Air France, once weekly to Paris, via Hanoi.
Pan American Airways, once weekly to San Francisco via Manila.
China National Aviation Corporation, to Kweilin and Chungking.
(The fall of Hankow and Canton to the Japanese meant that air services to these towns could no longer be operated, but very heavy loads of passengers and mails are carried to those places in China still accessible by air.)
The Far East Flying Training School Ltd, maintained a fleet of five aeroplanes during the year which flew a total of 1,900 hours, including the training of the Air Arm of the Hong Kong Volunteer Defence Corps, the training of six Reserve of Air Force Officers and 28 pupils, and 160 hours for Army Co-operation purposes. Twenty-six Government certificates were awarded to pupils of the engineering section of the company.
No accident to aircraft causing injury to personnel occurred within the Colony.
The appendix to this chapter is a statement of the number, tonnage, cargo, passengers and crew of aircraft arriving at Hong Kong Airport during the years 1936, 1937 and 1938.
RAILWAY.
(Railway activities throughout the period under review were dominated by the Sino-Japanese conflict. Before the Japanese invasion of South China the Kowloon-Canton Railway was connected up with the Canton-Hankow Line. Several times during the earlier part of the year through trains were run between the Colony and Hankow. The year opened full of promise, due to the unparalleled growth of through goods traffic, and closed gloomily with the contraction of operations to local service.)
Receipts and net operating revenue were $1,901,883.32 and $932,418.48 respectively, as against $1,331,468.73 and $436,935.30 in the previous year. Both these figures reached new high levels. There is little doubt that, but for the unexpected stoppage of through traffic for the last 81 days of the year, net operating revenue would have exceeded $1,000,000.
The increase in operating expenditure is accounted for largely by the marked advance in the average price of coal which rose from $12.44 to $21.96 per ton and affected running costs to the extent of $110,668.37.
In order to cope with the abnormal conditions prevailing during the greater part of the year the Railway was called upon to solve many difficult problems, not the least among them being the utilization to the best advantage of an organization which had been built up to cater primarily for passenger traffic. A heavy strain was put upon the resources of the Department, calling for the utmost effort from the staff and a maximum use of rolling stock.
The value of the results obtained during the year cannot accurately be gauged by comparison with previous figures owing to the abnormal conditions which affected, to a marked extent, both through and local traffic receipts. Consequent on the blockade of Chinese ports by the Japanese and the closing of the Yangtze in 1937, Hong Kong became the main entrepôt for foreign trade with China, and large quantities of cargo were conveyed by rail to and from the interior. Further stimulation was obtained through an increase in the Colony's resident population owing to the influx of refugees. On the other hand, intensive bombing of the Chinese section of the line caused considerable dislocation and curtailment of the through passenger service with a corresponding drop in receipts from that source. This state of affairs continued until the 12th of October when all through traffic ceased after a small bridge at Mile 52 on the Chinese section had been hit by a bomb. Repairs were uncompleted when the Chinese military forces blew up all
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Air France, once weekly to Paris, via Hanoi.
Pan American Airways, once weekly to San Francisco via Manila.
China National Aviation Corporation, to Kweilin and Chungking.
(The fall of Hankow and Canton to the Japanese meant that air services to these
towns could no longer be operated, but very heavy loads of passengers and mails are carried to those places in China still accessible by air
air]
The Far East Flying Training School Ltd, maintained a fleet of five aeroplanes during the year which flew a total of 1,900 hours, including the training of the Air Arm of the Hong Kong Volunteer Defence Corps, the training of six Reserve of Air Force Officers and 28 pupils, and 160 hours for Army Co-operation purposes. Twenty-six Government certificates were awarded to pupils of the engineering section of the company.
No accident to aircraft causing injury to personnel occurred within the Colony.
The appendix to this chapter is a statement of the number, tonnage, cargo, passengers and crew of aircraft arriving at Hong Kong Airport during the years 1936, 1937 and 1938.
له
RAILWAY.
(Railway activities throughout the period under review were dominated by the
Sino-Japanese conflict. Before the Japanese invasion of South China the Kowloon- Canton Railway was connected up with the Canton-Hankow Line. Several times during the earlier part of the year through trains were run between the Colony and Hankow. The year opened full of promise, due to the unparalleled growth of through goods traffic, and closed gloomily with the contraction of operations to local service
одже
Receipts and net operating revenue were $1,901,883.32 and $932,418.48 respectively, as against $1,331,468.73 and $436,935.30 in the previous year. Both these figures reached new high levels. There is little doubt that, but for the unexpected stoppage of through traffic for the last 81 days of the year, net operating revenue would have exceeded $1,000,000.
The increase in operating expenditure is accounted for largely by the marked advance in the average price of coal which rose from $12.44 to $21.96 per ton and affected running costs to the extent of $110,668.37.
In order to cope with the abnormal conditions prevailing during the greater part of the year the Railway was called upon to solve many difficult problems, not the least among them being the utilization to the best advantage of an organization which had been built up to cater primarily for passenger traffic. A heavy strain was put upon the resources of the Department, calling for the utmost effort from the staff and a maximum use of rolling stock.
The value of the results obtained during the year cannot accurately be gauged by comparison with previous figures owing to the abnormal conditions which affected, to a marked extent, both through and local traffic receipts. Consequent on the blockade of Chinese ports by the Japanese and the closing of the Yangtze in 1937, Hong Kong became the main entrepôt for foreign trade with China. and large quantities of cargo were conveyed by rail to and from the interior. Further stimulation was obtained through an increase in the Colony's resident population owing to the influx of refugees. On the other hand, intensive bombing of the Chinese section of the line caused considerable dislocation and curtailment of the through passenger service with a corresponding drop in receipts from that source. This state of affairs continued until the 12th of October when all through traffic ceased after a small bridge at Mile 52 on the Chinese section had been hit by a bomb. Repairs were uncompleted when the Chinese military forces blew up all
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