Operating costs in both companies increased during the year, principally on account of a rise in wages agreed between the company and the employees during the year. The heavy traffic which was experienced on all routes enabled the companies to absorb this increase in running costs without transmitting it in the form of increased fares to the public, and the general level of fares is about 100% greater than before the war. The Kowloon Bus Co. was able to make substantial reductions on the fares on suburban routes.
Other Vehicles.
A notable increase in the number of vehicles using the road was remarked during the year. At the end of 1947 the number of load-carrying vehicles had risen from 1,152 to 2,338. Taxis and public cars also showed a large increase totalling 595 against 195 at the end of 1946. The number of private cars registered with the Police was 3,714 compared with 1,450 in 1946: 393 motor cycles were also registered.
POST OFFICE.
General.
The Postmaster General, is responsible not only for the maintenance of the postal services within the Colony as well as outside, but also for the Government telecommunication service and the operation of the broadcasting stations (Z.B.W. and Z.E.K., Hong Kong). In the sphere of telecommunications he is also responsible for co-operation between the Government and Cable and Wireless Ltd. in whose hands commercial radio services lie.
The Postal Services.
These functions of the Post Office are discharged through the main post office situated in the centre of Victoria and 8 sub- offices, 3 of which are situated within the urban area on Hong Kong Island and 5 in Kowloon. This is still below the 1941 establishment. The year 1947 saw a steadily increasing business in practically every department of postal work. Receipts and dispatches of air and sea mail and of parcels were, on the whole, rather more than twice as large as in 1946, and there was also a large increase in the sale of stamps. The most remarkable feature of the increased activity of the post office was the enormous traffic in insured parcels despatched from the Colony-- an increase over 1946 figures of 5,800 per cent. This is largely accounted for by the great number of food parcels despatched. to the United Kingdom. Many airlines, of several nationalities, are used by the postal administration of Hong Kong for the dispatch of mail and the Colony is linked with almost all parts of the world. Apart from the very numerous services to cities in China, some of which operate as many as 4 times a week,
URBAN COUNC.L PUBLIC LIBRARIES
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