487
It will be almost universally admitted, I think, that the population of the town of Victoria is gradually growing beyond the numbers that can be satisfactorily and healthily housed, and while ́ schemes are more or less tentatively put forward, having as a partial object the relief of this over- crowding, the real question of how and where to find good and sufficient housing room for our ever- increasing numbers has not really been tackled.
In 1894 we were somewhat suddenly made to face the fact that, the conditions of life amongst the very large numbers of Chinese of the lower class dwelling in Hongkong was such as to demand ame- lioration, and, since that memorable year, special efforts have been made with this object, and with these efforts has resulted ap almost universal demand for more room.
Since the Island of Hongkong has practically little more room for the purpose, it seins remarkable that, just at about the time when the demand was forced upon us, the supply should have appeared in the acquisition of what is known as the New Territory.
Our boundary on the mainland was thrown back and more than 200 square miles added to Hongkong.
In this large tract of almost unoccupied land, we have to hand, at once, the remedy for overcrowd- ing in our City, and if we really mean business when we speak about relieving the pressure in the dwellings in Victoria, we must give all half-measures the go-by in favour of the one full measure of providing housing room whereby the surplus population can be accommodated on the other side of the Harbour. By this means a double purpose will be served. the unhealthy conditions now existing in Victoria will be removed and, at the same time, the New Territory will be opened up and developed, to the advantage of the Public Revenue and of the Colony generally.
But in order to accomplish this, it is absolutely necessary that we should have easy communica- tion with the other side, and by "easy" I mean something very different from the present Ferry
service.
Communication between Hongkong and Kowloon should be by means of a Bridge across the
Harbour.
The advantages to be derived by such a means of communication are so obvions, that they need hardly be alluded to. The mere thought of the difference between walking over to Kowloon direct, or riding over in a chair or a ricksha, or, better still, in the electric tramcar, compared with the present inore or less comfortless passage in moderate weather and no passage at all in bad weather, should be sufficient to cominend the scheme beyond question.
Nor is the scheme, in my opinion, anything less than a practical one, for there can be no en- gineering difficulty, I should say, in building a bridge about one mile long over water averaging in depth about 37 feet and with a maximum of 352 feet at Low Water.
Nor will such a bridge be any practical obstruction, or even inconvenience, to shipping.
The line I would propose would be from Pottinger Street to Tsim Sha Tsui and so striking Robinson Road, Kowloon.
77
The style of the bridge is not of importance at the present moment, but I would suggest one break in it, to be closed by a "swing or a draw" bridge, not for general use, but chiefly for the conve- nience of more or less disabled ships wishing to go into dock from the further side of the bridge.
The Harbour would be practically divided into two parts, the Eastern and the Western, and at the first glance, it might seem that, a ship in the Western half bound North, or a ship in the Eastern half bound South, would be seriously inconvenienced, but this is not really so.
To a given point in her voyage, the ship going North would, at a speed of 10 knots, sacrifice 45 minutes if she started from the West of the bridge and went out through Sulphur Channel, while the ship bound South and being to the East of the bridge would sacrifice even less.. How often one sees in the present day, ships spending almost as many minutes in "pointing" after they have left their buoy if they happen to be adversely swung, while, on the other hand, ships under similar circumstances can be seen leaving just as they would do it the bridge existed, that is to say, going out by Lyeemun Pass if bound South and vice versâ.
By placing the bridge where I propose, the well established costing steamers of the Douglas S. S. Co, would have their Wharf on the Eastern half of the Harbour. Their first port being only about 175 miles distant, 45 minutes might be of importance to them.
It would necessarily be a low-level bridge both for the convenience of the approaches and for better security from typhoons. A clearance not exceeding 40 feet at high water would, I consider, be ample.
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