March 2, 1908.]
Palacio do Governor,
12th February, 1908. 818-I have the honour to acknowledge receipt of Your Excellency's letter conveying to me copy of a R solution of Condolence with the Portuguese Tarone and Nation in the terrible calamity that has befallen them, passed by the Legislative Council of that Colony and to tender to Your Excellency, the Honourable members of the Legislative Council and the people of the Colony of Hongkong the beart. felt thanks of this Government and Colony for their kind expressions of sympathy. I have etc.,
(Sd.) PEDRO DE AZEVEDO COUTINHO,
Governor.
His Fxcellency the Governor,
Hongkong.
PAPERS,
[.
The COLONIAL SECRETARY, by direction of His Excellency the Governor, laid on the table the following papers Progress Report on the Construction of the British Beo iou of the Hongkong-Canton Railway to 31st December 1907 and "Report on the Widows' and Orphans' Fund for the year 1997." [Printed in another column.]
FINANCIAL MINUTES
The COLONIAL SECRETARY, by command of H. E. the Governor laid on the table Financial minutes No. 6 and 7, and moved that they be referred to the Finance Committee.
The COLONIAL TREASURER seconded, and the motion was agreed to.
FINANCE.
The COLONIAL SECRETARY-1 bare to bring up the report of the Finance Committee (No. 2), and to more its adoption.
The COLONIAL TREASURER seconded, and the motion was agreed to.
BUMMONING OF CHINESE ORDINANCE. The ATTORNEY-GENER L-Sir, I rise to move the resolution which stauls in my name. It extends the period of operation of the Summoning of Chinese Ordinance 1899. Under the existing ordinance it is necessary that it should be renewed, and as it seems advisable to renew it, this resolution so provides.
The COLONIAL SECRETARY seconded, and the motion was agreed to.
The resolution was in the following terms: Whereas by section 5 of the Summoning of Chinese Ordinance 1899 (No. 12 of 1899) it was enacted that the said Urdinaucs should only continue in operation for a period of two years from the coming into operation of the said Ordinance and for such further period or pe riods as might from time to time, be determined by resolution of the Legislative Council.
And whereas it is desirable that the said Ordinence should remain in force until its operation is determined by a further resolution. It is hereby resolved by this Council that The Summoning of Chinese Ordinance 189G shall be and hereby is continued in force until its operation is determined by further resolution of this Council.
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INSPECTION OF ANIMALS.
The COLONIAL SECRETARY-I beg to more that the approval of the Council be given to the Amendment of the Importation and luspection of Animals Bye Laws wade uuders ction Iti of the Public Health and Building's Ordinance 19 3. The only alteration, Sir, in the byelaws that is rather material is the concluding words in bye law No 3. “such other place as the Bard may appoint." The insertion of these words is necessary in order to give greater hitude to the Board in selecting the place for the segregs. tion of infected animals,
The HoN. DIRECTOR OF PUBLIC WORKS seconded, and the motion was agreed to.
CHINESE EMIGRATION ORDINANCE,
The ATTORNEY-GENERAL moved that the Council resolve itself into committes to con- sider the Bill entitled an Ordinance to amend the Chinese Emigration Ordinance 1889,
The Co ONIAL SECRETARY secouded, and the motion was agreed to.
In addition to some minor amendments a new section, numbered 5, was added amending section 142 of the Principal Ordinance by sub. stituting in the second line of sub s-ction (1) the words “fifty dollars' ia plice of the words "twenty five dollars,"
**
The Colonial Secretary explained that this increase in the fees for medical examinations was made in order to recoup the cost of addi-
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CHINA OVERLAND TRADE REPORT.
tional staff (smounting to between $5,000 and 89,00 per annum) rendered necessiry by the Bill for the supervision of assisted emigrants, The balance of the increased fees over such cost will be credited to General Revenu?
On the Council resuming,
The ATTORNRY-GENERAL, said-Ia view of the introduction of the new clause 5 which involves a charge in aid of revenue we do not propose to ask the Council to-day to read the Bill a third time.
HIS EXCELLENCY-The Couu-il stands ad. journed until after the mating of the Fiuanes Committee.
JURY LIN”.
When the Council resumed the Jury Li-t for 1908 was considered in private, and the Council was adjourned for a week.
FINANCE COMMITTEE,
A meeting of the Finance Committee was then held-the Colonial Secretary presiding. The following votes were pas-el:—
POLICE STATION REPAIRS.
The Governor recommended the Council to vole a sum of ODG thou and thres hundred dollars $1.394) in aid of the vote Public Works Extraordinary, Buildings, No. 5 tation - Alterations to Quarters.
QUEEN'S COLLEGE.
The Governor rec.mm-uded the Council to vote a sum of one hundred and fifty six dollars ($156, in aid of the vote, Public Works Extra- ordinary, Miscellaneous,
Queen's College Latrines and Urinal.
KOWLOON-CANTON RAILWAY.
The following progress report on
the con. struction of the British Section of the Hong. kong Canton Railway to 31st December, 1967, has been laid before the Legislative Council by Command of His Excellency the Governor:
DESCRIPTION OF ALIGNMENT.
The pressut aligomsut is slightly differout from that set out by Mr. Bruce. Iu Kowloon Station Yard, the line has been kept further west nearer Des Vœux Road, At chain 38m Des Vwax and Gascoigne Roads are carried over the line by a very large Bridge,
After passing this bridg, the grads rises at 1 in 150 to chaia S60, near which the line passes over a prop 8d 100' road by a girder bridge, with 2 side spans of 10 feet arches for the pathways.
Al chain 9700 another 1 road (Argyle Street) is crossed by a 61' girder bridge. As │chise as possible to this road, I propose to put a
station for Yaumali.
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Between obain 43:200, and 44200, the Taipo Road is diverted to the sea side of the line, as
the railway is too bigh above the road for level crossings. At chain 15-3 the road passes under the Railway. Shortly after this, th· road rises rapidly and between obains 45850 & 46 200 and 46 950 & 47-200 is diverted and kept on the west side of the line by bei g soarped out of the cutting above the Railway.
Between chains 45 100 and 48 450 is a short tunnel, the road going round the spar is carried over the tunnel portais at both sides.-
At Chain 49500 on Mr. Bruce's alignment, there was marked a viaduct of 20 spans of 20 feet in rather deep water. In order to avoid this the new line goes more inland and passes in rather deep cutting through the west side of a hill at Chain 50 400. The line comes out on to the coast line again and is in heavy scarp cutting for some time, with a short tuunel between Chains 51.475 and 51.625.
The grade runs down then past the village of Cheung Sui Tan and rises again approach- ing the Taipo tunnel. This tunnel between Chaius 62.625 and 63.475 avoids a sharp curve round a very exposed spur to the south of Taipo Station Yard. Going through the spur, instead of round it allows the line to cross the next bay much nearer the shore and avoids a good deal of bridging in deep water.
Taipo Station Yard is in the same position as fr. Bruce placed it, but I have raised the level 2 fast to 22700,
Beyoud Taipo, the line deviates very much from Mr. Bruce's alignment for the first few miles.
The original alignment was very far out in the sea enclosing large tidal areas, The bridges necessary for letting the water out would all have to be founded on wells which would have been very costly requiring a large amount of plaat. The new aligament runs right inland after leaving Tarpo Station, pissing to the west of Taipo Market. The line then gets back on the old alignment for a few chains and then leaves it again to avoid a 6 degrees curve ou a l iu gale.
Fan Ling Station is reached at Chain 96 000 and the frontier at chain 113,000.
Note.-The various levels quoted are referred to a datum 200 foet below Ordinance Datum.
SURVEY,
All expenditure under this heading has been completed. The difference between the Actual
on the Total Estimat). and Estimated Expenditure represents a saving
LAND.
Outsid» Kowloon all the land has been bought with the exception of soms lots near the site of Shatin Station.
FORMATION EARTHWORK,
Passing through a short tunnel, the line Any qusulities and amounts I might give to crosses another 10 road by a 6 span girder. | show progress under this sub-head would be
this is the third bridge which the Public Works
very deceptive, The total expenditure up to Department have asked the Railway to build, the end of 1977 was under a quarter of the for which there is at present un road except
total estimate for the line but about half of such as is marked on a map as Proposed. the total quantity of earthwork has been done. This is owing to the fact that the commence- meat of all earthwork cuttings, & *., is generally the easiest and the quickest done becaus, the material is soft and therefore more cheaply excavated while the interior is generally com- posed of rock which besides being harder to excavate has to be led out a longer diatuuos before it is in its fioal position in the bank.
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After crossing this road, the grade rises at 1 in 1) towards the bills and at chain 17500 enters Bacon Hill Tunnel There is a short length of level in the centre of the tunnel, chaiu 20701 to 21:34, and the lius falls at 1 in PP to the north portal at chain 28700 where the grade changes to I in litt Near this point, the line crosses the valley on a bridge cousist- ing of three 19 girders, and runs down the The departmental System of carrying out I north side to Tai Wai Village where three is a ¦ works does not lend its if to easily estimating
bridge of four it arches over the Shing Mun
the future expenditurs to complete the work R.rer.
because all work is done by patty contracts [ From this river, the alignment has been com
on a schedule of rates. The rates are graduated pletely altered. Instead of continuing on and
to suit the varying nature of the work nod keeping to the sea side of the road, the line unless costly borings were taken which would curres to the east and crosses the Taipo Road
als. take some considerable time it would be by a level crossing at chain 33 6. Shata impossible to make anything like an estimate Station is placed at chain 350k) and at a of the amount of money required to complete reduced level of 2014 which ought to keep the earthwork on the line. These borings if the formatiou dry during typhoons at this taken would not assist the Engineers in any way in carrying out work under this depart. mental system.
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point.
Beyond Shatin Station, the coast lime gela very rugged and indented with deep biy It was found inpssible to get a lice at a low level bere without having either very deep cuttings the ugh the spurs or else running the line too far into the sea.
For this reason, the grade rises in 4 and I in 1,000 till a height of 23500)
is reached,
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The estimate of expenditure during 1908 must therefore be regarded na approximato only but it should be sufficient to complete all earthwork banks and cuttings with the ox- ception of the reclamation in Kowloon Station Yard, a big bank in Shatin Valley and also another near Taipo, if all goes as at present