ENG-1946 — Page 133

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20,445 vessels (728,615 tons). As is shown by the following quarterly arrival figures for ocean-going ships, there was a steady increase in the number of vessels using the port:

1946.

British vessels.

Tonnage.

Foreign

Tonnage. Total. vessels.

1st quarter

104

2nd quarter

203

3rd quarter

258

4th quarter

279

323,542

578,745 163

653,637 238

743,215 293

Total Tonnage.

48 168,647 152 492,189

378,014 366 956,759 611,943 496 1,265,581

666,809 572 1,403,024

The Ferries.

Before the war the Colony was well provided with ferry services. A large number of services crossed the harbour on various routes with convenient frequency and there were sail- ings to the more important islands. On the shortest harbour crossing, from the tip of the Kowloon Peninsula to the nearest point on Hong Kong Island, a five minute service was main- tained by the Star Ferry Company. Other services ran to various points on the Kowloon Peninsula, and a vehicle ferry was in operation between Hong Kong Island and the Yaumati district of Kowloon. Scheduled services ran also from the urban areas to the islands of Cheung Chau, Lantau and Ping Chau and to points on the mainland as far as afield as Castle Peak, about fifteen miles west of the harbour.

Both ferry companies suffered heavy material loss during the course of hostilities and during the occupation of the Colony by the Japanese. Twelve of the largest ferries belong- ing to the Hong Kong and Yaumati Ferry Company were scuttled in 1941 after assisting in the evacuation of the garrison from Kowloon; most of these vessels were subse- quently raised by the Japanese. None of the six ferries operated by the Star Ferry Company was found to be fit for service at the end of the Japanese occupation. The ferry piers had sustained heavy damage largely owing to the lack of maintenance: two had been completely destroyed and others were blocked and could not be used. As soon as the Colony was liberated steps were taken to put into operation as many services as possible. The piers were repaired and a number of ferries were put into running order. The shortage of serviceable ferry craft made it impossible to resume pre-war schedules, and some routes could not be resumed at all for some time. The main Star Ferry service from Hong Kong Island to the mainland at first ran three times every hour, but a 10-minute service was introduced during 1946. The cross- harbour vehicle ferry which before the war ran to a 10-minute time-table was at the end of the year running once every 40 minutes. Other services approached more nearly to pre-war schedules. Some delay in the rehabilitation of the services is to be expected in view of the world shortage of some of the