October 21, 1899.]
HACHINA OVERLAND TRADE REPORT.
indenfinite postponement of the erection of argently needed new publio offices.
6.-The immediate erection of a new building | suitable for the ever increasing requirements of the Post Office in Hongkong is a matter which directly and materially affects the interests of trade, commerce, and shipping of this growing and progressive port. Therefore let me ear nestly direct the immediate serious attention of the Committee of the Chamber of Commerce to the extremely unsatisfactory position of affairs and the pressing urgent necessity for the Gov- ernment proceeding without further delay with the building of the new Post Office on the site of Government land lying fallow on the New | Praya Reclamation immediately to the north of that on which the New Law Courts are to
be erected, as unanimously recommended by the members of the Committee appointed in Sep- tember, 1894.
and it realised on 24th July last $47, 200, or fully $18.38 per square foot; hence $14 per square foot may be regarded as a not unreason. able valuation for the Harbour Master's present office and the New Praya Reclamation in front thereof.
10. The rent of the now somewhat famous building named "Beaconsfield," on which so much public money has been wastefully expended, could be saved to the Government by the addi- | tion of another storey on the building in St. John's Place in which the meetings of Council are held and in which the Colonial Secretary and Director of Public Works are accommodated. This new storey could be executed at a cost of say Twenty thousand Dollars ($20,000) and it would give ample additional office room for the Sanitary Board, the Educational Department,
&o.
10. The advantages to be derived from adopt 7-If the buiding were of four storeys it ing the proposals adduced herein-to the non- could accommodate the Post Office, the Har- biased and unprejudiced mind--are overwhelm bour Master, the Treasury, and the Registrar- ingand too obvious to be further demonstrated. General's Office, &o. The construction thereof On every ground and for financial reasons the could be gone on with at once instead of waiting building of the new Post Office, &c., should be three or four years until the new Law Courts commenced forthwith on the Government site are built. The Post Office would thus be on now lying fallow immediately to the north of the marine frontage and it is most desirable it that on which the new Law Courts are to be should be on Prays. This would greatly erected. If the Public Works Department are facilitate the prompt receipt, despatch, and unable to at once undertake the work the handling of mail matter. The said site is im- Government would de well to entrust the same mediately north of that on which the new Law to local architects, who have already construct- Courts are to be built and is separated there-ed buildings in the Colony of greater magui- from by a road 75 feet in width; on the north tude and value. there is a road 75 feet wide, on the east a road 50 wide, and on the west there will be a proposed private lane 20 feet wide and an open turfed space besides a road 75 feet wide. Thus, if erected on the site in question the building would have better ventilation and far more light and air than any structure erected on the site of the present Law Courts could possibly have. 8.-The Harbour Master's Office would then also be in the immediate neighbourhood and in the midst of the offices of shipping firms instead of as at present far distant therefrom. If necessary for the entrance and clearance of junks there could be, at a trifling expense, a branch of the Harbour Master's Department on the Praya opposite the Junk Anchorage and Sailors' Home, where there is Government land available and lying fallow.
9. By utilising the two sites of Government land lying fallow on the New Praya Reclama- tion north of the City Hall in the manner here- inbefore mentioned, Government would have available for sale the far more valuable sites on which the present Court House, Laud Office, Post Office, and Harbour Master's Office stand. The present Court House, Land Office and Post. Office site consists of 41,945 square feet, ut say $12 per square foot, $503,340; the site on which the Harbour Master's Office stands consists of about 9,000 square feet, value say $14 per square foot, $126,000. In addition to the latter there is the New Praya Reclamation in front thereof and on which it is proposed to erect the new office for the Harbour Master's Department. If the Harbour Master's Department is accommodated in the proposed new Post Office building the said New Reclamation in front to the north of the Harbour Master's present office would not be required and would be available for sale. It consists of about 14,500 square feet and if sold by auction would realise not less than 814 a square foot or say $203,000. These three sites if sold at auction would, there is every reason to believe, realise $12, $14, and $14 per square foot respectively, as hereinbefore stated, or an aggregate of $832,340, The site on the New Praya Reclamation, immediately to the north of that on which the new Law Courts are to be erected, consists of 19,200 square feet, which, if sold at public anction, would not realise more than about 88 per square foot, or $153,600 and the site on which the Harbour Master's Offee now stands is about 9,007 square feet at say $14 per square foot, or $126,000, together $279,600. as against $882.340 estimated to be realised for the sites on which the present Court House, Land Office, Post Office, and Harbour Master's Office stand, together with the Reclamation in front of the latter. Inland Lot No. 1,542 consists of 2,567 square feet, is in the immedi- ate vicinity of the Harbour Master's present Offee, and was, per Government Notification No, 375 of st July, 1899, exposed for sale by public auction, the upset price being $90,800,'
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12.-If the site in question to the north of that on which the new Law Courts are to be built is not now reserved for the erection there- on of the Post Office, &e.. Government may at any time be asked to put it up to public auction and a buyer would probably he forthcoming.
13. The qhestion is of such vital importance to the whole mercantile community and so materially affects the future of the trade, commerce, and shipping of the Port that from my point of view the Committee would do well to call a General Meeting of the members of the Chamber and memorialise the Secretary of State for the Colonies in favour of some such proposals as are herein stated, the Colonial Government having disregarded the unanimous recommendations of the Committee appointed in 1894 (referred to ou page 4 hereof) and having decided in this matter of such grave importance to act in direct opposition to the views and the opinions of the elected Repre- sentatives of the people on the Legislative
Council.
14.-For the information of the Ratepayers and the Community I am sending a copy of this letter to the local Press. I am also for warding a copy thereof to His Excellency the Governor for his information,-Yours very truly,
T. H. WHITEHEAD.
R. Chatterton Wilcox Esq., Secretary, Hong
kong General Chamber of Commerce.
THE ADVENTURES OF A STEAM-
LAUNOH.
THE CAPTAIN WASHED OVERBOARD, THE LAUNCH ABANDONED AND
PICKED UP.
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on board, the European Captain having been previously washed overboard. The Loosok took the launch in tow, but the cable broke, and as darkness was coming on it was not deemed advisable to go after her again. The launch was, however, safely brought into port on Satur- day by the Scottish Oriental steamer Mongkut, which picked her up the day after the Loosok lost her. The little oraft had sustained practi cally no damage from ber buffeting in the severe weather lately experienced.
WANG CHUAN-SHIEN AGAIN IN TROUBLE.
It may be remembered that Wang Chuan- shien, the Superintendant of the Lekin Bureau at Canton, who officiated as the Chinese commis- siener for the delimitation of the Kowloon frontier, was recently in trouble at Peking. where he was held under arrest on a charge of irregularities in his accounts. On that occasion he got off by the means common in such cases. He is now, however, again in trouble, so the Native papers report. He has returned from Peking to Canten, and Kang Yi, the HighCom. missioner, apparently intends to give another turn to the screw to compel him to disgorge still further. Kang held an enquiry into the ease on the 12th inst. Wang's protegée Mrs. Ma Zee- koo and her sou are also detained under arrest for further enquiry. Mrs. Ma was on the former occasion accused of having acled as Wang's agent in some of his alleged illegal transac- tionse.
The following, we are informed, are the charges on which Mr. Wang Chuan-shien, the Kowloon boundary delimitation Commissioner, is now on his trial at Canton:
1.-Defrauding the Government of över taëls 260,000 in the likin returns.
2. That he practised extortion and carried on illegal transactions in his own behalf.
3.-Abusing his prerogatives for the enlarge. ment of his own fortune.
4.-That he embraced and cherished the friendship, of a criminal natur, of a pretty widow, Mrs. MaZee-koo
5.-That through his instrumentality the daughter-in-law of Mrs. Ma Zee-koo committed suicide to shield her disgrace.
The last named charge is said to embody a romance, followed by a tragedy, of which our correspondout promises to supply us with fur- ther particulars.
MARSHAL NU AND THE DELIMITA-
TION OF KWANGCHAUWAN,
Marshal Su, of Kwangsi, who has recently been to Peking and has been appointed the Chinese Commissioner for the delimitation of
the boundary of the area leased to the French at Kwaugchauwun, arrived at Canton on the 14th inst. to communicate with the Viceroy. He came down from Shanghai to Hongkong by the French cruiser Pascal and the same vessel will convey him to Kwangohanwon,
The report continues to circulate amongst` the Chinese that the Marshal has received prî- vate instructions from the Empress-Dowager to carry out his mission according to his own ideas of what is right in the circumstances and to maintain his views, even should they involve risk of war, without asking further instructions from the Throne.
WATER RETURN.
14th October. Captain Jackson, of Loosok, arrived in eq Hongkong yesterday from Bangkok, bringing with him nine Chinese whom he had taken from the On Lee, one of six steam-lanuches purchased
Marshal Su returned from Canton on Tues- in Hongkong for the Quartermaster's Depart- | day by a Chinese gunboat and left the follow- ment at Manila. Captain Jackson came across ing day by the Pascal for Kwanchanwan. the On Lee on the 6th inst. He learned that she left Hongkong on the 2nd inst., and that during a typhoon Captain Robinson, who was in charge of the launch and was at the wheel at the time, was washed overboard and drowned, The Loosok took the launch in tow, but subse- quently the tow line broke, and the launch wont adrift. As it was dark at the time and raining heavily Captain Jackson could not very well attempt to recover the launch, and be accord · inly resumed his voyage to Hongkong.
16th October.
In Saturday's isane it was reported that the stem-launch On Lee, which was on her way down to Manila for the U. S. Government, was picked up in distress by the Scottish Oriental steamer Loosok, which took her Chinese crew
LEVEL AND storage OF WATER IN RESEE- VOIRS ON THE 1st OCTOBER,
1898
1899 Pokfulam 8ft, Sim. below overflow Olt, Gin. above overflow Tytam..... Ift. 6in. below overflow 2ft, Sin, abovo overflow
Wongneicheong
Oft. Sin, above overflow STORAGE GALLÓNS.
1898. 372,200,000. 58,960.000
Tytam Pokfulam Wongneicheong ap- proximation only
Total
1899. 407,000,000
67,080,000
30,000,000
-431,160,000
5€4,080,000
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