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RAILWAY.
The new buy to the carriage shed referred to in the last Annual Report was completed.
On the arrival in the Colony of the necessary steelwork for the New Carpenter's Shop, a contract was entered into for its erection. This structure was nearly finished, but as it was urgently required by the Locomotive Department in connection with the building of wagons, its completion was delayed.
Indents were sent home through the Crown Agents for steel- work, roofing and glazing required for the extension to the Work- shops. This material is expected to arrive early this year.
The boundary wall at Kowloon Station for which provision was made in the Estimates, was not proceeded with. In May an indent was forwarded for a quantity of steel fencing of similar pattern to that now in use, for repairing portions of the existing fence, but the consignment had not arrived at the end of the year.
The over-bridge to the north of Yaumati Station referred to in last year's report was opened on May 10th. The bridge is com- pleted with the exception of the drains which will be laid as the roadway below is formed,
5.285 sleepers were renewed in the main liue, of these 1,180 were of reinforced concrete. During the year 1,314 reinforced concrete sleepers were cast. These sleepers are proving most. satisfactory and are found particularly useful in checking rail creep, and where laid continuously they entirely prevent it.
Three areas of vacant railway land were let on short leases for the erection of motor bus and car garages at remunerative rates, and further vacant areas of the Hung Hom railway reclamation were leased to the Hongkong & Kowloon Wharf & Godown Company as timber yards.
In July it was decided to erect quarters at Blackhead's Point for those of the traffic staff who are required to reside near to Kowloon Station: and who are at present accommodated in rented houses. Designs were prepared for two blocks of three floors each in reinforced concrete suitable for housing 60 men, and a contract for their construction was awarded by the end of the year.
A new operator's cabin was built at Hung Hom which relieves the operator from all danger in crossing the lines in order to exchange tokens.
Traffic between Kowloon and Sha U Chong in Chinese Terri- tory via the ferry from Taipo, increased to such an extent that the licensee running the ferry service put on a new and much larger launch to cope with it.
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After careful consideration the Government decided that a motor road should be built in place of the Fanling Branch Line, and when this is completed the branch line is to be taken up, and the track and rolling stock, including the two new locomotives on order, made over to the Public Works Department for use in con- nection with development schemes under its control. The branch line will be run as economically as possible until the end of 1924, when it is anticipated that the new motor road will be completed.
A severe typhoon on July 22nd necessitated the suspension of the train service from 1.18 p.m. for the rest of the day. Traffic was again suspended on the 18th of August from 9 a.m, until the afternoon on account of a typhoon.
The Colony experienced an abnormal amount of typhoon weather during the summer months, but only on the two occasions mentioned above, when the typhoons actually struck the Colony, was it necessary to suspend the train service.
The typhoon of the 18th August caused considerable damage to the Railway, more particularly to works on the sea border. “A long length of granite pitching built after the 1913 typhoon was so seriously impaired as to necessitate the slewing of the track for a quarter of a mile. The railway pier and mole at Tai Po suffered considerably, the whole of the timber work of the pier was washed away, the approach mole undermined and the pitching on the eastern side collapsed.
The electric power supplied to the Workshops by the China Light & Power Co. was changed from direct to alternating current, and separate motors of lower power were supplied to most of the machines independently. This resulted in a considerable saving in current consumption, and Government was relieved of the cost of transforming. A new agreement on more favourable terms was entered into with the power company on the completion of the alterations. The two transformers and seven of the old direct current motors have since been disposed of.
The year 1923 was a very unfortunate one for the Railway, The political unrest in the Province of Kwong Tung and consequent periodical disturbances referred to in last year's report continued throughout the year. Naturally the Chinese Section was by far the greater sufferer of the two, but as the working of both Sections is so interdependent, the misfortunes of either reflect on the other, with the result that the receipts from through traffic compare most unfavourably with those of previous years instead of showing a steady improvement.
Trouble commenced on the Chinese Section with the departure from Canton of General Chan Kwing Ming on the 15th January. His troops in a panie made a rush for Shek Lung. About 3,000 were got away by rail when all arrangements were upset by retreating troops stopping trains and forcing the drivers to take
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