ENG-1955 — Page 208

PUBLIC UTILITIES AND PUBLIC WORKS

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lighting, which await the arrival of the necessary equipment from the United Kingdom. The Stadium provides an Association Football pitch of full international size, surround- ed by a 450-metre seven-lane running track. In the first stage, seating accommodation for 28,500 spectators has been provided on terraces cut out of the sides of the hills, but only the western side of the Stadium has a covered stand. This section accommodates radio commentators' boxes and a police control box. At the open end of the valley there is a modern pavilion, with changing rooms and administrative offices. A dam has been built on the small stream which flows through the valley, giving the Stadium an independent water supply for cleaning, watering and sanitation. The whole site, including car parks, covers more than 16 acres.

A new Kowloon public pier was built during the year at Tsimshatsui to replace the original public pier, which will be absorbed by the proposed new passenger ferry pier men- tioned above. The new pier is 195 feet long and 50 feet wide, and is made of reinforced concrete. Four sets of landing steps are provided, each capable of accommodating large launches.

Yet another passenger ferry pier was completed in August at Ma Tau Kok, Kowloon. This pier will replace the old Kowloon City ferry pier which, before the war, was the terminal of a ferry service running from Victoria to Kowloon City. Built of reinforced concrete, 235 feet long by 68 feet wide, it will, like the new modern ferry piers referred to above, have electrically-operated ramps and lifts which can be raised and lowered to suit tidal conditions when passengers are embarking and landing. The installation of the ramps and lifts has been delayed due to the non-arrival of equipment from the United Kingdom. The way in which this will improve ferry services is referred to under Ferries, above.

Various reclamation schemes in progress in several places along the shores of the harbour have been made possible by extensive site formations which are being carried out for the implementing of low-cost housing schemes. In addition, a large reclamation covering 227 acres has been started at Kun Tong, to supply factory sites for the Colony's rapidly increasing industries. The first stage of this reclamation, with an area of 89 acres, is due for completion in September 1957. The work includes extensive sea-wall construction and the excavation, from the surrounding hills, of approximately 1,800,000 cubic yards of earth. In order to make this