74
=
91
HONGKONG LEGISLATIVE COUNCIL
The and one 3rd Grade Clerk have been added Accounts Correspondence and to Stores" and "Water Works," respectively. Under Public Works Recurrent the main increase is that of $15,000 in Main- tenance of Waterworks for City and Hill District. This is due to the increas- ed price of stores and of coal for pump- ing. A sum of $1,000 has been inserted for Special Repairs to the Filter Beds in Kowloon. The item for Stores Deprecia tion has been entered at the nominal sum of $100, as a credit balance was obtained in 1916, while the amount to be written off the value of the St, Enoch disappears, as the dredger is no longer borne on the Store Books.
tails will be found in Appendix 11 Hongkong Volunteer Corps and Hong kong Volunteer Reserve having been em bodied in the Hongkong Defence Corps, the form of the Estimates has been recast. The Capitation Grant, no longer appear and the posts of luspecting Officer and Adjutant of the Volunteer Reserve have been abolished. The salary of the Ad. ministrative Commandant has been fixed at £375 per annum with House Allow ance of 8000; the allowance to the Adjutant has been increased from $5 to $7 a day and allowances are included for the Officers Commanding the Artillery and Engineer Companies, The Sub- ordinate Staff, formerly paid out of Volunteer Corps Funds, is now shown under Personal Emoluments and one clerk for the Engineer Company has been added. Separate votes ar, inserted under Other Charges for all expenses of the Corps.
The change brought about in the con- stitution of the Local Auxiliary Forces necessitated the retirement of Lieut. Colonel A. Chapman, who for nearly twenty-five years had been connected with the Hongkong Volunteer Corps, for ten of which he was in command. I desire to express my appreciation of his long and faithful service in the Corps.
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In the Public Works Department, under Personal Emoluments, General Staff," the number of 1st Grade Assistant Engineers on the permanent staff has been increased to five and none now remain on the temporary establishment; the anniter of 2nd Grade Assistant Engineers has been increased to seven by the transfer of two from the temporary establishment and by the transfer of two Assistant Land Surveyors to the Engineering Branch. The number of 1st Class Overseers is in- creased by one transferred from the tem porary establishment and the number of Overseers 1st Class on the temporary establishment correspondingly reduced. The number of Assistant Land Surveyors on the permanent staff has been increased to five and the number on the temporary establishment reduced to three.
With a view to strengthening the de partiment the Clerk in Accounts Cor- respondence and Stores " has been trans- ferred to "Water Works," one 1st Grade Clerk has been transferred from "Water Works to Accounts Correspondence and Stores and one 5th Grade Shroff
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The Estimate of Expenditure under the head Public Works, Extraordinary, is 1,585,800, a rather larger sum than is provided for in the estimates of this year. but every endeavour has been made tu confine the programme of works to the necessities of the development of this young and rapidly growing Colony. Apart from certain sanitary works, it is therefore only proposed to continue the building of the extension to the Central Police Station, the erection of certain quarters for Government officers at Leigh- tou Hill and in Kowloon and of a market at Shamshuipo, and to begin the erection of new offices for the Superintendent of Imports and Exports next to the Har- hour Office, and a small market at Tai O.
The feature in the estimates is the pro- gramme of main road construction, for which a sum of $367,000 is provided, while a sum of $247,500 will be expended in the improvement of existing roads. The great increase in the use of motor-cars in the Colony and the growing necessity of opening up residential sites beyond the limits of Victoria and Kowloon has ren- dered it imperative for the Government to provide safe means for rapid transport. By their use in opening up new areas, in facilitating transport, and in rendering the Colony more attractive to visitors and residents, especially Chinese who show a remarkable appreciation of motoring. these new roads will all tend to produce revenue of a permanent nature. They are therefore remunerative works. I will go into the matter in greater detail under the proper heads.
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22
In Hongkong under Buildings a sum of $150,000 is provided for continuing the work on the extension to the Central
HONGKONG LEGISLATIVE COUNCIL
Police Station, and $70,000 for beginning the erection of large offices for the De partment of Imports and Exports, the plans for which have been considered by The Public Works Committee and referred to the Secretary of State. The provision and r item 3 for the erection of quarters on Leighton Hill includes a re-vote of the sum of $60,000 provided in this year's
estimates.
Under Roads item 5 (a) and (b) and (d) to (i) provision is made for completing the main road round the Island. Begin- ning at Aberdeen the work already in pro. gress will result in a wide road being made from the docks passing outside the village on to a widened bund (d). Thence the mile of narrow road to Little Hong kong will be widened and straightened at a cost of $15.000 (i). The improvements now in progress between Deep Water Bay And Repulse Bay will be completed at a further outlay of $6,000 (a). From Re- pulse Bay to a point on the road between Stanley and Tytam Tuk it is proposed to make a new road on an improved trace with easy gradients and with a summit considerably lower than that of the present path. The alignment is not yet settled. but a sum of $80,000 has been entered in anticipation of the work being finished next year (2). The remainder of the road to Tytam Tuk will be im- proved and widened at an estimated cost of $66,000 (/). The approach road to the reservoir and the road over the dam will be completed this year. Under (b) a sum of $30,000 has been provided for pleting the road from the dam to Tytam Gap. From Tytam Gap it has been sug gested ultimately to proceed to Shaukiwan through a deep cutting and entirely new road at a much lower level than the existing road, but in order to avoid the great expense of this work at present provision has been made for a small loop road at Tytam Gap joining the new road to the existing road (h) and it aum of $49,500 for improving the existing road to Shaukiwan. The circle of the major portion of the island by a good road will thus be completed, and it is difficult to estimate the boon which such a road will be, not only as a means of recreation, but as an aid to the deve lopment of a portion of the island hitherto quite out of reach as a practical place
f residence for business men.
coni-
over an
Item 6. The sum of $5,000 provided is required for the laying of a cable from the General Post Office to No. 2 Police Station to carry telephone wires under
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ground and so to relieve the poles which are becoming over-loaded.
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Under Miscellaneous itemus 14 und 16 are for very desirable improvements in the sanitation and administration of Victoria Gaol, while items 10 and 17 provide for jetties for the more speedy The provision of removal of refuse. jetties is found to be necessary for the preservation of the lighters, which suffer damage by lying alongside the Prayn wall at low tide..
1
Under Item 24, a larger sum than usual compensation has been provided for and resumptions." as it is anticipated that considerable expenditure will be re- quired for resumptions in connection with road construction and improvement, Under the heading Waterworks a sumu of $102,000 is entered to complete the additional service reservoir and filter beds at West Point. The sum of $50,000 for the Tytam Tuk Scheme, Second Sec- tion. is almost entirely retention money on the contract.
In Kowloon under
Buildings
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a sum
Negotiations for
of $68,000 has been provided for erecting a block of six quarters for Subordinate Officers, and $10,000 to complete the mar ket at Shamshuipo. the resumption of a strip of land re quired in connection with the former item have delayed the commencement of the quarters hitherto, while the site of Shamsbuipo has only the market at recently been settled.
Item 32 (a) is for a road connecting Yaumati with Taikoktsui. The lessers of certain lots have represented that they are unable to proceed with the development of their lots until reasonable means of communication with them are provided.
Under Item 36 a sum of 83,500 is pro- vided for a shelter of picturesque design In the playground on Chatham Road.
Under Item 39 a sum of $50,000 is pro- vided for Compensation and Resumptions, as it is expected that considerable pay ments will have to be made in connection with the extension of the system of main roads.
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In the New Territories the only work under Buildings is a market at Tai O, which is much required.
Under Roads a sum of $10,000 18 entered to complete the Tsun Wan section of the road to Castle Peak now under construction, and a sum of $215,000 for the portion from Tsun Wan to Castle Peak. To complete the widening of the road from Fanling to Castle Peak & suin of $25.000 is provided, and it is proposed to continue the widening and improving of the road to Taipo at a cost of $10,000.