707
Item (i.) completes the resumption undertaken last year for the future construction of a main direct thoroughfare to Hok Un and Kowloon City.
Item (i.) This work was also begun in 1905 and was described in last year's report. Middle Road forms part of the scheme of roads arranged about 20 years ago in connection with the conversion of Garden Lots into Inland or Building Lots. The delay in executing it was due to the formidable nature of the work involved which consisted of cutting through a hill reaching a height of 95 feet and containing a large quantity of rock.
Item (iii.) In connection with the reclamation of Kowloon Marine Lots 74 and 75, &c., a temporary light railway was required for the transport of material from the hill immediately to the North-West of the junction of Gascoigne and Des Voeux Roads and, as the railway could not be permitted to encroach on that portion of Des Voeux Road skirting Gun Club Hill, arrangements were made with the Contractor for the reclamation work that the Government would defray part of the cost of the widening provided it was executed in a substantial manner. The sum of $4,500 represents the Government's contribution towards
the cost.
Item (iv.) This work was rendered necessary by the extensive reclamation work at Kowloon Point. The levels of the lower part of Robinson Road had to be raised to enab'e the drainage to be arranged in a satisfactory manner and this in turn entailed raising the gas and water mains,
Item (v.) This work was described in last year's report.
Item (vi.) The completion of some houses on lots which had hitherto been unbuilt on rendered it necessary to complete and put in order the portion of road referred to.
Item (vii.) This work was completed in the early part of the year and on the Ist April the Star Ferry Co. commenced running their launches to the new pier which had been constructed to accommodate them at the end of Salisbury Road. With the diversion of the traffic to this new route, the roadway along the Praya or West Bund became useless as a public road and, in accordance with the arrangement with the Hongkong and Kowloon Wharf and Godown Co., it was handed over to them.
Item (viii.) Calls for no comment.
Items (ix.), (x.) & (xi.). The first and last of these items were necessary on account of the extensive reclamation at Kowloon Point already mentioned under Item (iv.). Item (x.) forms part of the scheme of roads already referred to under Item (ii). In this case the formation of the road only became possible in 1903 owing to the great difficulty experienced in getting the owner of cne of the lots traversed to remove a bungalow which stood in the A hill on which the bungalow stood was then cut down and the amount shown in the statement is for improving the condition of the road as recent developments have brought it more into use.
way.
Items (xii) to (xvi.) call for no comment.
Item (xvii.) Under the Conditions of Sale for Inland Lot 905, the purchaser had to cut down and form the adjacent roads to the extent of one half of their width, the completion of the work devolving upon the Government. The condition remained unfulfilled until the Sanitary Board complained of a nuisance caused by stagnant water which issued from the hillside at this point when, after some correspondence, the necessary work was executed by the owner of the lot. The Government had then to execute their share of the work, which, owing to the steepness of the hill, the treacherous nature of the ground and the presence of much subsoil water, was of a somewhat extensive and troublesome nature. It was completed before the close of the year, but the whole of the work had not then been paid for.
Item (xviii.) consisted of laying out a portion of road which had remained in an un- formed condition for many years owing to the adjacent lots not being built upon.
Item (xix.) This work arose out of the diversion of Shaukiwan Road past the Quarry Bay Shipyard.
Items (xx.) to (xxii.) call for no comment.