( 22 )
4. As the cost of the sea-wall and the filling in will not be uniform per yard lineal of sea-frontage throughout, in consequence of the sea being deeper in some places than in others, the work has been divided into seven sections and the cost of each section has been ascertained separately. In this way the average price per square foot of reclamation has been equitably apportioned for each section, so that of the seven groups of marine lot-owners no two groups will pay the same price for their reclamations. The cost of that portion of the work which will be defrayed by the Government on account of the areas tinted yellow in the General Plan, will be reduced by the utilization, in the proposed new sea-wall, of the stone of the present Praya wall.
5. The cost of the Government reclamations opposite the Sailors' Home in Section No. 1 have been entirely excluded from the present estimates because already last year the Government had begun this work in connexion with the preparation of a site for the proposed new Western Market, and as the filling in at this point is making good progress there is every probability that the Market site will be completed next year.
6. I annex hereto (marked Returns Nos. 6-7) a schedule of the annual Crown Rents based on the appraisal of $200 per quarter acre, which the lot-owners will have to pay to the Colonial Treasury for their new reclamations. The total amounts to $20,932 per annum. Following the precedent in respect of all previous reclamations, I understand the Government does not propose to charge any premium for the new allotments in consideration of these being reclaimed entirely at the cost of the lot-owners.
7. In section 2 a portion of the reclamation is shown tinted purple (see the General Plan). This purple Section is also omitted from the present estimates, because the work having been already begun last year, will doubtless be completed before the general scheme has been initiated. The work is being carried out by the Public Works Department at the entire cost and charges of the Wharf and Godown Company who are the owners of the Marine Lots Nos. 98 to 105. This Company were granted an extension to their lots seawards, subject to their defray- ing the cost of the requisite sea-wall and filling-in, and subject to their paying the Government a Crown Rent of $764 per annum.
8. The timber jetties and landing-stages along the present line of wall, erected in the early days of the Colony mostly by private enterprise will have to be removed at the cost of their owners who are tenants at will of the Crown, Owing to the greatly increased depth of water along the proposed new sea-wall, new piers and landing-stages will not be required except in four or five cases. These I presume will be erected at the cost of the owners.
9. The detailed surveys have not brought to light any new facts that would justify the Government in relaxing any of the conditions prescribed by His Ex- cellency the Governor in the correspondence with Mr. C. P. CHATER of November 1887, and I am of opinion that the marine lot-owners should be held to those conditions by written contract between the Government and each individual. There would be less ground for any concession that it is now found the profits accruing to the lot-owners are greater than was anticipated.
10. As it would be a serious hindrance and obstruction to the shipping and landing operations of the port to undertake the proposed new works all along the line at the same time, it is recommended that the reclamation be begun and finished section by section. There would however be no objection to two sections being pushed on with at the same time provided they were in different parts of the harbour-frontage. Probably it will be found most convenient to begin sections 1 and 7, and when these are finished to pass on to Sections 2 and 6, finishing up with sections 3 and 5 and then 4.
11. I deem it unnecessary to encumber this letter with technical matter des- criptive of proposed constructional details, I therefore attach a separate outline- specification with detail tracings showing what is proposed in respect of sea-wall and embankment.
12. By the light of the new detailed surveys just completed, it is seen that the reclamations, inclusive of roads, but exclusive of the Western Market site
Page 360Page 361