**
196
the exception of the Tunnel, there is no work connected with
the Railway which cannot be satisfactorily and expeditiously
carried out by Chinese Contractors.
The following Public Works are at present
all being carried out by Chinese Contractors, the orincioal
Contract in each case ranging from about £50,000 to $65,000:-
Estimated Cost.
£
Kowloon Water Works (dam 550 million gals.) 180,000
City Water Works Extension (dam 200 million
gallons)
95,000
Post Office, to.
Law Courts
100,000
$8,000
Sickness, arising from malarial fever,
has been complained of as retarding the work. This is doubtless
the cause to some extent but its effect has been greater ow102
to the small resources of the patty Contractors emojoyed on the
work.
The second of the Public Works above-
-mentioned is situated in a notoriously malerious district,
which is much less accessible than the South luanel #ace, but,
during the past 4 months, the dam has been raised 19 feet and
4,462 feet of 18" cast-iron mains have been laid, besides much
other work.
1 consider that the proper course would
be to let the work out in sections; each section to include all
excavation, embankment and bridge-work, &c., falling within its
limits. In his report of the 16.8.06, the Chief Resident
Engineer states that "a great deal of the Assistant Engineer's
"time is taken up teaching the iccal men how to do the work "economically" and, in his recort of the 7.7.06, that "the "Engineers have to do all the cross sections and levelling
necessary
5