEMENT
floors of buildinga.
SAFEST SHELTERS
15
...
re-
figure will be substantially in protect the civilian creased.
for the
A new R.A.F. aerodrome will, for instance, be erected in the New Territories in the near future.
Charts take up the story where off. In November, 1934, before the river war, river boats and the riage of passengers. railway shared equally in the car- On February 23 the river boats reduced their fares from $1 and 70 cents to 40 and 30 cents, while the Railway fares remained at the usual rate of $1.20.
There was an instant falling off in the number of rallborne pas- Henrers, the railway's weekly total dropping from 21,000 to 13,000
COMPETITION MET
▾
AFFECTS REVENUE
DROP IN K.C.R. PROFIT
The arrangement voluntarily entered into last year by the Kowloon Canton Railway, where.. by the apportionment of receipts for British section was reduced In August the Railway deelded from 35 per cent. was seriously to meet the serious competition reflected in the net operating re- by Introducing a 50 cent fare to venue of the British section, ac- and from Canton, and Also A special express fare of $1.20 single the Annual Report of the Ad- cording to statistics contained in and $1.80 return. The weekly question rallborne passenger totals Immedi-ministration.
Due to this and other causes, the to 25,000, the
not operating revenue decreased from
to $500,645 last year. The British
further tributable to the new financial ar-
ABROGATED TREATY
Corperation's building on the presenting, I understand, an Nevertheless, the
Most of the searchlights that flashed over the Colony during the The Committee has therefore de- Of the current year's appropria- cided to recommend to civiliaus that tions, $15,000 went to the Police manoeuvres were in positions that the safest shelters are those pro-Rupartment, $11,760 to the Medi-military or naval point of view, were not defensive solely from a vided in the first and second cal Department, $4,000 to the but were highly defensive from a floors of six floor or higher build-Sanitary Department, for decon civilian viewpoint. ings.
tamination work, and the remain- Air defence, I learn on good au- I understand that several der to the Hongkong Volunteer thority, will not be allowed to rest public and private buildings in Defence Corps and the Hongkong at ground defence.
Naval Volunteer Force have the Colony
been commended as suitable sites for provision of gas masks. public gas shelters and steps SAFEGUARDING FOOD will be taken in the future to The greatest problem facing the This, of course, is permissible and the river boats' total rising prepare them for rapid conver-Air Raids Precautions Committee within the limits of the Washing from 24,000 to 60,000. sion.
is that of safeguarding food and ton Trenty, which, in any сляс Several buildings in the Colony water, upon which mustard and has been abrogated by Japan, and most is no longer binding upon Britain suggest themselves obvious some other gases have 11 shelters of this type. The most serious effect. The question of or the Colonial Government in
out at Hongkong.. obvious seem to be the new Hong-food storage, as carried kong and Shanghai Banking
present in godowns and shops, is. Innd, and the Peninsula Hotel on almost insoluble problem., and it arises whether the authorities ately increased the mainland. Other buildings is likely that special housing pro- will attempt to exceed the limita- river tails remaining fairly $711,052 in 1933 and $098,604 in 1934 which suggest themselves as obvisions will have to be made in tions Inld down by the abrogated stationary. vious shelters are the Gloucesten order to overcome the difficulty. Treaty. The Colony is now free Then, in the same month, the Administration's loss directly at- Building, the Post Office, the The safeguarding of Hongkong's.to proceed with illimitable defon-Railway decided Importa ond Exports Department, water supply provides a somewhatsiko mensures, and some assurance drastic reduction, the fares by rangement with Canton was actually the European Y.M.C.A. and the lesser problem, if water can be that work in this connection shall express trains being reduced to 50 $109,731. Bank: df East Asia Building,
purified after contamination. be undertaken would be welcome. cents. Tho offect was nt
RECEIPTS DOWN WARNING POPULACE
Gross receipte Jast year Apart from the official measures noticeable, Railway
were Tests were recently conducted adopted in Hongkong to combat totals leapt up to record figures, 776 in 1934, while Uperating Expenses
passenger
$1,411,674, as compared with $1,039,- Civilians living in flats in three in England in order to discover the present remote possibility of awhile river boats totala slumped toiled $911,020; as compared with or four storey buildings will bo Instructed, by means of pamphlets, the best method of warning the rain of death from the air, much to 38,000.
done by printed in Chinese and English, populace of a sudden air attack, excellent work is being
The railway was approached by the shipping companies, in tho regarding the method of preparing and the outcome of these experi private organisations.
Notable is the voluntary work middle of December, with the first floor of their buildings ments will influence the Hongkong
view Committee in a choico of a undertaken by the St. John to fixing minimum rail and steam-. as gas shelters.
method.
Ambulance Brigade, which is bost fares. Thero. la reasonable One of the major taske fåking the various Hongkong Dopart-chosen will be the utilisation of
It is probable that the method conducting a series of public probability that the negotiations lectures whch all Hongkong now proceeding may lead to ments dealing with Anti-Gas special maroons, and, Strombos. citizens should attend.
general agreement carly next year.
CAS-PROOF FLATS
an
once
$043,170 in the 1834.
After making provision for all interest elinrges, the net surplus for 1935 amounted to $405,211. This sum has been applied to the reduction of the accumulated defolt brought forward from pre- vious years. The total deleli al
amounted the end of 1935 $8,288,320.
to
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With Collars to Match
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match.
These are now being worn in the West End of London and New York, and are quite in order with Dinner Coats
or Mess Jacket.
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COLONY FINANCES
MECHANISATION OF
| VOLUNTEER DEFENCE CORPS
American manufacture.
The Colonial Treasurer: No, it Chindian.
Hon. Mr. Dodwell: It is extra: ordinarily cheap.
The Colonial Treasurer: I think it in a second-hand one.
Another voto for $3,000 in connee- Votes totalling $187,234 were ap-tion with equipment for the Volunteer proved by the Finance Committee Corps also raised comment.
The Hon. Sir Henry Follock asked
original vote...
the Colonial Secretary, Mr. R. A. C. North presiding, yesterday afternoon, if this
The Chairman explained that a
In connection with a vote for the origperture was in excess of $1,650 for a Chevrolet van for use In the mechanisation of the Machine saving to meet this expenditure would Gun Troop of the Hongkong Volur be effetted under another heading. teer Defence Corps, the Hon. Mr. S. Fewer men would be sent to the I. Dodwell asked if the yan was of annual camp this year,