Pine Island (AV 12) - Naval Cruise Book

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While we are on thepsubjectof- women we might as well discuss just who does the work around these islands. .The women young and old are out from early morning, to evening plowing the field with the cow or oxen-tied to a primitive wooden plow, weeding the gardens, harvesting the crops and doing just about everything else that is connected with working on a farm. The young girls covereS, their arms- and legs with long stockings and the head is covered with a hood that makes' them look like the knights of ,old with the slot for the eyes' to peek out of. C A C The Chinese proved to be an excellenthost by inviting- 36 men from the Pine Island to attend the weekly dances held every Tuesday night at the Chinese Naval Club. A slight charge of ,two dollars was asked to cover the cost of -the be- verages served. Twelve of the most charming and exquisite young girls from Formosa acted as dancing partners, unfortunately the men had to wait out for every third dance in order to dance withone of these gorgeous women. Their footwork proved to be superior to ours in many cases as they could do all the latest steps, tanl goes or rhumbas. -e ' p V ' It was here that the unexpected happened to our famous baseball teamg They thought for all the world that the Chinese would be push- overs' but it proved -to be otherwise when the Chinese teams played us with a well 'organized and snappy looking club' playing percentage ball. We 'found out that baseball is the number, one game with the Chinese. Another surprise that Was in store for us was in the snappy way they played basketball against the Pine Islanders, this caused many practice sessions to be held aboard the ship in order to stay ahead of. the Chinese sharpshooters. i Softball proved to be a' favorite sport forthe interdepartmental teams and it developed a good deal of competitive spirit throughout the ship. With the beer tent set up close by, many a player ambled over for a nice cool can of beer in the heat of the game. It usually wound up that the losers har f th d' k. r a Opay or e rm S J.,H. Boulger,qLt. 79

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sf 1 , fir t' ' .A , V 1,!.U'1 w i KONG 5 ? Q 4 T' i f 1 v 0 rf ' - Due to its hilly nature, building on the island of Hong Kong proved to be a form- idable task, but the British accomplished wonders in this respect and the steep streets and terraces, which are a pleasant and picturesque feature of the island, are a lasting tribute to years of toil. , P ' At the present time, however, the business area of the city of Victoria, stands on a long strip of reclaimed land which stretches from Sulphur Channel to the Lyemum Pass. , ' a , l Perhaps the most prominent feature of the island of Hong Kong is the famous Peak, 1825 feet above sea level. Daily thousands of visitors ascend this' natural monument to gaze in awe at the beautiful harbor below. y Kowloon, which is still, being developed, has assumed almost as great an importance as the business centre across the bay. It is in Kowloon, .where the .busy terminus- of the Kowloon-Canton Railway is situated., tWide streets,. busy shops and magnificent concrete structures all point to the prosperity of the Colony. i Hong Kong still has its problems. An ever-increasing population has found the water situation unable to cope with the heavy demand. The reservoirs and distilling plants are under a great burden and economy in use of Water has had to be imposed. And while .riches and luxury are evident everywhere, there is abject poverty to remind one of the misery of China's war-torn. millions. Refugees from the mainland have poured in without any means of subsistence. Today, they are proving to be a menace to the community in many ways--health, .Security and economy. V Andlstill Hong Kong looks to the future. There is to be a new modern airport in the Deep Bay area. Plans are under way to increase the Colony's water supply. The public utility companies are installing the latest equipment. Everywhere expansion is the aim. This is the Hong Kong of the present--a long cry from the -barren days of pirates and humble fisherfolk. A ' 1 81d