ENG-1951 — Page 121

by the Chinese Government in February 1951, and the various restrictions which were gradually introduced on goods traffic to the interior. Passengers carried numbered 3,897,032, a decrease of 2,357,326 over 1950, while goods tonnage amounted to 276,669 tons, a decrease of 66,294 tons.

Capital expenditure amounted to approximately $3,631,152. This amount was mainly incurred by the provision of new rolling stock, 57 goods waggons being received during the year.

At the close of the year the average number of trains per day over This the British Section was 22, with special trains at weekends. was a decrease of about 25% over the previous year and was a measure of economy considered necessary in view of the drop in traffic.

The rehabilitation of the railway workshops, which suffered heavily by looting and damage during the war, has now been completed except for the erection of a new foundry, the materials for this not having arrived from Great Britain. Progress on re-railing the permanent way has fallen behind schedule owing to the difficulty of obtaining sleepers.

Roads

There are approximately 426 miles of roads in the Colony, 181 miles being on Hong Kong Island, 107 miles in Kowloon and 138 miles in the New Territories. About 90% of these roads are of modern metalled construction. The building and maintenance of roads are carried out by the Public Works Department and are subject to unusual topographical and climatic difficulties. Most of the Colony is hilly and the construction of a new road usually involves considerable blasting operations, although fortunately the rock thus blasted is suitable for use as road metal. Heavy rain in the summer months generally causes damage to any road surface falling short of a high standard of

maintenance.

The Public Works Department has been confronted with exceptional road problems due to its heavy programme of reconstruction and a phenomenal increase in the density of road traffic during recent years.

Bus routes have been given priority for maintenance work since generally speaking these are the roads conveying the heaviest traffic.

Crushed stone and tarmacadam are produced at two Public Works Department quarries to meet the demands of all sections of the Department.

Steady progress has been made on improving roads in the New Territories, and during the year an important new road through the hills was completed joining the fertile Kam Tin valley with Fanling to

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