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HONGKONG TRAMWAY COMPANY LIMITED.
TELEGRAPHIŲ ADDRESSI SNAKEFISH, HonekONG
CODES. I
BEDFORD MONEILL'S
FROMHALL'S IMPERIAL COMBINATION,
TELEPHONE No. 480.
P. O. BOX No. 403.
LONDON OFFICEI
9. LOMBARD STREET, E. Č.
INCORPORATED IN THE UNITED KINGDOM.
HONGKONG,
RES
24091
337
21 APR 19
RUBBELL STADT,
BOWRINGTON,
21st February 1919.
ap
The Right Hon. Viscount Milner, G.C.B.,
H. M's Principal Secretary of State
for the Colonies, London.
Sir,
This Company is desirous of obtaining a concession of
the rights of providing a public vehicular passenger service in
the Kowloon District, and approached the Hongkong Government on
the matter in 1913, 1914, 1916 and 1918, only to be informed on
each occasion that the Government were not prepared to commit
themselves. It is now understood to be the intention of the
Government to provide such a service themselves, and it is for
this reason that I am instructed by my Directors to address you
on the subject.
2.
In the first place, I am instructed to submit to you
that in any extensions of the public passenger service, this
Company, which showed such enterprise 15 years ago in construct-
ing the tramway on the island of Hongkong, should be given
special consideration. The difficulties which had to be con-
tended with and overcome by a pioneer tramway such as this was,
were very great, and the frequent and efficient service of cars
provided to-day redounds to the credit of the Company.
prospect of the eventual and inevitable extension of the Tramway
system to Kowloon and elsewhere in the Colony was an important
factor in the decision to risk the necessary outlay in the
provision of the existing Tramway system. Such prospect was
regarded as an additional safeguard of the original capital
expenditure and no intimation of any sort was given by the
The