▸
545
32. Maintenance of Public Cemetery.-The retaining walls alongside the Roman Catholic Cemetery were completed and no further trouble was experience: with landslips. A new terrace for the interment of Japanese was laid out early in the year and various repairs were executed to the plant-houses, &c. Permits to the number of 65 were issued for the erection
and repair of monuments.
An
33. Maintenance of Public Recreation Grounds.—The Wongneichong and Queen's Re- creation Grounds were maintained in good order, a portion of the latter being returfed. area of land to the eastward of the Tai Hang Nullah was levelled off and turfed to provide additional space for games.
34. Dredging Foreshores.-The total quantity of materiai dredged and deposited outside the Harbour limits during the year amounted to 18,464 cubic yards, of which 9,092 cubic yards were removed in order to form a channel across the foreshore in continuation of Bowrington Canal and 7,050 cubic yards from the site and approaches to Observation Place Pier. In addition to the above, 9,409 cubic yards of material were excavated by coolie labour from Bowrington Canal and disposed of by the Contractor.
The Dredger was docked for cleaning and painting in the month of September, the expenditure incurred being $325.
35. Maintenance of Sewers, Nullahs, &c.-The sewers, storm-water drains and trained nullahs were cleansed and maintained in good condition. The flushing tanks have been systematically worked during the period of low water.
The details of the expenditure under this heading are as follows:-
Labour for cleansing operations,.......
Repairs,
Tools for cleansing operations,
Total,.....
$12,860.81 3.681.83 569.24
$17,111.88
as against $17,981.39 in the previous year. and the extension of the new-type gullies doubtless assist in effecting a saving on this vote.
The establishment of proper flushing tanks
36. Maintenance of City and Hill District Water-works.-Recourse was had to the inter- mittent system of supply on the 27th February but, in cousequence of early rains, it was found possible to restore a constant supply on the 29th March, thus giving a period of 30 days for intermittent supply. With the exception of bringing the rider mains into oper- ation on the 1st October in those districts of the City in which they had been laid, subsequently extending their use as they were completed in other districts, and applying the intermittent system of supply to the section of the City lying cast of Arsenal Street on the 15th December, it was found possible to maintain a constant supply up to the close of the year. Universally constant supply was thus in force for 243 days; universally inter- mittent supply for 30 days; and partially intermittent supply for 92 days.
The quantity of water stored in the Impounding Reservoirs on the 1st January amounted to 341,880,000 gallons. It reached a minimum on the 30th May, when it amounted to 85,617,000 gallons. Wong-nei-chong Reservoir only overflowed on the 9th June, Pokfulam ceased to overflow on the 25th June, Tytam Bye-wash on the 3rd September and Tytam on the 27th September. The total quantity of water remaining in the reservoirs at the close of the year amounted to 249,740,000 gallons.
year
The temporary pump for pumping up to the gauge basin the waters of the streams in the lower part of the Tytam Valley was kept in operation during the first portion of the year until the 3rd April and was again brouglit into operation during the latter portion ou the 27th September. The quantity of water raised by it during the early part of the was 30,889,000 gallous and during the latter part 57,899,000 gallons or a total of 88,288,000 gallons. About 10 million gallons were impounded in the new reservoir in course of construction and subsequently pumped up to the gauge basin, being included in the figures just given.
The total rainfall for the year at the Kowloon Observatory was 70.95 inches. The rains began early, the fall for the second half of March amounting to 11.07 inches: they also ceased early, the fall for the whole of September amounting to only 3.19 inches.