But the information contained in the foregoing figures has been supplemented by some very valuable returns obtained from the Secretary of State for the Colonies whom His Excellency the Governor had addressed on the subject of the Tytam water-works, asking to be enlightened as to how the latest estimate of the cost 166,440 compared with the cost of completed water-works of the same character and description in England. In response to this question, Her Majesty's Govern- ment having called upon their Consulting Engineer to supply the requisite information for the Government of Hongkong, Sir ROBERT RAWLINSON was after a time able to furnish a return of the more modern water supplies to English towns and their attendant cost, and in transmitting this return he calls attention to the fact that the Tytam estimate of cost is lower than the average cost of English water-supplies. He writes as follows:
"The Governor of Hongkong desires to have my opinion as to whether the estimate of the Surveyor General of the cost of the water-works at £166,440, is excessive or otherwise as compared with the average cost of works for water- supply to European cities. In reply I quote from a Table giving the capacities and cost of water-works consisting of impounding reservoirs and conduits in Great Britain.
The Tytam works are estimated to supply 19 gallons per head daily, to a population of 125,000 at a cost of £1.6.7, per head. The Table gives the particu- lars of towns in which the population supplied, or the gallons per head, bears some comparison with Hongkong.
COST OF WATER-WORKS.
103
NAME OF TOWN.
GALLONS
POPULATION SUPPLIED.
PER HEAD
PER DAY.
COST OF WORKS.
COST
PER HEAD.
Ashton under Lyne,
130,000
23.08
£640,556
£4.18. 6
Dundee,
167,000
40.30
751,815
4.10. 0
Preston,
100,000
31.00
332,000
3. 6. 4
Halifax,
141,212
21.74
647,166
4.11. 7
Huddersfield,
118,065
25.41
750,000
6. 7. 0
Blackburn,
105,000
21.43
622,769
5.18. 71
Weardale and Shildon,
150,000
13.10
592,959
3.19. 0
Rochdale,
106,834
13.10
798,698
7. 9. 61
Manchester,
900,000
21.11 3,397,215
3.15, 5
Liverpool,
717,019
22.31
2,854,099
3.19. 71
Bradford,
364,000
24.18
1,869,737
5. 2. 84
Leeds,.
334,354
23.92
1,463,133
4. 7. 61
Sheffield,..
300,000-
16.19 1,698,000
5.12.101
Oldham,
179,000
22.35
585,706
3. 5. 51
Cardiff,
88,984
24.72
322,327
3.12. 54
Heywood,.....
44,770
20.10
297,558
6.12. 11
Of the existing works of 32 towns in England and Scotland with a com- bined population of 7,749,026 I find that an average supply of 27.64 gallons per head per day has been obtained at an average cost per head of £3.15.7. Tytam costs £1.6.7.
It appears therefore that the estimated expenditure of £1.6.7 upon the Tytam works in order to obtain a daily supply per head of 19 gallons is considerably below the average cost namely, £3.15.7 as obtained from actual experience.'
(Signed)
ROBERT RAWLINSON.