178
44. Re-constructing and Repairing Roofs, Government Civil Hospital. As the roofs of the verandahs of the Main and Lower Hospitals and of C. Block, as well as the main roof of the latter, had been in an unsatisfactory condition for some time past, it was decided to execute extensive repairs, and to re-construct them where necessary.
The roofs of C. Block were first undertaken, the main roof being, to a large extent, renewed and the verandah roofs, which had formerly been of timber and Canton tiles, being re-constructed with iron joists and bars and cement concrete, covered with a layer of asphalte "thick. Good progress was made with the work by the end of the year, but it was still uncompleted.
PUBLIC WORKS EXTRAORDINARY.
45. Law Courts. The contract for the foundations of this building was finally completed in April, much trouble having been experienced with the Contractor, as mentioned in last year's Report, towards the conclusion of the work. The tenders received for the superstructure were so unsatisfactory, principally from their excessive amount, that none of them could be accepted and after several futile attempts to arrange satisfactory terms with some of the Contractors who submitted the most favourable tenders, it was decided that the only practicable course was to carry out the work departmentally, the principal difficulty with regard to this being insufficiency of staff for the purpose. Whilst arrangements were being made to enable this course to be followed, a reasonable tender was received from Mr. CHAN A TONG, who had previously been unable to submit one, and, after some negotiations, a Contract was entered into with him in July. As the building is faced with dressed stone throughout, some time elapsed before enough of this could be obtained to admit of a substantial start being made, but work had progressed sufficiently to enable the foundation stone to be laid by His Excellency the Governor (Sir HENRY BLAKE) on the 12th November, and at the close of the year a large quantity of granite had been delivered on the ground and the walls had been built an average height of 4 feet above the foundations. Great care is being exercised in the selection and dressing of the stone for this important public building. It was unfortunately found necessary to dispense with the services of the Clerk of Works who had been obtained from England specially to supervise the work and up to the close of the year his successor had not arrived in the Colony.
46. Western Market.-The contract for the foundations was completed in March and a contract for the superstructure was entered into with Messrs. SANG LEE & Co. in November. The delay in arranging the latter arose through the large number of important works for which drawings, specifications and quantities had to be prepared and the great amount of trouble experienced in connection. with the Law Courts. Work on the building was begun at the close of the year.
47. Harbour Office.-A contract for the superstructure was entered into with Mr. CHAN A TONG in June. Some delay occurred in obtaining suitable bricks and in preparing the dressed stone for the principal front. The walls were how- ever built to an average height of about 10 feet above the foundations and nearly all the door and window frames on the ground floor were fixed.
48. Survey of New Territory.-The cadastral survey was completed early in May, the following being the areas surveyed during the year :
District.
Un Long, Kowloon,
New Kowloon, Sha Tau Kok, Lamma Island,
Pu Toi Island,
Tung Hoi District,
Sub-Districts.
Tại Lam Chung.
Tsün Wan.
The whole.
Won Hang and Luk Keng.
The whole.
The whole.
4 small areas which had
formerly escaped notice.
In the case of New Kowloon and Sha Tau Kok, the work consisted of a re-survey to enable maps of these districts on a scale of 32 inches to the mile to be prepared, those formerly prepared on a scale of 16 inches to the mile having been found unserviceable on account of the minute sub-divisions of the land.