From the end of the nineteenth century to the early twentieth century, the government sought to reduce its financial commitments and included reclamation projects into its land sales, thereby making the private developers responsible for small-scale reclamations. To ensure that the reclamation locations and scale complied with the overall development plan, the authorities laid down all the specific reclamation requirements before land auctions, in order to facilitate oversight during construction. Such strategy not only brought money into government coffers through land sales, but also succeeded in creating land along the shores by tapping into the resources of private investors.
In the second half of the nineteenth century, private developers played a major role in the development in the Yau Ma Tei area. In 1876, the administration sold Kowloon Marine lots 29, 30 and 31 by public auction. These lots covered the seabed bounded by Temple Street to the east, Kansu Street to the south, Reclamation Street to the west and Wing Sing Lane to the north. The purchasers of those lots were obliged to reclaim land at their own expense. The strip of land running from Station Street (so called in the early twentieth century but now named Shanghai Street) to Reclamation Street was created through private reclamation efforts after 1876. In 1899, the government auctioned off parcels of land west of Station Street. Again, the purchasers were required
J
to undertake reclamation themselves. Lots that were disposed of in this auction included Marine lots 43-47, 49-50, 52-53; Inland lots 887-897; netting land premiums totalling HK$277,710. The land premium per square foot was between HK$0.06 and HK$1.13, and the lot holders were required to pay annual Crown rent of HK$10,022109. In 1900, the owner of Marine lot 39 was paid a sum of HK$2,280 and an annual reduction of Crown rent of HK$27 as compensation for increasing the width of Reclamation Street
in Yau Ma Tei by 50 feet.
In 1882, Kowloon Marine lots 20 and 21 were sold to Paul Chater at a price of HK$29,025 and HK$24,025 respectively. The sale terms required the private developer to carry out site formation works in Tsim Sha Tsui an area that extended up to the naval base to build godowns and construct seawalls along the waterfront to facilitate
the berthing of large vessels. In 1900, the areas covered by Kowloon Marine lots 48 and Inland lots 394, 910-912 and Hung Hom lot 219 were extended by 132,297 square feet through lease modifications. The government was able to charge an additional yearly rent of HK$984, in addition to receiving extra land premiums of HK$5,004 from the existing lot owners. In 1904, Kowloon Marine lot 34 was given the approval to extend seawards by 75,996 square feet. Since the 1880s, the administration had received numerous land extension applications from existing Marine lot owners. These lot holders offered to undertake the reclamation at their own expense and pay additional land premiums and Crown rent. They were also willing to bear the risks of lower values for their existing lots. The government approved most such applications, thereby reducing its financial commitments in the development of the Kowloon Peninsula112.
The private developers played an influential role in the urbanisation of the Kowloon Peninsula, as a significant amount of reclamation was undertaken by the land owners. At times the administration put its reclamation schemes up for auction
and asked the private sector to undertake the work; in other instances it allowed the
88
89
Table 2.5 Private Land Expansions (1892-1930)
1892
1893
--
1894
1895
1896
1897
--
1898
1899
15
1900
1500
Hong Kong Island
Kowloon
Hong Kong Overall
Year
No of
Area
Lots
(sq ft)
Annual Rent
Land Premium
No of
Area
Annual
Land
No of
Area
Lots
(sq ft)
Ex-
(HK$)
(HK$)
Ex-
Rent Premium
(HK$) (HK$)
Lots
(sq ft)
Ex-
Annual Rent
(HK$)
Land Premium
(HK$)
panded
panded
panded
--
267,367
12,506
——
——
--
--
--
479,740
——
7,797
——
--
--
78,652
684
8,247
9 83,904 561
4,434
18
403 2,060
38,486
--
-
292,584 2,231
27,321
--
--
--
--
--
--
18
402,451 30,261
1,455
10,870 105 2,913
8
32,353
8
354,410 1,610
34,960
2
108
417
2
15,716
47
——
——
——
——
1901
5
54,227 61
7,507
——
--
--
——
1902
2
3,844
26
270
1
483
13
77
——
1903
6
3,942
30
552
1
84,065 228
7,950
--
——
!
1904
2
97,060
62
——
4
88,529 1,182
82,700
g da
1905
5
5,664
46 1,141
3
74,919 6,816
59,006
H
--
——
1906
5
8,355 1,242 6,653
7
104,272 4,473
26,167
My
1907
14
5,285
975
4,678
3
1,840
376
1,403
--
1908
7
27,827
466
16,914
5
5,434 6,952
2,463
--
--
--
1909
2
908
6
327
1
718
26
108
——
--
——
1910
30
7,983 751
3,571
--
——
1911
15
15,199
86
4,229
3
57,699 332
5,926
--
--
1912
31
25,341 1,030
4,226
1
281
1,160
42
——
1913
26
19,661 1532
11,261
1
6
32
3
--
--
--
--
1914
22
75,652 519
16,040
8
462
50
209
——
--
——
--
1915
34
61,761 255 5,513
5
48,120 3,824
1,464
1916
16
1917
18
1918
23
15,916 143 2,818 174,273 918 21,262 10
90,552 655 19,996 7
4
2,304 303,434 2,444
4
195
37,607
357,912 2,864 55,867
——
--
——
1919
24
--
——
11
--
--
--
1920
23
12
1921
37
--
18
1922
40
15
1923
31
--
18
2858
--
-
1
--
A
——
——
--
--
--
——
——
1924
40
--
--
8
——
——
--
--
--
——
1925
54
1926
37
——
--
1927
23
1928
15
15
5
11
63
1929
16
——
1930
17
Total
1,058,730
112,450
22,335
91,949
10
--
-
--
--
P
21,846
w
--
15
62,321
1,162,939
1,605,101
Sources:
2.25
2.25 The southern end of the Kowloon Peninsula was used principally for military and govern-
ment purposes at the end of the nineteenth
century.
2.26 The development of the Kowloon Peninsula took place much later than the north shore of Hong Kong Island. The photograph shows the sharp contrast in extent of development between these two regions.
2.27 Eastern shore of the Kowloon Peninsula in the early twentieth century was rather tranquil.
93,279
80,786
76,164
46,842
316,869
464,413
89,663
NECENT!
"Report of the Director of Public Works”, Hong Kong, Administrative Reports, Hong Kong Government, 1908-1930, Appendix Q. "Report of the Director of Public Works”, Hong Kong Sessional Papers, Hong Kong, Noronha & Co, 1892-1907.
"Report of the Acting Director of Public Works for 1893”, Hong Kong Sessional Papers, Hong Kong, Noronha & Co, 1894, No 16/94, p. 225.
Part
II Expansion of the
City Nucleus (1883-1945)
HONC KONC
2.26
91
2.27
2.28
2.31
1. bu
Part II Expansion of the City Nucleus (1883-1945)
2.28 Hung Hom was an embryonic industrial
district in the early twentieth century.
2.29 Yau Ma Tei Police Station was an impor- tant landmark on the Kowloon Peninsula
in the early twentieth century.
2.30 Tin Hau Temple in Yau Ma Tei in the early
twentieth century.
2.31 The city nucleus in the 1930s. Develop- ment on the Kowloon Peninsula tilted to- wards the western and southern parts, with the Kowloon-Canton Railway Termi- nus located at the southern tip, and piers and the Yau Ma Tei Typhoon Shelter built
on the western shore.
2.29
2.30
existing Marine lot holders to reclaim and create more land. The figures in Table
2.5 above reflect the widespread practice of private-sector participation in land expansion. Between 1892 and 1898, the privately held land area for the whole of Hong Kong was increased by 1.605 million square feet. For the 1899-1918 period, the figures were 1.059 million square feet and 1.163 million square feet respectively for Hong Kong Island and the Kowloon Peninsula (figures for 1919-1930 are not available). Thus,
between 1892 and 1918, Hong Kong increased its land area by 3.827 million square feet through the efforts of the private developers.
Kowloon Tong Garden City Plan
At the end of the nineteenth century, an Englishman, Ebenezer Howard, pioneered the garden city concept. His vision was to build a medium-sized commercial town not far from agricultural regions. The town would have clear separations between residential and commercial areas, and would be served by excellent transport facilities. It aimed to create a living environment that had an abundance of space for recreational and
social activities. In 1903 Ebenezer Howard's brainchild was realised with the creation
of the first garden city in the town of Letchworth, 35 miles outside London. The design
of the Letchworth garden city was much admired in Western countries, and this concept was subsequently widely applied in urban planning113.
In 1922, inspired by the Letchworth garden city concept, a Hong Kong company - Kowloon Tong and New Territories Development Co - planned to build a residential
district for the salaried class, in an area near the Kowloon Tong railway station. The
proposed site was close to the city centre and the district, which was to be made up of houses with gardens, would have schools and offer plenty of open spaces. As the proposed development targeted the upper-middle class families, it was criticised by the labour unions after its launch. The developer actively promoted the project and
Challenges for an Evolving City
222
93
Challenges for an Evolving City
Table 2.6 Kowloon Tong City Garden (1922-1930)
(unit: HK$)
Excavation and fill
Sewers
Stormwater drains
372,552
120,149
158,764
Surfacing roads, etc.
102,271
Extension of roads at Kowloon Tsai
11,876
Connection of streams east side of estate to main nullah
(estimated) 16,000
Connection of stream north of hill area to main nullah
67,668
Sidewall and invert of nullah, east side
191,907
Total
1,041,187
"Report of the Director of Public Works”, Hong Kong Administrative Reports, Hong Kong Government,
1927-1930, Appendix Q.
Source:
Part II Expansion of the City Nucleus (1883-1945)
even sought government's approval to accept deposits from the prospective purchasers. Unfortunately, the site formation works failed to commence on time, and the development encountered delay114.
A number of technical problems had to be resolved by the authorities for the project to proceed. To prepare the site, the hill area in Kowloon Tong needed to be excavated. In addition, it had to construct a nullah on the east side, and to connect the stream north of the hill area to the main nullah115. In 1922, the government undertook the site formation works but the contractor, Li Hing & Bros, failed to complete the
work on time. On 4 November 1929, the work was given to Keng Tak Cheong under Contract No 62 of 1929116. Furthermore, the administration was required to make monetary compensation for land resumption. Payments totalling HK$58,000 were made in 1923
for 137 resumed lots. In 1926, the government allotted 9.11 acres of land for the Kowloon Tong city garden project, making a total allotment of 54.43 acres for the scheme117. The excavated earth amounted to 430,000 cubic yards and 270,000 cubic yards in 1924 and 1925, respectively. It was mostly sent to other lowlying areas for site formation purpose118. Government expenditure on the garden city scheme is detailed in Table
2.6.
117
Work on the city garden project began in earnest in 1925, in an environment clouded by labour strikes, declining economic conditions and a depressed property market. On completion, the Kowloon Tong residential district was largely a community occupied by the upper class. It was not a comprehensive development area and its community facilities failed to meet the needs of a rapidly growing population. Kowloon Tong ended up as an exclusive residential area instead of a comprehensively developed community as espoused by Ebenezer Howard.
2.32 The Kowloon Tong Garden City project undertaken by Kowloon Tong and New Territories Development Co in
1922 was the first attempt in building a comprehensive development community in Hong Kong.
2.33 The government expended over HK$1 million on the Kowloon Tong City Garden project to provide support infrastructure. The completed city garden, however, became an exclusive residential district for the upper- middle class.
94
95
Table 2.7
Tonnage Statistics-Ocean-going Vessels Berthing inside Victoria Harbour (1881-1923)
Part II Expansion of the City Nucleus (1883-1945)
Maintenance of Port Facilities
For Hong Kong to serve as the entrepôt in the Asia Pacific region, it required an excellent harbour and world-class port facilities. Since the early twentieth century, the government could no longer rely on the natural advantages of Victoria Harbour. To ensure that the principal fairways could serve ever-larger vessels and increasing visits by ocean-going ships, recurrent fairway dredging and proper maintenance of harbour facilities were indispensable if Victoria Harbour were to maintain its premier status.
Fairway Dredging
The regular maintenance dredging of the fairways since the early twentieth century allowed Hong Kong to retain its position as a vital trading port in the Asia Pacific region. With the reorganisation of the Survey Department into the Public Works Department in 1883, the latter had been given the responsibility for the dredging of Victoria Harbour. The importance of this task, however, was not recognised until the early twentieth century. By then, the ocean-going vessels constructed were much larger than those built at the end of the nineteenth century, both in terms of tonnage and draught depth. On 26 May 1902, the Harbour Master's Office report on the necessity of dredging showed that between 1896 and 1901 approximately 3,463 sea-going vessels sailed into Victoria Harbour, and 57 ships moored in the harbour each day119. Between 1881 and 1923, over a period of 42 years, vessels calling at Victoria Harbour grew larger in size and their numbers increased. For details see Table 2.7 below.
The above statistics bear witness to the thriving maritime trade in the early twentieth century. In 1901, the number of ships visiting Hong Kong was much higher than in 1891, with 274 vessels weighing over 2,000 tons, a fivefold increase over 1891's figure of 55 ships. Of that total, four German ships weighed over 6,000 tons, and the warships tended to have even higher tonnage. According to the Harbour Master, Victoria Harbour had an estimated sea area of 7 square miles, of which 3.5 square miles had
Vessel Tonnage
1881
1891
Number of Vessels
1901
1913
1923
Sailboats
25,653
24,553
Under 60 tons
4,574
4,811
60- 1,999 tons
448
348
8,404
7,899
2,000-2,499 tons
17
42
110
2,500-2,999 tons
0
7
68
3,000-3,499 tons
1
5
35
3,500-3,999 tons
1
1
37
4,000-5,000 tons
1
0
20
Over 6,000 tons
4
Sub-Total-:>2,000 tons
20
55
274
8,889
12,637
Total
20
503
622
47,520
49,900
Sources:
CO 129/311, "Dredging of Harbour", 26 June 1902. Duncan, John, "Report on the Commercial Development of the Port of Hong Kong by John Duncan, M.
Hong Kong Sessional Papers, Hong Kong Government. 1924, No 14/1924, p. 133.
a depth of less than 4.5 fathoms (27 feet). Fairways and berthing areas reserved for special classes of vessels such as warships and ships carrying coal and dangerous goods took up another 1.25 square miles, leaving just 2.25 square miles of mooring space for the large ocean-going ships. The waters between Yau Ma Tei and Stonecutters Island were particularly shallow. Constant dredging was required in order to maintain the harbour depth at not less than one fathom (6 feet).
During the 1883-1939 period, almost two million cubic yards of silt was removed
at a cost of around HK$608,000, that is, at HK$0.3 per cubic yard. The authorities did not need to pay large sums for the dredgers. When extension works were carried out at the naval yard in 1908, the hopper dredger St Enoch, with a capacity of 650 tons, was deployed. It was purchased for the sum of £15,000 (HK$167,442) 120. The Priestman grab dredger that was used in 1922 was bought for HK$76,000, while an improved type of Priestman dredger was acquired for only HK$61,300 in 192811. The year 1934 saw the highest volume of dredging, with over 92,000 cubic yards of silt removed. Since its introduction, dredging activity had increased steadily. From a range of between 20,000 and 50,000 cubic yards in the 1890s, it rose to 30,000-40,000 cubic yards in
the 1910s, and increased further to about 60,000-90,000 cubic yards in the 1930s. The
growing importance of dredging can be gauged by the increasingly higher volumes of
silt removed.
Challenges for an Evolving City
96
97
Table 2.8 Harbour Dredging-Volume and Expenditure (1883-1939)
Year
Silt Volume Dredged (cubic yard)
Expenditure
1912
47,066
10,390
(HK$)
1913
29,421
8,557
1883
2,993
1914
40,757
2,044
1886
5,313
1915
43,757
6,346
1887
11,902
1916
42,290
10,687
1888
9,559
1917
39,984
3,615
1889
7,974
1918
39,502
4,823
1890
9,628
1919
41,794
7,481
1891
37,713
10,064
1920
40,556
10,477
1892
48,200
8,960
1921
47,655
12,183
1893
31,300
3,448
1922
25,549
4,033
1894
40,439
7,504
1923
29,184
11,776
1895
21,681
5,534
1924
36,097
14,331
1896
56,613
1,029
1925
27,653
13,904
1897
2,231
1926
39,962
11,548
1898
7,394
1927
27,653
10,572
1899
4,297
1928
39,171
15,691
1900
29,555
3,510
1929
61,101
23,726
1901
2,516
1930
58,050
27,777
1902
32,600
6,633
1931
67,246
30,799
1903
25,215
8,392
1932
66,166
30,539
1904
39,292
9,059
1933
73,987
23,748
1905
18,464
8,445
1934
92,417
23,092
1906
23,062
5,999
1935
87,304
23,772
1907
30,055
6,267
1936
83,637
23,863
1908
33,836
8,101
1937
89,350
21,698
1909
23,512
5,745
1938
52,069
12,054
1910
37,423
8,999
1939
85,653
30,794
1911
15,606
6,208
Total
1,999,597
608,024
Sources:
2.34 Close view of Causeway Bay in the early twentieth century, with the typhoon shelter in the middle. The small island on the
left of the photograph is Kellet Island.
Part II Expansion of the City Nucleus (1883-1945)
"Report of the Director of Public Works”, Hong Kong Administration Reports, Hong Kong Government, 1931-1939, Appendix Q. "Report of the Director of Public Works”, Hong Kong Administrative Reports, Hong Kong Government, 1908-1914, Appendix P. "Report of the Director of Public Works”, Hong Kong Administrative Reports, Hong Kong Government, 1915-1930, Appendix Q. "Report of the Director of Public Works", Hong Kong Sessional Papers, Hong Kong, Noronha & Co, 1892, 1894-1907.
"Report on the Operation of the Public Works for the Year 1890”, Hong Kong Sessional Papers, Hong Kong, Noronha & Co, 1891, No 13/91. "Surveyor General's Department Report for the Year 1891", Hong Kong Sessional Papers, Hong Kong, Noronha & Co, 1892, No 2/92, p. 116. "Report of the Acting Director of Public Works for 1893”, Hong Kong Sessional Papers, Hong Kong, Noronha & Co, 1894, No 16/94, p. 225. "Return of All Public Works, Civil Roads, Canals, Bridges, Buildings, &c., Not of a Military Nature, Which Have Been Undertaken", Hong Kong
Blue Book, Hong Kong, Noronha & Co, 1883-1908.
Dredging activity was related to port works as it was often concentrated in areas that were earmarked for port development. They included Bowrington Canal, Causeway Bay Typhoon Shelter, Yau Ma Tei Typhoon Shelter, dockyards, piers and the 1922 Praya East reclamation site. Maintenance dredging was also required in places that had serious silt accumulation problems, for example, drain mouths, stormwater drains, nullahs and refuse stations. During the 1891-
1939 period, methods of treating dredged material were markedly different from those employed
today. In the early years, no considerations were given to environmental issues. The bulk of the foul material dredged up was used for reclamation or dumped into landfills without being analysed or sorted into various waste categories. The dumping grounds were eventually converted into reclaimed land, after being packed with dredged silt and all types of rubbish over a period of time. A typical example is Kwun Tong. It was a dumping ground in the 1930s and was subsequently developed into an industrial district.
Typhoon Shelter Construction
From the latter half of the nineteenth century to the first part of the twentieth century, fisherman households still made up 8-14 per cent of the total population of Hong Kong. They bore the brunt of typhoons and severe rainstorms. After the catastrophic typhoon in 1874, the administration began the construction of the first typhoon shelter in Causeway Bay to provide a refuge for fishermen. The Causeway Bay Typhoon Shelter was completed in 1883, with a breakwater of only 1,400 feet in length 22. It was too small to accommodate all the boats that sought safe shelter during the passage of a
99
Challenges for an Evolving City
Year
Table 2.9 Dredging Works (1891-1939)
Dredged Area
1891
1892
--
1893
Causeway Bay
1894
Causeway Bay (35,026), Bowrington Canal (5,413)
1895
Causeway Bay
1896
Causeway Bay
1897
Causeway Bay, Praya reclamation
1898
1899
1900
1901
Bowrington Canal
1902
Bowrington Canal
1903
1904
City of Victoria and Kowloon dust boat stations (20,742), other portions of the foreshore (2,627), mouth of Water Street nullah (1,846)
Kowloon dust boat stations (2,089), City of Victoria dust boat station (16,263), other portions of the foreshore (8,882), trench for the foundations of seawall at Tai Kok Tsui (lot owners portion-6,334, government portion-5,724)
Part II Expansion of the City Nucleus (1883-1945)
(unit: cubic yard)
Disposal Site
Year
Dredged Area
1922
Drain outfalls (14,914), Praya reclamation (7,598), Cheung Sha Wan Refuse Dump (1,584), Causeway Bay (1,453)
Praya reclamation site (29,900)
1923
Drain outfalls (16,177), Lai Chi Kok boat station (9,890). Causeway Bay (3,117)
Reclamation sites (19,855), outside Green Island (1,826)
1924
Drain outfalls (20,886), sanitary and other piers (10,253), Causeway Bay (2,403), Lai Chi Kok (380), on hire (2,175)
1925
1926
Praya reclamation section No 6
1927
Praya reclamation site
Praya reclamation site
1928
Outside the harbour limits, Tai Kwok Tsui reclamation site
1929
--
1930
1931
1932
1933
1934
1935
1936
1937
Drain outfalls (24,394), sanitary and other piers (6,023), Causeway Bay (855), on hire (890), Lai Chi Kok (219)
Drain outfalls (25,294), sanitary and other piers (12,499), Causeway Bay (1,723), on hire (446)
Drain outfalls (13,746), Sanitary and other piers (13,287), on hire (620), Penguin Shoals (66,259), Belcher Ridge and Rambler Shoal area (198,822), Kowloon Point area (248,944).
Foreshores and alongside public piers, refuse boat depots and Causeway Bay Typhoon Shelter (total 39,171)
Foreshores and alongside public piers, refuse boat depots, Causeway Bay Typhoon Shelter (total: 40,315); protective works Cheung Sha Wan,Cross harbour pipe line and nullah foundation work at Shau Kei Wan (total: 20.786)
Foreshores and alongside public piers, refuse boat depots and Causeway Bay Typhoon Shelter (total: 47,674), excavation of trenches for seawall foundations at North Point (10,376) Foreshores and alongside public piers, refuse boat depots and Causeway Bay Typhoon Shelter (total: 46,907), excavation of trenches for seawall foundations at North Point and Jordon Road (16,065), Kowloon Marine lot 95 To Kwa Wan-works on behalf of Hong Kong China Dock Co Ltd (4,274)
Foreshores and alongside public piers, refuse boat depots and Causeway Bay Typhoon Shelter (total: 35,125), Yacht Club (2,817), North Point (23,224)
Foreshores and alongside public piers, refuse boat depots, Causeway Bay Typhoon Shelter (total: 45,138), excavation of trenches for jetty and slipway foundations at Kai Tak Aerodrome (13,594), Kennedy Town seawall foundations (11.267), North Point seawall foundations (2,331)
Foreshores and alongside public piers, refuse boat depots and Causeway Bay Typhoon Shelter (total: 52,344), Kai Tak Aerodrome (3,314), works on behalf of Hongkong and Whampoa Dock Co Ltd (4,117), Kwun Tong (32,643)
Foreshores and alongside public piers, refuse boat depots and Causeway Bay Typhoon Shelter (total: 70,287), Kwun Tong-works on behalf of the British Admiralty (7,125), works on behalf of Hongkong and Whampoa Dock Co Ltd (5,132) and Taikoo Sugar Refining Co Ltd (4,760)
Foreshores and alongside public piers, refuse boat depots and Causeway Bay Typhoon Shelter (total: 82,529), works on behalf of the Admiralty (1,108), Western Kowloon Peninsula (233,800)
Foreshores or Causeway Bay Typhoon Shelter and Yau Ma Tei harbour refuge and alongside public piers (76,802), works on behalf of the Admiralty (2,595), formation of bed for the new
cross harbour water mains (9,953)
Foreshores and alongside refuse boat piers (74,868), formation of bed for the new cross harbour water mains (10,785)
1938
Foreshores and alongside refuse piers (9,811), works on behalf of the Admiralty (9,429), formation of bed for the new cross harbour water mains (32,829)
Sham Shui Po reclamation site (1,500)
1939
Sham Shui Po reclamation site
Sources:
Sham Shui Po reclamation site (22,754).
Disposal Site
Sham Shui Po reclamation site (7,504), Praya East reclamation site (17,211)
Praya East and Lai Chi Kok reclamation sites
Praya East, Lai Chi Kok, Kowloon City, North Point and Kennedy Town reclamation sites
Sham Shui Po, Kowloon City, Kennedy Town reclamation sites
Praya East, Sham Shui Po, North Point
and Kennedy Town reclamation sites, and outside the harbour limits
Sham Shui Po and Kowloon Bay reclamation sites, and outside the harbour limits
Cheung Sha Wan
Cheung Sha Wan, Shau Kei Wan
Cheung Sha Wan, Kowloon Bay near Sung Wong Toi
Cheung Sha Wan, Kowloon Bay near Sung Wong Toi
Sung Wong Toi, Cheung Sha Wan
Sung Wong Toi
Kwun Tong dumping ground
Kwun Tong dumping ground (6,879)
Kwun Tong (5,697)
Kwun Tong (6.338), protecting the new cross harbour water mains (17,802)
1905
Bowrington Canal (9,092), Observation Place Pier (7,050)
1906
1907
Dust boat stations (5,861), nullah adjoining the paper mills in Aberdeen (6,758)
Dust boat stations (378), Causeway Bay Typhoon Shelter (16,094)
1908
1909
Mong Kok Tsui breakwater (8,990), Causeway Bay Typhoon Shelter (22,407)
Causeway Bay Typhoon Shelter (8,069), Mong Kok Tsui Typhoon Shelter (3,102), Kowloon City Pier (2,558), stormwater outfalls, (2,513), dust boat stations (1,470), various (4,714), outside Jardine, Matheson & Co's premises (546)
Gin Drinkers Bay
1910
100
1911
1912
1913
1914
1915
1916
1917
1918
Kowloon City Pier (21,608), stormwater outfalls (5,063), dust boat stations (5,683), Mong Kok Tsui breakwater (1,586), Bowrington Canal entrance (1,410), Shau Kei Wan Police Station (1,174), from foundation trench for seawall extending from Hung Hom Marine lot 1 to Kowloon marine lot 83 (899)
Causeway Bay (6,981), stormwater outfalls (4,161), Wing Lok Street wharf (1,598), Hong Kong and Kowloon Wharf and Godown Co's wharf in Western Street (549), Kowloon Point (1,993), North Point (324)
Causeway Bay (24,410), stormwater outfalls (10,262), typhoon refuge at Mong Kok Tsui (5,606), Castle Peak pier (2,649), Bowrington Canal outlet (1,519), site for new slipway for government launches at Yau Ma Tei (1,270), opposite Marine lot 31 in Kennedy Town, Lamma Channel (92)
Causeway Bay (27,974), Praya East (in front of Blue Buildings), Eastern Street sewer outlet (524)
Royal Naval coaling camber, Kowloon (18,724), Royal Naval Dock entrance, Hong Kong (138), dust boat station (1,258), stormwater drain outfalls (16,289), Causeway Bay (1,173), Praya East reclamation trial pits (3,175)
Royal Naval coaling camber, Kowloon (7,180), drain outfalls (4,329), opposite Marine lot 231 (China Sugar Refining Co's premises) (408), opposite Marine lot 301 (2,661), Causeway Bay (29.179)
Causeway Bay (9,761), Caroline Hill nullah (6,051), Kowloon wharves (5,428), Waterloo Road nullah (3,267), dust station at Central Market (3,168), drain outfalls (14,615)
In front of Hongkong and Whampoa Dock Co's premises (23,491), foundations for new seawall at Aberdeen village (3,694), Kowloon Godown Co's new wharf at Kowloon Point (1,553), drain outfalls (11,246)
In front of Hongkong and Whampoa Dock Co's premises (12,588), Naval yard camber at Kowloon (236), Sham Shui Po reclamation trial pits (3,787), drain outfalls (22,891)
1919
Drain outfalls (14,082), Sham Shui Po reclamation -trench for new foundations of seawall (27,712)
1920
Sham Shui Po reclamation - trench for new foundations of seawall (8,449), Sham Shui Po ferry pier (2,019), drain outfalls (12,286), Causeway Bay Typhoon Shelter (17,802)
1921
Causeway Bay Typhoon Shelter (8,511), drain outfalls (28,816), Hung Hom ferry pier (1,993), Naval camber at Kowloon (332), Taikoo Sugar Refinery pier (8,003)
East Point reclamation site (17,802)
On the sites of Sham Shui Po reclamation (21,876), Praya East reclamation (17,766), Quarry Bay reclamation (4,610), North Point reclamation (3,393)
"Report of the Director of Public Works", Hong Kong Administration Reports, Hong Kong Government, 1931-1939, Appendix Q. "Report of the Director of Public Works", Hong Kong Administrative Reports, Hong Kong Government, 1909-1914, Appendix P. "Report of the Director of Public Works", Hong Kong Administrative Reports, Hong Kong Government, 1915-1930, Appendix Q. "Report of the Director of Public Works", Hong Kong Sessional Papers, Hong Kong, Noronha & Co, 1892, 1894-1907 "Report on the Operation of the Public Works for the Year 1890", Hong Kong Sessional Papers, Hong Kong, Noronha & Co, 1891, No 13/91. "Surveyor General's Department Report for the Year 1891", Hong Kong Sessional Papers, Hong Kong, Noronha & Co, 1892, No 2/92, p. 116. "Report of the Acting Director of Public Works for 1893", Hong Kong Sessional Papers, Hong Kong, Noronha & Co, 1894, No 16/94, p. 225.
101
Challenges for an Evolving City
Table 2.10 Causeway Bay Typhoon Shelter Expenditure
Year
Item
Expenditure (HK$)
1883
Total construction cost
96,500
1909
Deepening shallow area
63,000
1910
Deepening shallow area
11,886
Total
171,386
Sources:
i
"Report of the Director of Public Works for the Year 1909", Hong Kong Administrative Reports, Hong
Kong Government, 1910, Appendix O.
"Report of the Director of Public Works for the Year 1910", Hong Kong Administrative Reports, Hong
Kong Government, 1911, Appendix P.
"Report of the Director of Public Works for the Year 1915 ", Hong Kong Administrative Reports, Hong
Kong Government, 1916, Appendix Q, Q 86.
2.35 The first public typhoon shel-
ter was built at Causeway Bay near Victoria Park in 1883.
View of the site before the
construction.
ལ
Part II Expansion of the City Nucleus (1883-1945)
Table 2.11 Mong Kok Tsui (Yau Ma Tei) Typhoon Shelter
Expenditure (1916)
Work Item
Expenditure (HK$)
Preliminary and incidental expenses, including cost of survey, etc.
19,300
Consulting engineers' fees
2,327
Cost of supervision, including salaries of engineering staff, overseers and foremen, and hire of launches
108,605
155,179
1,923,174
2,208,585
Cost of dredging
Contract payments
Total
Source:
"Report of the Director of Public Works for the Year 1916", Hong Kong Administrative Reports, Hong
Kong Government, 1917, Appendix Q, Q 74.
typhoon123. In December 1903, Councillor Gershom Stewart proposed the expansion of the Causeway Bay Typhoon Shelter at a session of the Legislative Council and the proposal was carried unanimously. Unfortunately, the plan was shelved due to lack
of funding. In 1904 and 1906, the government still failed to respond to the expansion proposal raised by the Legislative Councillors and the Hong Kong General Chamber of Commerce124. The typhoon that buffeted Hong Kong on 18 September 1906 destroyed and damaged 3,653 vessels, killing more than 15,000 people, most of them fishermen 125. This led to widespread discussion about the typhoon shelter expansion plan. In March 1908, the government passed the proposal submitted by the Hong Kong General Chamber of Commerce on 16 July 1904. The depth of the typhoon shelter at Causeway Bay was increased by 9 feet and the expanded Causeway Bay Typhoon Shelter offered 75 acres of sheltered space. In 1953, the typhoon shelter had to be relocated to the northern
end of the original site due to reclamation works carried out by the authorities
126
From the end of 1906 to early 1907, the government looked for a suitable site
for a new typhoon refuge and the shelter plan was included in the agenda of the Legislative Council. Possible sites included Cheung Sha Wan, an area on the east side of Stonecutters
Island, Kellet's Bank and an indentation in the Praya wall near Kennedy Town. In
1908, the Public Works Committee unanimously agreed that Mong Kong Tsui (now
Yau Ma Tei) was the most suitable shelter site. The shelter was estimated to cost HK$1.54 million and had a projected sheltered area of 166 acres upon completion 127.
On 7 March 1908, the plan and budget for the Mong Kok Tsui boat shelter was submitted to the British government for approval. The typhoon shelter design was later modified by J. F. Boulton, Executive Engineer of the Public Works Department, after consultations with consulting engineers. The revised plan received the approval from the Legislative Council in November 1909. Eager to make early preparations for future typhoons, the government began excavation works on 2 September 1908, before receiving the final authorisation from Britain. It purchased the hopper dredger St Enoch from Messrs Punchard, Lowther & Co and commenced excavation works on the selected
site. The works were completed at the end of January 1910. The contract for building
the typhoon shelter was won by Messrs Him Tai on 27 October 1910, who submitted
the lowest tender. The works required the construction of a breakwater that was 3,325
feet long and 192 feet wide at the base. Reclamation was carried out to build a concrete and masonry pier that was 450 feet long by 30 feet wide. A sheltered area of 165 acres
was enclosed within the breakwater, with a water depth varying from 9 feet to 18 feet
below Low Water of Ordinary Spring Tides (LWOST). Eight-two per cent of the protected area had a depth of 12 feet below LWOST and 56 per cent had a depth in excess of 15 feet. There were two entrances to the typhoon refuge - the northern one was 300 feet wide while the southern and principal entrance had a width of 390 feet 128.
To build the Yau Ma Tei Typhoon Shelter, it was necessary to elevate the roadway along the waterfront - Reclamation Street - and to re-lay sewerage and drainage systems
102
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103
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Transport Hubs
T
Challenges for an Evolving City
2.36 Close view of the Causeway Bay Typhoon Shelter in the early twentieth century. Kellet Island is in the right of the
photograph.
on the existing site. Some of the houses on the waterfront were in a state of disrepair and there were others that had been destroyed by fires or typhoons. The government felt that these dwellings needed to be rebuilt. Nevertheless, the plan was opposed by
the owners of Marine lots 29, 30 and 31. They objected to further reclamation and sought compensation for the anticipated loss of their erstwhile prime locations on the waterfront and diminished property values129. Eventually the works were completed on schedule in August 1915. The typhoon shelter was inaugurated on 6 December 1915 by Governor F. H. May. The whole project took five years to complete at a cost of approximately HK$2.21 million, exceeding the original cost estimate of HK$1.54 million by HK$670,000130.
On 2 September 1937, Hong Kong was once again lashed by a severe typhoon, with Cheung Chau being the hardest hit area. This crudely exposed the inadequacy of the two existing typhoon shelters to meet fishermen's needs. As China and Japan were on the verge of war, the government had neither the time nor the finances to improve the anti-typhoon measures. Although it had contemplated building a typhoon refuge in Cheung Sha Wan, Stonecutters Island, or even the waters near Kennedy Town,
the third shelter - Aberdeen Typhoon Shelter - did not appear until 1962. The shelters at Causeway Bay and Yau Ma Tei remained the principal typhoon refuge for fishing boats before the 1960s. The Port Works Division of the Public Works Department assumed responsibilities for the construction and maintenance of shelters, while the marine police and the Marine Department managed the berthing vessels jointly13 ̧
131
By equipping the city nucleus with efficient transport facilities, the government was able to accelerate the pace of urbanisation and strengthen the external linkage capability. The efforts of the government in promoting modern transport networks through the construction of piers, railways and airport, had far-reaching influence on the economic development of Hong Kong.
Large Piers
According to the Hong Kong Blue Book and the annual reports of the Public Works Department, between 1885 and 1939, the colonial government expended approximately HK$3.36 million on the construction, repair and maintenance of piers. The major expenditure items included the building of the cross-harbour vehicular ferry piers on Jordon Road, Kowloon, and in Queen Victoria Street, Central (HK$1,911,451) between 1923 and 1935; the construction of Blake Pier between 1889 and 1901 (HK$122,774); and the redevelopment of Queen's Statute Wharf between 1921 and 1924 (HK$203,665).
The erection of Blake Pier at the end of the nineteenth century was the first large-scale public pier project overseen by the government. The construction contract was won by the firm Messrs Kinghorn & MacDonald under the supervision of J. F. Boulton and J. R. Mudie, Executive Engineers from the Public Works Department. The pier was 200 feet long by 40 feet wide. The base was made of granite masonry with a width of 126 feet which projected 40 feet from the cope line of the Praya wall, and with four flights of landing steps on each side 132. During that period, ashlar masonry and concrete were normally used in the construction of relatively large piers. Using the example of the rebuilding of the pier on Murray Road which started on 5 January 1897, the new pier required the setting of 5,989 cubic feet of granite ashlar, in addition to the laying of 63 cubic yards of cement concrete and 628 cubic yards of lime concrete 133 Technical difficulties were encountered during the erection of Blake Pier and the completion
104
Part II Expansion of the City Nucleus (1883-1945)
105
Challenges for an Evolving City
2.37 Private piers flourished along the waterfront of
Central in the early twentieth century. The wooden piers were relatively small.
2.38 Star Ferry Pier in Central in the early twentieth
century.
2.39 A considerably larger Star Ferry Pier after expan-
sion works.
106
2.37
2.38
2.39
Part II Expansion of the City Nucleus (1883-1945)
KOYLOON
MAN
time was longer than expected, at a cost of around HK$123,000134. Construction works commenced on 1 December 1889 and ceased in November 1900, with follow-up work
undertaken in 1901. The pier was inaugurated by Governor Henry Blake on 29 November of the same year.
The reconstruction of Queen Statute's Wharf was due to the efforts of Maurice
Fitzmaurice, who made the extension proposal during his visit to Hong Kong in November 1920. In July 1921, the Public Works Committee considered the plan and gave its
approval. The new pier was built with reinforced concrete, with a length of 160.7 feet,
a width of 41.3 feet, and a depth below LWLOST of 16.8 feet. The contract was awarded to Messrs Sang Lee & Co on 20 October 1921 for a value of HK$104,644. Eighty reinforced concrete piles with lengths of between 68 and 80 feet were produced at the Government Quarry located in Tsat Tsz Mui. The structural roof was made of steel
and the new concrete pier was more robust than the old wooden wharf. The redeveloped
Queen's Statute Wharf was completed before the end of 1922 at a cost of around HK$204,000135, with some minor works carried out in 1923 and 1924. Owing to its
unique design, the wharf became an important landmark in Central.
The two cross-harbour vehicular ferry piers located on Jordon Road, Kowloon, and in Queen Victoria Street, Central, respectively, were the largest piers built in the first half of the twentieth century. Survey work was carried out as early as 1923, but
the plan was only finalised in 1930. The vehicular ferry pier scheme required the reclamation
of about nine acres in front of the fire station frontage between Queen Victoria Street
and Jubilee Street, with a pier projecting 300 feet into the harbour from the northern
boundary of the reclamation, and reclamation of about two acres south of Jordon Road.
The group of piers on Hong Kong Island included a berth for one vehicle ferry, four
berths for passenger ferries, and two cargo berths (one located on the west side of the
new reclamation and the other on one side of the existing Queen Victoria Pier). Two hundred and eleven piles with lengths ranging from 36 feet to 88 feet were installed.
107
2.40 Many migrant workers earned their living by working as coolies at the piers.
2.41 Costing HK$123,000, Blake Pier was 200 feet long by 40 feet wide. Construction started in 1989 and ended in 1900. The pier was inaugurated by Governor Henry Blake on 29 November 1900.
Year
1885
1887
1889-1903
Challenges for an Evolving City
108
2.41
Table 2.12 Pier Erection and Reconstruction Expenditure (1885-1939) Year
Work Item
Refurbishment and extension-Murray Pier
Pier Size
(unit: HK$)
Expenditure
Erection of pier-opposite the Harbour Master's Office
Reconstruction of government piers including Nam Pack Hong pier, Western pier, Pottinger Street pier, boat-slips opposite the old and new Harbour Offices, Blake Pier*, Murray Pier, temporary pier at Ice House Street and Wardley Street
Reconstruction-Kowloon Point pier
3,407
3,662
245,116
1890
1890
73 ft long by 45 ft wide
7,059
Reconstruction-Stonecutters Island pier
5,050
1896-1897
Erection-Kennedy Town pier in connection with the slaughterhouses and depots
211 ft long, an area of
6,871
4,600 sq ft
1900-1901
1907-1910
Reconstruction-deep water pier at Tai Po and causeway works
with a depth of 9 ft
2,969
Reinforcement-Green Island gunpowder depot pier
Green Island pier: 90 ft long,
34,416
Erection-a new pier in Kowloon City
with an area of 1,350 sq ft;
with an area of 2,950 sq
Kowloon City pier: 149 ft long,
ft
Erection-Castle Peak Bay pier
Reconstruction-ferry piers (including pier opposite Queen Victoria Street, Public Square Street in Yau Ma Tei, Sai Wan Ho, Shau Kei Wan, Kowloon City)
Extension-Tai O pier
190 ft long by 6 ft wide
2,937
160,956
2.40