the
January last containing the proposal to use concrete Blocks, and the suggestion of introducing the methods of European civilisation to supersede Chinese custom, I did not at the time feel justified in recommending a heavy expenditure on Plant, and I only contemplated in the first place the construction of a Floating Crane and two Block Barges, which I was given to understand might be supplied locally for about £6,000. But the more I study the matter the more deeply am I convinced that for the following reasons the best policy is to press on the Reclamation works at the highest possible rate of speed.
1. During construction the works, stretching as they do along two miles of the foreshore of the central portion of the city, must inevitably prove a source of considerable inconvenience to the trade of the town and harbour.
2. Until the land is formed ready for the erection of buildings, a large capital will be locked up in the undertaking.
3. The shorter the time occupied in construction, the smaller the risk of damage from typhoon and other causes.
4. Although every precaution will be taken to prevent insanitary results during construction, there can be no doubt that the completion of the Praya Works will tend materially to improve the sanitary condition of the locality.