that all smoke, dirt and noise of railway operation with the axception of that due to a link to Holt's Wharf which cannot be dispenosed with, is removed from the Chatham Road reclama- tion which could then be laid out as an attractive garden. With regard to the smoke and noise nuisance, it is useless to point out that the owners of the apartment blocks front- ing on Chatham Road have no legal grounds for complaint. Government would appear to be partly to blame in permitting this class of development to have taken place on Chatham Road without fully considering the effects of the direction of the prevailing winds which blow for about 75% of each year in the sector N.E. through E. to S.E. and which are bound to aggravate any smoke nuisance set up immediately East of Chatham Road. When considering the social amenities of the neighbourhood, it would now seem imperative to grasp the possibility of eliminating what has undoubtedly come to be considered a nuisance.
XIV. The proposal to construct a second vehicles ferry was made to Sir David at the time when investigations into a cross cross harbour subaqueous tunnel were in hand. Although Sir David knew of this proposal the investigations had not advanced sufficiently far to permit of his incorporating any reference to the proposal in his report. It is likely that the existing vehicles ferry, once it is reconditioned and put in operation again, will serve the needs of the traffic for some 510 years but the cross harbour traffic proposal should meantime be exhaustively examined and careful studies made not only of a subaqueous tunnel out of an alternative high level bridge.
XV. It is obvious that the K.C.R. and the interests of the Port are closely linked together. The Railway cannot function without the Port and suitable rail connections are necessary to the various harbour undertakings in Kowloon and will become much more important in the future. It becomes essential therefore that no scheine of harbour development on the mainland be approved without due consideration being given to its railway connections, In course of time it may be desirable to combine the control of both the Harbour and the Railway which, it seems, is destined to become more and more a feeder for the Harbour.
XVI. The construction of a new Air Port for civil flying at Deep Bay recommended by me in 1939 should now be carefully considered before any reconstruction at Kai Tak is put in hand. It is understood that the extensive work done under Japanese control is but of a temporary nature. If report is correct the runways are not designed to carry the heavy loads of large modern aircraft and the diversion nullah walls show signs of collapse in places already. Because of the extraordinary length of runwaye now required extending to 3,000 yds. and more, I am inclined to think that Kal Tak should be abandoned as an air port. Not only on flying grounds however, do I believe this necessary, but because the ultimate development of Kowloon and of the Harbour lies in an Easterly direction, in the region of Kun Tong, and if Kai Tak remains the site of the air port, the colony will eventually be saddled with a bottle neck not inferior to that, now in existence in Queen's Road between Murray Road and Arsenal Street the removal of which is so urgently necessary. As Squadron Leader Faber has suggested to me, it is possible to jump this difficulty by constructing a wide causeway across Kowloon Bay to provide road and rail access to Kun Tong but only at considerable expense. The whole matter is urgent but requires very careful consideration. XVII. I shall be happy to discuse with the authorities at home any points in connection with these matters that may arise during my forth coming leave.
A. Nicol Port Engineer
18.9.45.
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