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PUBLIC WORKS DEPARTMENT.
I. EXPENDITURE.
1. The amounts actually expended by the Department against those vc under the usual headings. Votes 24, 25 and 26 in the Colonial Estimates shown in the following Table and compared with similar expenditure in the pi vious year, 1903 :-
AMOUNTS VOTED.
Actual
Actual Expenditure, Expenditure
In Estimates.
Supplemen- tary Votes.
1904.-
in 1903.
Total.
Vote 24. Personal Emolu-
ments, Exchange Com- pensation and Other Charges,
245,598.00
5,558.90 251,156.90 214,334.62 190,121.12
Vote 25. Annually Recur-
490,700.00
rent Works,
Vote 26. Extraordinary *1,263,300.00
70,195.84 560,895.84 532,751.85
482,371.45| 1,745,671.45 †1,264,351.30
529,579.98
629,831.04
I
Works,
Total,........ .$ | 1,999,598.00
.558,126.19 2,557,724.19 | 2,011,437.77 1,349,532.14
* Exclusive of vote for Praya East Reclamation (advance account), $10,000.
Exclusive of Expenditure on Praya East Reclamation.
Vote 24 (Establishment, &c.,) shows an increase over corresponding Vote of 1903 of $24,000 due largely to increase in the Staff of the Department, but the saving of $37,000 on the vote is owing to the high rate of exchange which averaged 1/10d. for the year.
Vote 25 (Public Works Recurrent) is about the same as the last year, some saving being effected on the vote. Much useful work was again done from the Miscellaneous Items (Drainage, Water and General) as detailed separately further on under their respective headings. These items should, properly speaking, be under heading of Vote 26.
Vote 26 (Public Works Extraordinary).—The expenditure was exactly double that of the previous year due chiefly to the two large Waterworks (Tytam Tuk and Kowloon) being in full swing and to the progress on the larger public buildings contracts, such as the Law Courts, Western Market, Harbour Office, New Government Offices, Gunpowder Magazine on Green Island, and to the re- sumption of Insanitary Areas in the City.
It was less than the total amount voted owing to various causes, mainly to there being practically no expenditure on the $60,000 voted for compensation under the Buildings Ordinance; to the work on the Powder Magazine and Taikok- tsui reclamation being delayed owing to tide work; to the fact that $130,000 of the Insanitary Properties Resumption item was unexpended by order of the Secretary of State; to the Kowloon Water-works expenditure being $55,000 less than was anticipated; and to the delay in commencing the Yaumati School and Officers' Quarters at Taipo owing to pressure of other works.
It however exceeded the sum originally placed in the Estimates for the year.
―
Generally. The sum total expended by this Department for the year is greater than any previous year by over $660,000.
T
Detailed statements of Votes 25 and 26 are given in Append
and B.