CO129-453 - Acting Governor Claud Severn - 1919 [1-3] — Page 483

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GOVERNMENT HOUSE,

HONGKONG. 19th. March, 1919.

My Lord,

I have the honour to inform Your Lordship

that I have had under consideration the question of providing transport facilities in the Kowloon Peninsula.

2.

In my Despatch No. 63 of the 8th. March, 1919, I dealt shortly with a letter from the Secretary and General Manager of the Hongkong Tramway Company in which he urged that the Company should be granted a concession in Kowloon for a Public Vehicular Passenger Service, as an

extension of the Company's system, and gave several reasons for doing so.

3.

None of these reasons is in my opinion

worthy of consideration. The experience gained in Victoria of

entrusting the conduct of public services such as tramways,

ferries, lighting, and telephones to private companies has

shown that where the interests of shareholders have to be

considered the public suffers. It is true that both the

Hongkong Tramway Company and the Star Ferry Company had for

several years to conduct their undertakings with little or no

profit, but they are now, and have for some years been reaping

large profita with no advantage to the public. The Hongkong

Electric Company is making large profits, and as it has a

practical monopoly there is no power to reduce rates which are

FE RIGHT HONOURABLE

VISCOUNT MILNER,

&o..

G.C.B..

&c.

&C..

very

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