Annual report on North Borneo / Colonial Office.

  • Great Britain. Colonial Office.
Date:
[1949]
Catalogue details

Licence: Public Domain Mark

Credit: Annual report on North Borneo / Colonial Office. Source: Wellcome Collection.

    60/86 (page 54)
    tools. The delay in the arrival of two new locomotive boilers seriously affected rehabilitation, while the shortage of subordinate supervisory and skilled artisan staff also proved a serious handicap throughout the year. The four rail cars received at the end of 1948 were an important asset particularly on the Gorge Line, where one operated regularly. Two 52-seater units, which were expected at the end of the year, will not arrive until mid-1950. When they are put into service these units will provide a very valuable addition to the coaching-stock facilities provided for the public. The restriction on through-working necessitated by the limited load capacity of the Bailey bridge over the Papar River militated against any improvement in the timings of the mixed trains between Jesselton and Beaufort. The construction of a new bridge at this site is at present under consideration. Despite all these difficulties, the traffic handled by the railway during the year created a record. Compared with the figures for ten years ago the number of passengers carried was more than doubled, while the tonnage of goods freighted was almost doubled. The following com¬ parative figures are of interest: Passengers Goods Year carried {tons) 1936 . . 106,128 IO>549 *937 • . 146,497 16,709 1938 . . 132,225 x3>952 I939 • . 143,612 14,292 1940 . • I73T25 2L334 inot available. 1946J *947 • . 124,776 22,068 1948 . 289,865 24,198 !949 . . 298,000 (approx.) 25,H5 (approx.) HARBOURS AND SHIPPING Though considerable improvements were made to port and harbour installations during the year, the extent of the damage suffered during the war was so great that the position cannot be considered satisfactory until new permanent structures are built. A firm of consultant engineers has submitted a report on the reconstruction of the wharves at Labuan, Jesselton, Sandakan, Kudat and Tawau, and this has been followed up by hydrographic surveys, as a preliminary to the work of reconstruction. Some 1,958,508 gross tons of shipping used the harbours of the Colony during the year compared with 813,722 tons, net register, last year, and 500,784 tons of cargo was handled compared with 201,244 tons last year. Of this total 223,559 tons passed over Colony wharves, compared with 128,294 tons last year, the remainder being transhipped to adjacent territories.