PUBLIC WORKS AND UTILITIES
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establish larger reserves of aggregates to meet future demand. During the year, a new contract to operate a crushing plant was let. The plant will process surplus rock excavated from construction sites.
Marine-dredged sand continued to play a significant role in meeting the need for sand and 987,653 cubic metres was sold through the government sand monopoly. A total of 133,336 cubic metres of manufactured sand was also sold. The new sand depot at Lai Chi Kok was completed and plans were in hand for new depots at Sha Tin and Tai Lam Chung.
Buildings
The building boom of the previous two years continued into 1979, but with some significant changes occurring in the statistical analysis of the industry. Increases in wage rates con- tinued to accelerate, rising by 21 per cent from July, 1978, to June, 1979, while the cost of materials rose by 57 per cent in the same period. This resulted in an increase of 38 per cent in the consolidated index covering both labour and materials. An analysis of actual tenders received for construction works, however, showed an increase of only 31 per cent, reversing the trend of the previous mid-calendar year when tender prices outperformed the labour/materials index. The reasons for this reversal were not clear. There were in- dications in the third quarter of 1979 that the overall acceleration in building indices was beginning to ease, although it was too early to suggest that this was to be a continuing trend leading to a reduction in inflationary pressures on the industry.
Notable projects completed on Hong Kong Island included the Headquarters British Forces building at HMS Tamar, which was opened by His Royal Highness the Prince of Wales in March. This was the major project in the programme of work associated with the release to the Hong Kong Government of land at Victoria Barracks. The building, constructed in record time, comprises a five-storey podium providing 3,830 square metres per floor, and a 20-storey tower with 1,330 square metres per floor. The new building is a striking addition to the Central District waterfront. Also completed was the refurbish- ment of Government House. In this project, part of the work entailed the provision of a temporary roof while the existing roof was removed and the old timber trusses were re- placed by steel ones. Another interesting undertaking was an indoor games hall at Aberdeen sports ground. The indoor games hall is the first completed building in Hong Kong to feature a space-frame roof over the main hall which has internal dimensions of 39 metres by 36 metres.
Other building projects completed on Hong Kong Island were the reprovisioning of Victoria Technical School; the first stage of additional staff quarters at Queen Mary Hospital; the reprovisioning of the headquarters of the Royal Hong Kong Regiment (The Volunteers) at Sports Road, Happy Valley; and a promenade along the waterfront in Central District where pavilions and a fountain provide an attractive and shady environment.
Among the buildings completed in Kowloon were the first phase of the new technical institute in Kowloon Tong; a judiciary building at Gascoigne Road comprising a six-court magistracy; a crematorium at Diamond Hill; 450 quarters for married rank and file members of the Royal Hong Kong Police Force at Ho Man Tin; and for the armed forces, four Gurkha married officers' quarters, 112 Gurkha married soldiers' quarters and a Gurkha temple, all at Gun Club Hill Barracks. Improvements at Hong Kong International Airport, Kai Tak, continued on a phased programme throughout the year, with part of a multi- storey car park and sections of the new arrival and departure halls being brought into