S 11
31. The loop line, some 9 miles in length, from Shek Pai Junction on the Canton-Kowloon Railway to Sai Chuen on the Canton-Hankow Railway, which was completed on the night of August 17th and opened to traffic 10 days later, has been directly responsible for an increase in through goods revenue from $44,694.93 in 1936 to $167,556.45 for the current year. Of this total, $129,730.45 was collected since August 27th when the first through goods train of nine 40-ton wagons from the Canton-Hankow line loaded with bullion arrived at Kowloon Station at 9.28 a.m.
32. Local goods traffic received stimulation as a result of the activities of the Lin Ma Hang lead mine which uses Fanling Station in the New Territories. Production, so far as the Railway was concerned, commenced on November 2nd and some 30 tons of lead concentrate have been conveyed to Kowloon daily. The revenue reached $17,706.59 as against $13,842.98, a gain of 27.91%.
33. A first-class coach of an obsolete coupé type was converted into an air-conditioned car in the Railway Workshops and put into service on the up morning and down evening express on May 11th. It was named the "Aurora" and from the outset caused an improvement in the numbers of first-class passengers travelling between the two cities. No supplement to the ordinary fare was made, but a reservation fee of 50 cents, or roughly 7/4d., was gladly paid for the right to a seat. Actually, the coach's popularity was more noticeable on the evening train from Canton when after a tiring day in the heat, passengers could relax under properly controlled temperature conditions and emerge from the train free from the dust of travel. Unfortunately hostilities caused it to be withdrawn on September 24th. The following particulars of first-class passengers for the months of May, June, July and August, 1936 and the current year, show the improvement:
1936 1937 Up Down Up Down May 1,052 1,377 1,528 1,654 June 1,455 1,990 July 1,655 1,786 1,919 2,069 August 1,654 891 2,496(a) 2,677(b)(a) Political trouble in Canton.
(b) Includes refugees.