5/
B
It will be observed that the cost of transporting materials via a vehicular ferry is influenced considerably by the ferry fare. Should this be fixed at $1.00 per trip, the cost per ton would be reduced from $3.30 to $2.60 per ton.
The relative costs indicate that a vehicular ferry can not compete economically with the present method of cross-harbour transport for bulk cargo between godowns on the sea front.
There is considerable cross harbour transport of goods and materials in lots of less than 5 tons, these are principally for local consumption and include General Merchan- dise, Piece Goods, Provisions, Wines, Tobacco and Cigarettes, Dairy Products, Beef, Mutton, Poultry, Vegetables, Fruits, Fish, Household Furniture etc. The cost of trans- port on a number of the above articles is at an agreed rate per package, crate and/or basket; in such cases, it has been found difficult to compare the costs by present methods with the cost of transport via vehicular ferry.
In cases where actual figures for comparison were obtainable, these show that the cross harbour transport and handling of goods in small lots between premises adjacent to the harbour front is $2.00-$2.50 per ton, and when the premises are situated some distance from the harbour front, such as the Dairy Farm Co.'s stores, the cost may exceed $5.00 per ton.
Groceries, Provisions and General Merchandise for local consumption arrive by ocean steamer and are delivered into Godowns at Kowloon Point, a week's free storage being allowed by the Godown Co. A total amount of such goods in excess of 10 tons would appear to be transported across the harbour daily by various merchants in Hong Kong Some of the merchants are of the opinion that a vehicular ferry would be a great boon, affording them much better and more economical facilities for trans-harbour dis tribution of goods, and enabling goods to be collected from the Godowns on the return trip, thus ensuring economy of transport with less risk of pilferage and/or damage to goods.
Little farm produce except vegetables-about 100 piculs per day-some pigs and cattle cross from the Kowloon side. Generally speaking, cattle, and pigs for slaughter purposes and the greater portion of market produce, i.e. fruit, chickens, etc., are im- ported by river or coaster steamer and disembarked on the Hong Kong side; the bulk of fish is also landed on this side of the harbour. A quantity of market produce and fish pass from Hong Kong to Markets in Kowloon, the amount cannot be definitely as- certained but is in excess of 25 tons per day, the present method of land transport is by coolie, water transport being effected by passenger ferry, motor boat or other small craft. These commodities, except live stock, could be made up in satisfactory loads for vehicular transport. Whilst the greater portion of this traffic is one way, viz: from Hong Kong to Kowloon, it is probable that a transport company could undertake the transport at little additional expense over present methods, and thus relieve to a considerable ex- tent congestion on some portions of the harbour front and in the neighbourhood of the markets.
Regarding cattle and swine, the annual numbers transported across the harbour are approximately as follows:---
Cattle Swine
6,500 and 24,000.
It is considered that the vehicular ferry could deal with this traffic in the early morning and offer better facilities than exist at present.
Due to the lack of satisfactory accommodation in Hong Kong, coal yards are situated in Kowloon. At present, advantage is taken of the Praya East Reclamation for the storage of a small quantity of household coal brought from Kowloon. When the fa- cilities of the Reclamation are no longer available, unless a berth is provided on the Hong Kong side for the reception of coal from junks or lighters, the handling of this commo- dity will cause obstruction of the Praya frontage. An average amount of about 10 tons of coal is delivered daily to householders in Hong Kong. The cost of distribution of coal by present methods is less than via a vehicular ferry unless the ferry charges were negligible.
Investigations would indicate that firms requiring motor transport to transact their business on both sides of the harbour, are now obliged to consider the question of trans- port on each side independently; and to provide satisfactory transport at rush periods, it is necessary to provide more lorries than the business necessitates. A vehicular ferry would provide facilities for lorries of the same firm working in co-operation, thus vehi- cles in Kowloon could be despatched to Hong Kong to assist in pressure of work and vice versa.
Building Contractors are of the opinion that, whilst a vehicular ferry would provide better facilities for the transport of consignments of cement during inclement weather and provide for a more intensive use of their motor lorries, for transport generally, the installation would not be as economical as present methods, where the cross harbour transport of building materials is effected by junks or lighters which come alongside the Praya Roadway, the materials being transported to destination by coolies and/or lorries. The discharge of building materials on the roadway however causes obstruction to traffic and is undesirable. The construction of piers to provide for the satisfactory handling of building and other materials brought from Kowloon would probably result in transport by the use of these facilities costing as much as by a vehicular ferry.
Part of the fire fighting appliances of the Colony are located in Hong Kong, the re- mainder in Kowloon. A vehicular ferry would provide facilities for utilizing almost the full resources of the fire brigade on either side of the Harbour.
A vehicular ferry would facilitate the transport of prisoners and hospital cases between the Island and mainland. An average of about 50 stretcher cases per month are transported across the harbour. The present method of handling cross harbour patients is very unsatisfactory and would be eliminated by a vehicular ferry. It is estimated that the Fire Brigade, Police and Motor Ambulances between them would do at least six to a dozen trips each way daily.
The proposed ferry installation would be of some service to the Post Office and the Imports and Exports Department.
There are about 1,800 private and public motor cars and cycles in the Colony. The general opinion appears to be that these vehicles would be transported across the har- bour in much greater numbers if improved facilities were provided at a passage rate attractive to the owners of the vehicles.
The investigations which have been made would indicate that better facilities for cross harbour transport are very desirable; also that the number of vehicles crossing by ferry would probably not exceed a daily average of 150, and might be considerably less than this figure if the fare was much in excess of $1.00 per trip. It would therefore appear that at the present time, a vehicular ferry would be unable to earn sufficient return to justify the cost of installation.
This is prob- Some
Each vehicular ferry provides accommodation for 20 five-seater cars. ably in excess of the requirements of a frequent service for a number of years. economy might be effected in capital outlay by the construction of smaller boats at a reduced expenditure, say ferry boats to carry 12 motor cars and/or lorries at a cost of about $180,000 each. Even by the application of such small economies, it would appear that this service would have to look to the passenger trade for income to ensure financial success. The V.R.C. Site is not conveniently situated to attract a large passenger trade. It is possible, therefore that a vehicular ferry between the V.R.C. and Jordan Road would not have sufficient support from passenger receipts.
The expense of installing a service between Jordan Road and V.R.C. costs practi- cally the same as between Jordan Road and Jubilee Street. Jubilee Street is in a more congested district than the V.R.C., however, with the additional space made available by the proposed reclamation, it is anticipated that there would be no difficulty in satisfac- torily regulating traffic at Jubilee Street in accordance with the arrows shown on plan 'D'. The berth at Jordan Road would be a convenient terminus for the Yaumati Ferry. It would therefore appear that the vehicular ferry service might replace the existing service between Jubilee Street and Yaumati and thus undertake the transport of the
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large passenger trade on the latter route The vehicular ferry piers would be suitable for the accommodation of double ended passenger ferry boste similar to the type at present used on the service between Jubilee Street and Yaumati. Such lusts might therefore make alternate trips on the vehicular ferry route, and thus provide a frequent service to meet the requirements of the passenger traffic.
Fatimated cost of establishing a vehicular ferry service between Jordan Boad and Jubilee Street the proposed ferry boats being reduced to protule accommodation for 12 five seater cars only.
Jordan Road-Kowloon.
Reclamation, Ferry piers and offices.
Jubilee Street-Hong Kong.
Reclamation, Ferry piers, and alices (estimates includes 80,000
for offices)
Ferry Boats.
Nox, vehicular & passenger forry boats.
Total cost of Piern, Ferry Bexis, Ar....................
* 520,000
* 855.00
$540.000
81 715,000
Messrs. Connie, Fitzmauries, Wilson & Mitchell-Harbour Development Consulting Engineers in their report, dated 25th November, 1924, state-
"We have given consideration to the provision of better facilities for traffic between Hong Kong and the Mainland, particularly for vehicular traffic. The only feasible method without great expenditure of money is the provision of ferry boats. There are numbers of these in existence at the present time. Some of the most important are those crossing the Thames, the Morsey, the Clyde, New York Harlyour and San Francisen Harbour,
These ferry boats carry large numbers of both horse und mechanicsi vehicles. That on the Thames at Woolwich is under the control of the London County Council and is looked upon in the same way as a bridge over the Thames or a tunnel under- neath and no charge is made for either vehicles or passengers. It in fact takes the place of a road On the Mersey there are several ferry services contralled by the Birkenhead Corporation and the Wallasey Corporation and a charge is made both for vehicles and passengers.
We consider the evoss traffic between Hong Kong and Kowloon is growing fciently to warrant the provision by the Government of a good vehicular and passenger ferry service,”
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