ENG-1954 — Page 325

HONG KONG ANNUAL REPORT, 1954

An event which was to have far-reaching effects upon the relations of Europe and Asia was the opening of the Suez Canal (1869). The quickening of com- munications wrought changes in the commercial life of Hong Kong, shipping increased in volume from less than 2,000,000 tons in 1868 to over 5,000,000 tons within 10 years. Telegraphic cables were laid down to link Hong Kong with the rest of the world, and the Hong Kong Wharf and Godown Company was established (1871) to provide storage facilities for the greater volume of merchandise flowing through the Colony. Banking on Western lines, side by side with the Chinese, dates from the Colony's early days and has proved to be an important factor in the Colony's development.

The need for a responsible officer to deal with questions relating to the Chinese resulted in the office of the Registrar-General being established, and the Government inaugurated the system of appointing student-interpreters who would eventually be marked out for the most responsible administrative posts. To provide additional free attention for Chinese sick the Tung Wah Hospital, managed by Chinese directors under Government supervision, was established (1872), several other services for the Chinese poor being main- tained under its auspices. In the same way the Po Leung Kuk was founded to cater for the welfare of Chinese girls, more schools were set up, some of them carried on by the Protestant or Catholic missions, others by the Government, scholarships being provided for worthy scholars. Provision was made to encourage Chinese students to acquire a knowledge of English, to equip themselves to take an increased part in the life of the Colony. Ng Choy, better known later as Wu Ting-fang, was the first Chinese to be admitted to the

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