50. The Sino-Japanese hostilities were directly responsible for three special trains from Hankow composed of camouflaged Chinese National Railway stock protected by flags on the tops of the coaches. The first passenger train was named "H.M.S. Capetown II". It carried officers and men from H.M.S. Capetown, which ship had been held up in the Yangtze by defence booms placed across the river. The passengers had to transfer into fresh stock "en route" when a bridge ahead of them had been damaged by bombing. After an adventurous trip, the train arrived at Kowloon at 11.41 p.m. on October 9th, having taken more than 87 hours to complete the journey. The first passenger train to reach Kowloon with its original coaches carried the British Embassy and a few refugees. It arrived on December 5th after an overall run of 50 hours 22 minutes. This performance was bettered on Christmas morning when a much beflagged international train called "Christmas Express" brought 294 refugees to Kowloon from Hankow in 47 hours 55 minutes.
51. The number of business organizations which hold agency agreements with the Railway has increased from six to seven with the addition of the Hong Kong & Shanghai Hotels Limited. Ticket sales for the past two years are as follows:--
No. of tickets sold. Daily Average 1936 1937 1936 1937 Wing On & Co. Ltd. 89,177 91,149 244 250 China Travel Service 77,845 78,054 213 214 China Emporium Ltd. 54,362 48,079 148 132 Thos. Cook & Son Ltd. 1,021 747 3 2 American Express 304 274 1 Travel Advisers 128 183 H.K. & Shanghai Hotels Ltd. 95 Total 222,837 218,581 609 59852. There were only 14 prosecutions to record for the whole year. All were convicted. Thieving was frequent and caused concern, due to the high price of scrap metal and the high cost of living.
Trespass Theft Total 3 11 14-S 16
50. The Sino-Japanese hostilities were directly responsible for three special trains from Hankow composed of camouflaged Chinese National Railway stock protected by flags on the tops of the coaches. The first passenger train was named "H.M.S. Capetown II". It carried officers and men from H.M.S. Capetown, which ship had been held up in the Yangtze by defence booms placed across the river. The passengers had to transfer into fresh stock "en route" when a bridge ahead of thein had been damaged by bombing. After an adventurous trip, the train arrived at Kowloon at 11.41 p.m. on October 9th, having taken more than 87 hours to complete the journey. The first passenger train to reach Kowloon with its original coaches carried the British Embassy and a few refugees. It arrived on December 5th after an overall run of 50 hours 22 minutes. This performance was bettered on Christmas morning when a much beflagged international train called "Christinas Express" brought 294 refugees to Kowloon from Hankow in 47 hours 55 minutes.
51. The number of business organizations which hold agency agreements with the Railway has increased from six to seven with the addition of the Hong Kong & Shanghai Hotels Limited. Ticket sales for the past two years are as follows:--
No. of tickets sold.
Daily Average
1936
1937
1936
1937
Wing On & Co. Ltd.
China Travel Service
89,177 91,149
244 250
77,845 78,054
213
214
China Emporium Ltd.
54,362 48,079
148
132
Thos. Cook & Son Ltd.
1,021
747
3
2
American Express
304
274
1
Travel Advisers
128
183
H.K. & Shanghai Hotels Ltd. .
95
Total
222,837 218,581
609
598
52. There were only 14 prosecutions to record for the whole year. All were convicted. Thieving was frequent and caused concern, due to the high price of scrap metal and the high cost of living.
Trespass Theft
3
11
Total
14
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