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About three months ago His Excellency the Officer Administering the Go- vernment directed my attention to the necessity of building a Police Station at Kennedy Town for which funds are voted in the current year's Colonial Estimates, and Dr. Ayres, Captain Deane, and myself having been directed to select the best site, we chose a spot close to the camp of the trespassers and recommended its adoption to Government.
In addition to the wholesale nuisance which the trespassers are creating they have dislodged all the stones along the bed of the nullah, so that when the great rain-storm of last July came, enormous quantities of loosened earth and debris were washed down into the Davis Street drain between the Rope Works and Glass Works, choking up and bursting this drain and putting the Government to an expense of $1,700 in repairs.
The necessity for certain additional works of storm drainage and defence against freshets, in order to prevent a recurrence of disasters of this kind made it clear that it was necessary without any loss of time to remove such of the tres- passers' huts as were situated within the area of the proposed new catch water drains and excavations, while the probability of an early beginning with the pro- posed new Police Station and approach roads made it equally obvious that those of the pigsties and huts within these works would also have to follow soon after.
Therefore on Friday, the 20th of last month, I again visited the trespassers* camp; and after vainly searching for some indication of their intention to remove, I instructed Mr. McLeod, the officer in charge of the proposed new works, to notify through the channel of the Interpreter about forty or forty-five of the trespassers who were in the way of the new works that they must, willing or unwilling, remove before the morning of the last day of August, for the new works would begin on the 1st of September. It was made clear to them that further extensions of time were out of the question, as any delay of the new works would not be tolerated.
On the same day (20th of August) Mr. McLeod duly served this notice on the trespassers concerned, reporting to me in the evening.
The last day of August arrived, and on Mr. McLeod proceeding to the spot to make arrangements for beginning the works next day, he was disconcerted to find that no notice whatsoever had been taken by the trespassers of my last warn- ing. Mr. McLeod thereupon took it upon himself to give them a final 24 hours, assuring them that his orders from me were positive and that he must himself begin removing the pigsties and huts if they did not make a beginning of their own accord.
I approved of the additional 24 hours given them by Mr. McLeod without reference to me, feeling that the sight of the workmen and other preparations in the neighbourhood would convince them that they must now prepare to go.
On the morning of the 2nd instant, the trespassers had not yet shown any sign of moving, and acting under my instructions Mr. McLeod removed such of the pigsties and huts as happened to be situated within the area of the proposed works.
Next month, when the new Police Station is begun, it will be my disagreeable duty, unless specially directed by His Excellency to the contrary, to remove many more of the huts and pigsties, due notice being of course as usual given to these poachers, not that it will do any good or in any way influence their removal of their own accord.
J. M. PRICE,
(Signed),
3rd September, 1886.
Surveyor General.
Minute by the Surveyor General."
MR. CHAN AFOOK,-I learn that the trespassers at Kennedy Town state to the Registrar General that they were not offered any sites to remove to when they were called upon by me, some months ago, to move from their present camp above the present Glass Works.
As considerable attention was given by me at the time to the selection of suitable sites in alternative districts for these people, and as my propositions were communicated to them through yourself as interpreter, I desire to hear from you what is your recollection as to the offers which were made to them.
12th September, 1886.
(Signed),
J. M. PRICE,
Surveyor General.