include a wireless telephone to Waglan Lighthouse to enable early information of a vessel's arrival to be passed to those interested. A new navigation light has been set up during the year on the south point of the Kowloon Peninsula on Blackhead Hill to assist vessels using the Eastern entrance to the port, and navigation lights on all points are now up to the pre-war standard with the exception of Waglan, for which modern lighting apparatus is on order, and Gap Rock, the future of which is under discussion.
As described in the chapter on Legislation permission has been granted to officers of the Chinese Maritime Customs to search certain types of vessels in prescribed areas of British waters in order to assist the Chinese Government to eradicate smuggling.
During the year a Marine Court was held to enquire into the circumstances surrounding the fire which occurred on board the river steamer "Kwangtung" while the vessel was berthed at her wharf in the harbour. Although the fire was of negligible proportions, panic was the cause of heavy loss of life. Steps have been taken to minimise the risk of such a disaster occurring in the future. Enquiries were also held into the loss of a local ferry by an explosion, presumed to be a mine, while on a trip from Cheung Chau to Hong Kong, a fire on board the S.S. "Hsing Kong So' while bound to Hong Kong from Macau, and a collision which occurred within the Harbour limits between the British S.S. "Eumaeus" and the Russian S.S. "Poltava":
The following tables give the comparative figures for 1947 and 1948 for vessels engaged in foreign trade:-
Class of Vessel
British ocean-going
Foreign ocean-going
British river steamers
Foreign river steamers
Foreign Trade.
1947.
1948.
No. Tons. No. Tons.
2,245 6,049,000 2,359 5,902,675 3,031 8,317,940 3,289 9,829,048 2,815 1,463,477 4,104 2,299,851
261,452 3,083
93,771 4,413 100,401
654,243
Steam launches (Under 60 tons)
1,314 4,152
Junks, Foreign Trade
24,589
2,318,099 24,813 2,598,852
38,146 18,503,739 42,061 21,385,070
Local Trade.
Powered launches Junks
5,835 249,592 7,980 . 261,150 7,444 287,134 15,720
754,531
Grand Total
51,425 18,990,415 65,761 22,400,751
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