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them where they willed. Chinese Section engines were left. standing wherever they happened to be when coal and water gave out. From this time onwards there was spasmodic and intermittent running of trains until 27th October when all through traffic ceased. There was no express service from the 16th April to the end of the year.
Conditions gradually went from bad to worse, Chinese Section locomotives were run, or kept in steam, night and day by the soldiery without proper attention or repairs, derailments and collisions were frequent until there was scarcely and engine in running order on the Chinese Section. Much damage was done to stations, doors and windows being torn out, electrical in- struments stolen or smashed, and tickets and documents wantonly destroyed. Of 1,460 tabled Express trains only 264 ran and of 730 Slow Through trains, only 409 ran.
There were occasions when it become necessary for the British Section to withdraw from Shum Chun Station and make Lo Wo Siding the terminus, where the Hongkong Government stationed police or military patrols to prevent Chinese soldiers from crossing the border. It was also once necessary to withdraw from the Sha Tau Kok terminus for the same reason,
During the year the British Section suffered considerable inconvenience by the retention of its goods stock by the Chinese Section. Owing to the commandeering of the Chinese Section rolling stock by the military for the transport of troops and military stores, and the general interference with the working of the Chinese Section, the British Section wagon stock was held up on that Section with the result that goods destined for Canton accumulated in the Railway goodshed at Kowloon to such an extent that many remunerative cargoes amounting to thousands of tons had to be turned away, and several vonsignments already loaded were eventually withdrawn.
The Gross Roceipts for the year were $474,721.78 as against $710,295.75 for 1922, a decrease of $235,573.97. The working expenses exceeded the revenue by $48,791.35.
The Through and Joint Sectional Passengers carried were as follows:-
Passengers booked by Stations in British Territory to Stations in China
Passengers booked by Stations in China to Stations in British Territory
1921. 1922. 1923.
435,933 526,111 250,719
462,379 522,909 249,152
1921. 1922. 1923. 429,133 639,709 951,001 43,733 52,431 73,838
The Local Passengers carried were as follows:-
Main Line Fanling Branch Line...
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VI-GOVERNMENT AND AIDED INSTITUTIONS,
(a.)-HOSPITALS,
Government Hospitals consist of the Civil Hospital, to which is attached an isolated Maternity Hospital, the Victoria Hospital for Women and Children, and the Kennedy Town Infectious Dis- eases Hospital.
The Civil Hospital contains 170 beds in 21 wards. 5,455 in-patients and 28.297 out-patients were treated during 1923 as against 4,447 and 25,892 respectively in 1922, 964 cases of malarial Fever were admitted as against 484 in 1922 and 399 in 1921. The total cases of malaria for all Government Hospitals and the Tung Wa Hospital shows an increase of 166 cases as compared with the year 1922. The Maternity Hospital contains 9 beds for Europeans, plus 3 extra beds, and 8 for Asiatics. 674 confinements occurred during the year as against 617 in 1922. The Victoria Hospital at the Peak contains 41 beds, and during 1923, 299 patients were under treatment there. At Kennedy Town Hospital, which contains 26 beds, 30 cases were treated in 1923, all being infectious.
(b).—LUNATIC ASYLUM.
The Asylum is under the direction of the Superintendent of the Civil Hospital. European and Chinese patients are separated, the European portion containing 14 beds in separate wards and the Chinese portion 16 beds. 309 patients of all races were treated during 1923 and there was 3 deaths.
(c.)—THE TUNG Wa and other CHINESE HOSPITALS,
The Tung Wa Hospital, opened in 1872, is mainly supported by the voluntary subscriptions of Chinese, but receives an annual grant of $8,000 from the Government. Only Chinese are treated in this institution. Various other services not appertaining to a hospital are performed by the institution, such as the free burial of the poor, the repatriation of destitutes, the maintenance of free vernacular schools, and the organisation of charitable relief in emergencies. Chinese as well as European methods of treatment are employed in accordance with the wishes expressed by the patients or their friends. Over half the number are now treated by Western methods. The hospital is managed by a committee of Chinese gentlemen annually elected, their appointment being sub- mitted to the Governor for confirmation. It is under the supervi- sion of a visiting physician, who is a member of the Medical Department, whilst two Chinese house surgeons, trained in Western medicine, are members of the hospital staff. There are 450 beds in the buildings, and 10,142 patients were accommodated during 1923.
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