ENG-1955 — Page 201

PUBLIC UTILITIES AND PUBLIC WORKS

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Kingdom for the new Kowloon City ferry pier. It is now hoped that this service will be inaugurated early in 1956. A new government pier is also under construction at Stewart Road, one block west of Tonnochy Road, on completion of which it would be possible to divert the present Jordan Road service to the larger Stewart Road pier, and use Tonnochy Road pier for the Kowloon City service.

The outlying district services were again well patronized, particularly during the summer. The principal routes are direct to Cheung Chau, indirect to Cheung Chau via Ping Chau and Silver Mine Bay, direct to Silver Mine Bay on Sundays and public holidays, and to Tai O via Ma Wan, Castle Peak and Tung Chung. On weekdays, ten sailings were made per day to Cheung Chau, four to Silver Mine Bay and Ping Chau. These were increased by four additional services to Cheung Chau and six extra to Silver Mine Bay on Sundays and public holidays. The outstanding improvement of the year was the extension of the last ferry to 7.15 p.m. from Cheung Chau to Hong Kong in the winter timetable, an increase of 45 minutes over the summer schedule. During the past few years Cheung Chau has developed into a suburb from which people commute from their homes to places of employment in Hong Kong on the 7.45 a.m. ferry, returning by the 5.45 p.m. ferry. One of the reasons for this change, leading to increased traffic on this service, is the slightly lower cost of living in Cheung Chau.

The outlying district services were increased on 20 March by the addition of a ferry service in Tolo Harbour, between Taipo Kau Railway Pier, Ma On Shan, Shap Sze Heung, Lai Chi Chong, Tai Tan, Chik Kang and Tap Mun. The service, which is within the sheltered reaches of Tolo Harbour, is principally for the benefit of hitherto isolated villages in Taipo District, but weekends find a large number of holidaymakers travelling on picnic outings. The number of passengers carried on this service from 20 March to 31 December was 34,900.

On 28 October the Company was given licence to operate a service between Tsun Wan, Tsing I, Tai O and Hong Kong. This route was in the Company's pre-war ferry franchise, but was not resumed, despite the rapid development of Tsun Wan into an industrial area, because of the destruction of the pier at Tsun Wan. The Company has now agreed to construct a temporary pier, pending the reclamation of Tsun Wan

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