55
30
―
Enclosure No. (3b).
31
Enclosure No. (4).
HONG KONG TRAMWAYS LIMITED,
HONG KONG, 14th March, 1929.
HONG KONG TRAMWAYS, LIMITED,
HONG KONG, 25th June, 1928.
THE HON. THE COLONIAL SECRETARY,
HONG KONG
SIR,
THE HON. THE CAPTAIN SUPERINTENDENT OF POLICE,
HONG KONG.
SIR,
MOTOR BUSES.
At a Board Meeting held to-day I was directed to call your attention to paragraph 3 of my letter dated February the 24th last and to enquire whether this Company's proposal to run a service of motor buses between Taikoo and Blake Pier ria Shaukiwan Road, Caroline Road and Queen's Road East, etc., may now be sanctioned.
20 C.P.O. 2/28.
SIR,
I have the honour to be,
Sir,
Your obedient servant,
(sd.) L. C. F. BELLAMY, General Manager,
HONG KONG TRAMWAYS, LIMITED.
Enclosure No. (3c).
POLICE HEADQUARTERS,
HONG KONG, 29th June, 1928.
In reply to your letter of the 25th June and with reference to para. 3 of your letter of the 24th February a service of Motor Buses between Taikoo and Blake Pier vid Shaukiwan Road, Caroline Road and Queen's Road is not approved. It was definitely laid down that your Company had running rights over your own tramway track and routes outside this cannot be considered.
THE GENERAL MANAGER,
HONG KONG TRAMWAYS, LIMITED.
I have the honour to be, Sir,
Your obedient servant,
(sd.) E. D. C. WOLFE, Captain Superintendent of Police.
QUEEN'S ROAD BUS SERVICE.
1. Referring to our interview (kindly granted by you) and arising out of this Company's Annual General Meeting on the 1st instant coupled with continued repre- sentations by shareholders I am directed by my Board to ask if you will kindly advise us of the circumstances which led the Government to overlook our application for permission to operate a service of motor buses along the Queen's Road route. I have the honour to enclose copy of a letter written by your predecessor on March 30th 1925.
2. On August 9th 1927 this Company sent in to the Government a second application similar to that of February 12th 1925 but received only a formal acknowl- edgment of receipt. In the same year, however, a notification appeared in the Gov- ernment Gazette of November 25th (1927) to the effect that
"The Governor-in-Council shall have power, without calling for tenders, to grant rights and to issue licences to maintain public motor omnibus services, exclusive and otherwise, for such periods, and at such fees, royalties or other considerations, and upon such terms and considerations as the Governor-in- Council shall see fit."
3. This Company feels it has a very definite grievance. It is believed that the official attitude of Government regarding the propriety of a motor bus service along Queen's Road changed in 1927 and that this gave rise to the notification already referred to in the Gazette of 25th November, 1927. In these circumstances my Directors feel that our letter of August 9th 1927 afforded Government a suitable opportunity of notifying the Company of this changed attitude regarding the desira- bility of a motor bus service along Queen's Road and of withdrawing the objection it raised in the letter of March 30th 1925.
4. Late in December on my return from home leave I called on the Acting Colonial Secretary with reference to this but Mr. Hallifax said he knew nothing about it and referred me to the Captain Superintendent of Police with whom I had a long interview on December 31st 1927. At that interview Mr. Wolfe admitted that Queen's Road was no longer regarded as too narrow for motor buses and he further admitted that an application from another party to operate buses along the Queen's Road route was being considered. Subsequently (in October last) a service of buses was commenced along the route in question by the Hong Kong & Shanghai Hotels, Ltd. and I am now directed:
(a) to ask Government to re-consider its reply to our application of February
12th, 1925
and (b) to enquire whether in view of the fact that Queen's Road is no longer regarded as too narrow we may now operate buses on the Queen's Road
route.
If necessary the number of such buses might be limited to half the total number permitted to run on that route.
56
No comments yet.
Private notes are available after approval.