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Publicity. The primary disability we labour under at present is that few shipping people at Home have any real idea of Hongkong's capacity for shipbuilding. This was particularly in evidence during the war when, with all the crying need for ships it was with the greatest difficulty, and only in the latter part of the war, that sufficient shipbuilding material was obtainable to keep the yards fully employed, Since then officials of shipbuilding firms at Home and in America have inspected the local yards and have been very favourably impressed.
The possibilities of getting ships built and repaired in Hongkong should be kept very prominently before shipping people in Great Britain, America, Canada, Australia, and the Colonial Office should be well advised of the work done here and the capabilities of the local yards. When the Colonial Office was informed, towards the end of the war, practical results accrued.
The capabilities of Hongkong as a shipbuilding centre were also brought strongly before the Home Authorities in 1917 when a Hong- kong built vessel was docked in Liverpool for inspection and a number of experts were asked to express their views, which were very favourable.
HARBOUR IMPROVEMENTS.
This mater is one of the utmost importance to the Colony. The idea held by those most vitally concerned is that the harbour is our only asset and that we should not play with improvements sug- gested by amateurs. Local experience gained by masters of merchant- men using this port is quite sufficient to enable us to indicate the position in which new buoys and lights might be placed with advan- tage; also to indicate where fog signals, or diaphones, should be made use of and the nature of such signals. Granted that the harbour is our principal asset, it is maintained that we require expert advice and properly constituted Port Authorities. There is already a tendency at other places in China (Dalny, Tsingtau and Shanghai) to lay out ecientifically constructed harbours, and we are convinced that in view of possible developments it is necessary that the matter should be thoroughly investigated, in order that the Colony may prepare itself for all possible developments. This must be done if our harbour is to maintain is position of supremacy in China waters,
The following improvements are recommended:—
1. An occulting red or green unwatched light, visible from 5 to 10 miles, should be placed on the Tathong Rocks in the East Entrance to facilitate navigation in and out of the barbour at night. If a light on Tathong Point is not sanctioned the light on Cape Collin- son should be increased in power. In any case Cape Collinson should have a red sector showing into Junk Bay to guide ships into the anchorage. The red sector showing over Lye-mun Pass can be dis- pensed with and white shown instead, or if it is not advisable to alter the red sector over Lye-mun Pass a green sector can be sub- stituted for red showing into Junk Bay.
2. The revolving light on Gap Rock should be converted into a group dash, thereby being visible in thick weather at greater dis- tance than the present light.
3. An unwatched light on an iron tripod on Hongkong Chow Island, North West of Tai Ta Ming channel visible at 12-15 miles.
4. The Bokhara Rocks should have a lighted buoy placed on them for navigation around Cape D'Aguilar in the Shung Shi Mum channel. If possible to combine the two, it is recommended that an automatic whistling buoy as a warning in foggy weather be provided.
5. The Rambier Shoal and Belcher Ridge should be dredged deeper; vessels of deep draft cannot at present navigate over them and both shoals are nearly in the Fairway; or remove Belcher Ridge.
6. Unwatched light on the East end of Lighting Island, Steamers bound south, or from the south, alter course off Lingting Dap Rock or Green Island as the case may be,
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7. DIAPHONES should be erected. They have proved of inestimable value in Canadian waters, and the far more crowded waters of this Colony, equally subject to dense foggy weather, should be similarly supplied. Diaphones are held to be the best system of fog signal in existence, as they have been proved to neutralise, to a very great extent, the areas of silence so often encountered. They would consequently be of inestimable value on Gap Rock and Waglan. When in the vicinity of these stations it is by no means unusual for the report of the fog gun to be inaudible at two miles when you have previously heard it at five miles.
The Sub-Committee are endeavouring to ascertain the cost of and expense in connection with Diaphones, also wireless position finders which the Government have stated have been found imprac- ticable, as apart from the expense the necessary power is not at present available.
In this respect the Secretary has addressed a letter of enquiry to Mr. Wallace, Manager C.P.O.S., who has promised to obtain as much information as possible from the Canadian Authorities through the good offices of the CP.0.S. Official in Canada concerning these two instruments.
Further enquiries are being made with regard to fog signals, and a special report on this important question will be forwarded to Government in due course.
DREDGING on a substantial scale is essential. All parts of the harbour which may be navigated by large steamers, and which have only a depth of 4% fathoms should be increased to the 35 feet mark. There should be more than one deep drafted fairway in the harbour in preparation for larger ships, but it is futile for us to put forward anything but the most elementary suggestions as to dredging until we know what form the new defences of the Colony are to take and the alterations to tides and currents which they may entail.
The following are the suggestions as to dredging:-
1. Deepen the water off Kowloon Point. It is not necessary to dredge the West Lamma Channel as the East Lamma Channel could be used, the least water in the Channel being 11 fms. with the exception of the Lamma Patch (rock), which has 5 fathoms over it and could be buoyed or removed by blasting. If the East Lamma Channel is used, instead of dredging the West Lamma Channel an unwatched light would be required on the East end of Lamma Island (Wong Chu Kok).
2. Dredge the Western end of the Northern and Central Fair- ways to a suitable depth and lay down heavier moorings as the moor- ings are only suitable for coasting steamers. If the Western end of the fairways are deepened, a deep water channel would also require to be dredged to Sulphur Channel in which there is plenty of water.
3. To increase the harbour accommodation for ships drawing over 30 feet the harbour should be dredged to a depth to be hereafter decided on: (a) from the Northern Fairway to a line drawn East and West from the Southern entrance of Mong Kok Tsui typhoon refuge until it meets a line drawn south through the Fairway Buoys, or (b) dredge that part of the harbour to a suitable depth between a line drawn South from the West end of Stone Cutters Island to the Fair- way buoys and a line drawn South from White Pt. Stone Cutters Island to the Northern Fairway.
The Man-of-War anchorage is a good position for deep draught ships, but it would probably be asking too much to suggest removing the men-of-war from their present anchorage to say, Kowloon Bay.
Piere or Jetties might with advantage add to the facilities for handling of cargo.
E. V. D. PARR,
Chairman,
Shipping & Shipbuilding Sub-Committee.
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