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Correspondence
THE DOCK AND HARBOUR AUTHORITY
To the Editor of "The Dock and Harbour Authority The Port of Hong Kong: Physical Development Dear Sir.
In continuation of my letter to you dated 12th January: Whereas the first need is an impartial Trust; so the second need is the early adoption by the Government of a comprehensive scheme for the development of the harbour, embracing every section of its frontages and foreshores; not only that facilities more suitable than those already existing may be provided for the more economical handling of the present trade, and, as far as can be foreseen, the near future trade, but, in order also that areas which may be required for more distant future development may not be alienated.
Whilst Sir David Owen has given much thought to the "first nevdl," in my opinion he has tailed to give sufficient consideration to this ** second need," which, in the end, is perhaps the more important of the 186. His recommendations, as I interpret them, are really, in effect, expressions of opinion on proposals presented to him by various people in the course of his enquiry in Hong Kong.
But, before proceeding to comment
on these may I enumerate some of the many considerations which affect the problem, and which, when the time comes, will have to be carefully weighed by the Board of Trustees to reach final conclusions based upon the broad claims of the Colony's general welfare?
Apart from issues such as the fol- lowing, which will determine the locations where developement- should take place and the form of design of any works:
Most convenient positions for
the various trades having duc regard to the locations where the present trades are carried
on:
2 Suitable depth of water exist-
ing or susceptible of improve- ment at reasonable cost;
3 Practicability of economic con-
struction;
4 Direction and
prevailing winds;
intensity of
5 Direction and speed of tidal
currents and their probable scouring or silting effect by the construction of new works;
6 Accessibility:
7 Practicability of providing junk
basins contiguous with transit
sheds and storage warehouses: and
March, 1942
March, 1942
thus the capital to be spent and the charges necessary to be levied on the trade? Hong Kong gives 7 days. Shanghai 10 days, Singapore 7 days and Kobe (Japan) 7 days. With ample sup- porting warehouse accommodation provided adjoining the transit or quay shed or storage space. I see no reason, other than delay caused by typhoon gales or the fear of them, why in Hong Kong, all goods should not be removed from transit space within a period ut 72 hours. And this can be accomplished where the disposition of
ship and junk basins can be so arranged to meet all conditions
and yet provide shelter for steamers and small craft during the typhoon season (May to October); and
12 Probably the most important: The provision of wharfage
and cost.
I gather from Sir David Owen's remarks that he was in agree- ment that the existing berthage in the harbour is unsuitable in design to allow of the most economical handling of cargo being abtamed. Berthage provided with transit sheds at the back of the whart road, although more expensive to construct than the types of narrow piers existing, is the more suitable design in that
it secures:—
(a) Less damage to goods and less actual cost for the trans-
port of goods between ship and shed;
Mг. JOHN DUNCAN, Mlnst.C.E.,
formerly Port Engineer, Hong Kong.
8 Practicability of providing shelter whereby steamers and small craft need not leave wharves or basins during typhoon gales;
there are many other aspects to be considered such as:-
9 Railway communication and the economic division of South and Middle China's trade, în mineral and agricultural pro- ducts not yet exploited and of industries not yet fully developed, between Hong Kong and Shanghai, by rail to the former versus by the Yangtze to the latter.
En passant: This "economic divide" I place on a line running East and West through Hengchow in the province of Hunan, some 375 miles north of Hong Kong and about 340 miles south from Hankow.
10 Analysis of the existing trade and the "Row" of imports and exports; their origin and destination and the numbers of vessels, ocean-going and coaster steamers, river steamers, junks and barges, engaged in the trade, and their draughts on entering and clearing the Port, the possible increase in the draught of ocean-going steamers due to improve- ment in the depths of both the Suez and Panama Canals; and shipping accommodation existing and projected at Shanghai, at ports in Japan, and on the Pacific Coast of Canada and America,
In this connection: Hong Kong is a terminal Port and so vessels do not generally enter or leave the harbour with full cargoes; and are, therefore, not loaded down to their maximum draught.
11 Free storage.
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This is a very important factor; for does not the length of time which consignees are granted **free occupancy of transit sheds or space for their goods, to a great extent, determine the extent of quay and shed accommodation which has to be provided, and
and compared with loading or dis- charging a vessel anchored in the
stream:-
(b) Reduction in handling costs. (e) Quick turnabout of vessels in port, more particularly dur- ing the typhoon season. (d) Less broaching of packages
and less risk of pilferage. (e) Less frequent handling: an important factor in the case of flour.
(f) Water and oil fuel can be obtained at less cost direct from pipes laid along the quays.
(g) Less road congestion,
(h) Less dependence on unskilled
labour.
This is a most important factor when we bear in mind the effect of past labour strikes (notably that in 1922); the probability that Hong Kong will have to meet intense competition for trade in the future; and how rapid- ly science and machine power in the past few decades have so changed the old tempo of life and destroyed the old balance of human labour and pro-
duction.
As regards cost of providing wharfage versus loading and unloading in the stream: In 1924 I arrived at the conclusion that to yield 7% (covering maintenance charges, loan interest and capital redemption over 2 period of 36 years) on the capital expense of providing the necessary quay wall, having a depth of 34-ft. of water alongside at L.W.LO.S.T..
it would be necessary to make a charge, on the basis of a rate of working of 200 tons of cargo per annum per lineal foot of wharf, of only 55 cents. (in 1924 = about Is. 41d.) per ton of general cargo discharged. This figure was so far below the charges levied in 1924 for the transport of goods between steamers anchored in the stream and the shore that the expense of providing wharfage was then justified. In 1941 the Hong Kong dollar was worth about is. 3. around which figure it has been more or less "pegged " for a few years and no doubt the cost in dollars in 1941 would in consequence be higher. This is a question which will have to be reviewed again by the Trustees. Then there are questions of secondary import to be considered: Services and other works, adjuncts to shipping and trade, such as: Ferry services (passenger and vehicular); typhoon shelter for small craft; facilities for bunkering coal and oil fuel: water and electricity supplies; facilities for ship repair; airport accoinmo- dation; and reclamation, etc.
I have endeavoured to outline the scope of the enquiry and investigation which will now devolve upon the Trustees as their primary duty. The task may appear to be a formidable one, but this is really not so; for much of the information likely to be re quired by them has already been recorded and subjected to critical examination.
It is to be regretted that the Government did not, during the past 17 years, follow the advice tendered to them; for a complete comprehensive scheme of development could well have been adopted, so that, at the close of hostilities, when the Colony is once again in British possession, its place as one of the major trading points of the world could be established unchallenged and unchallengeable.
THE DOCK AND HARBOUR AUTHORITY
Correspondence...continued
As Sir David Owen remarks there are many public-spirited (and I would add ** far-seeing" and "shrewd "men in Hong Kong who will be willing, in the interest of the Colony, to give their services free in the capacity of Trustees of the Port. Those business men, by whose opinions the Government must be largely guided, to- gether with thier official co-trustees and wisely guided by their chairman, will. I am sure, approach the subject with that same pleasing breadth of view, showing a ready apprehension of present and future requirements and full realisation of the difficulties; and with that same will to overcome them as was characteristic of their predecessors in Hong Kong: And, as a result of their study of the whole subject and their full consideration of the many proposals and schemes already put forward, some by private persons, some official, some modest projects and some involving millions of money, there will evolve a scheme of development acceptable to the Government and to most people concerned in the trade of the Port. Such a scheme may well be termed "The Eclectic Scheme of Port Development.
Whatever recommendations the Trustees may make regarding the order of precedence to be given to the various sections of their scheme of development, and the order of progression to be followed towards the completion of each section, the extent of works they may recommend for immediate construction must be based, primarily, on a consideration of what developments are necessary for the trade of the Port as at present carried on.
From all I have already written, it will be appreciated that, in the limited space available in your excellent periodical, it is im possible to deal adequately with any of the various proposals which have been put forward for the development of the Port. Indeed, even if that were possible. I doubt that readers' interest in the subject could be sustained.
Sir David Owen's Proposals
I will now proceed to make comment on a few of Sir David Owen's recommendations commencing with those which, in effect, are
Your really adjuncts to shipping and trade. readers will find it advisable to refer to illustrated supple- ments which were published with issues of The Dock and Harbour Authority for May. 1926 and December, 1936.
Railway Station
Ever since the railway station was erected in 1910-1911 it has Having been "in the wrong place and ought to be removed."' regard to railway communication with the Wharf and Godown Co.'s premises it could, with advantage, have been placed in a better position. But how many stations in this country are in the ideal position?--very few. Wisely, Sir David Owen says:-Let the question of its removal ** be considered at some future time.'
Star Ferry Pier, Kowloon
"The Star Ferry Pier at Kowloon point is in the wrong place and should be removed." Its position is not an ideal one, not only on account of congestion but also in regard to maneuver- ability, of craft at certain states of tide. The new position sug- gested has much to commend it, but again Sir David Owen wisely says, "leave it for consideration at some future time when con- gestion becomes greater."
Admiralty Depôt, Kowloon
"The admiralty camber, torpedo-boat basin, oil and coal fuel depot on the west side of Kowloon _Peninsula are in the wrong place and ought to be removed." There is some foundation for this assertion for it precludes development for commercial pur- poses in this vicinity; but, I imagine, the decision on this recom- mendation will be found when the Admiralty presents its quid pro
quo.
Harbours of Refuge
Then there is the recommendation: As soon as practicable fill in the present typhoon refuge harbour, and, instead of completing the reclamation at Cheung Sha Wan to the lines (that of the pro- posed breakwater) laid down by the Town Planning Committee, construct another harbour of refuge. I agree with Sir David Owen's conclusion that the land so acquired would be a valuable acquisition and possibly the premium obtained by its sale, apart from the premium acquired by the disposal of the land to be re- claimed at Cheung Sha Wan, might defray the cost of constructing the new refuge. But, is the proposal a sound one?
The shelter as proposed and the disposition of the entrances will, I concur, afford slightly better protection for craft from typhoon gales than that given by the existing shelter, but the cost of pro- tective works will be found to be high in relation to the area enclosed.
Sir David Owen says: "It is a little further away but the extra distance is so small as not to be any detriment." With this opinion I disagree entirely. As a matter of fact the extra distance is over one mile further away from the area of greatest activity which is centred between West Point and Hong Kong Central, and. unfortunately, having regard to the direction of typhoon winds of greatest frequency, in the wrong direction.
BI
Typhoons are terrine storms having wind velocities at times, exceeding 100 m.p.h. In 1931 a wind velocity of 130 m.p.h. was recorded in Hong Kong. A large typhoon affects the weather over an area 300 miles from its centre and gale force is reached within an area of about 60 miles radius. There being on an aver- age 16.5 per typhoon season (May to October) it will be appre- ciated that the financial loss to shipowners, junk and lighter people, caused year by year through delays consequent upon typhoon weather and more especially the fear of same, must be enormous. Study of the records of the Royal Observatory, Ho Kong, for the years 1884 to 1923, shows that, in that period of 40 years, 60 typhoon gales were experienced in the Colony. The winds, it is recorded, came mostly from the East with some North, or less Of these 60 frequently with some Southerly wind influence. typhoons, 50 induced winds from directions varying from N.NE. to S.S.E. and only 9 from a westerly direction. With the exception of the remaining one which occurred on the 18th of September, 1906, when the winds from the South attained a velocity of nearly 100 m.p.h.. and was the cause of the worst tragedy on record (10,000 lives lost in the harbour alone, including the Bishop, the Harbourmaster and 13 other Europeans), there is no other record up to 1923 of a typhoon blowing from the South.
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John Chinaman" is a very industrious, frugal-living fellow, but there is so much competition that he has difficulty in obtaining a living from the trade: During 1935, 18,080 junks engaged in for- eign trade, entered and cleared ports in the Colony, and the number engaged in local trade during the same year was 27,500. In consequence, instead of seeking shelter when the first typhoon warning signal is hoisted, the junk master usually elects to remain on his job as late as possible. Incidentally, if he is the last in the shelter he will be the first out. When he does decide to
" cast off "he has, at least, 5 times out of 6, to beat up against strong north-easterly winds sometimes approaching gale force, which must be done to reach the existing or the proposed shelter. It is therefore not surprising that the junk people complain of the diffi culties they at present experience. How much more so will their difficulties be; how much more valuable time will be lost to trade; and how much more will the lives of those poor people be en- dangered, if the recommendation put forward by Sir David Owen is put into effect? Surely, he did not consult the junk masters" guild: for, had he done so, I am sure he would not have fallen for this proposal!
In 1924 my recommendations in regard to typhoon shelters
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Without the addition of a spur from the existing breakwater to protect the southern entrance to Mongkoktsui Harbour of Refuge recommended by the Consulting En- "gineers (estimated then to cost $630,000 at 2,6 £78,750) there will be sufficient area of the refuge closed to westerly gales to accommodate all the small craft likely to make use of this shelter, when the new accommodation in the schemes of the Port Development recommended is available. To give immediate relief, and thus avoid the necessity for craft to use the portions of the refuge disturbed by gales blowing from west to south-west. I recommend the provision of "alternative accommodation at Kwo Lo Wan pending the provision of shelter by the construction of wharfage."
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It was anticipated that eventually this shelter would no longer be required and valuable land would then be acquired, by reclam- ation of the area enclosed by the protective works.
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1 note Sir David Owen draws attention to a "probable site for a new Harbour of Refuge at Tai Wan mainly for craft used in connection with the "Air Port Services" and on the plan which accompanied his report the lines on which protective works should be constructed are shown. This shelter is in the very same posi- tion and similar in many respects to the shelter, abové referred to, which, in 1924, I recommended as a temporary measure.
With the disposition of the northern entrance I am in agreement, but, in my opinion, the provision of a southern entrance may well turn the shelter into a veritable death trap. In 1924 I stated: "It would appear therefore, that, in any system of docks to be pro- vided, a southerly entrance requires least protection from typhoon gales." This must not be interpreted to mean that wherever practicable protection from all directions need not be provided. Indeed, it must. Just think of what happened in September, 1906. If this shelter is ever constructed I strongly advise that only one entrance be provided and that on the north side.
in regard to Causeway Bay shelter. Sir David Owen remarks: "the proposed ferry pier opposite Marsh Road would incidentally have the effect of affording some protection to the western entrance to Causeway Bay from heavy seas caused by westerly gales.
I think it will be found that this small projection (of, shall we say, 100 yards at a distance of half-a-mile from the shelter entrance?) will have little of m effect.
When Sir Maurice Fitzmaurice visited the Colony in 1920 the reclamation of Wauchai Bay, known as The Prava East Re clamation Scheme" was about to be commenced and I discussed with him the possible detrimental effect the alignment of the pro- tecting sea wall might have on the western entrance to the shelter.
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