ENG-1966 — Page 267

COMMUNICATIONS

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Shue Wan on Lamma Island. There is also a service from Tai Po Kau to Tap Mun in Tolo Harbour.

During 1966, 161.2 million passengers and 4.3 million vehicles were carried, an increase of 3.7 per cent and 6.6 per cent respectively over 1965. Vehicle ferry traffic, which had grown at the remarkable rate of 20 per cent a year since 1960, fell off in the middle of 1965 and remained static for about 12 months. There were signs of renewed growth towards the end of the year and traffic is now more than three times the 1959 level. The company has a depot with three slipways and a building berth for the servicing and construction of ferries. One new double-ended passenger ferry of 136 feet in length overall and 27 feet in breadth moulded, with a carrying capacity of 719 passengers, came into service during the year. Two old pre-war passenger ferries were withdrawn from service.

The Star Ferry Company Limited is authorized by ordinance to run passenger ferry services across the harbour between Victoria City on Hong Kong Island and Tsim Sha Tsui on the southern tip of the Kowloon peninsula, and also between Victoria and Hung Hom on the eastern side of the peninsula. The company has 14 vessels in service with a total passenger carrying capacity of 7,857. Star ferries run 21 hours a day between Victoria City and Tsim Sha Tsui until 3 a.m., and 18 hours a day between Victoria City and Hung Hom until midnight. During peak periods a ferry leaves from each side of the harbour every three minutes on the nine- minute journey between Victoria City and Tsim Sha Tsui, and every nine minutes on the 17-minute journey between Victoria City and Hung Hom. During 1966, 56.3 million passengers were carried, an increase of 3.3 per cent over 1965. On one day more than 197,300 people were carried.

On 1st October 1965 the Star Ferry Company, under legislation which governs the operation of the franchise, made an application for an increase in fares. It was represented that with rising costs the company could not maintain the standard of services without such increase. The application was considered by the Transport Advisory Committee, which recommended that a scheme of control should be introduced to govern the profits of the company and the fares to be charged in the future. The existing legislation was considered insufficiently precise and the committee recommended