i. Į
168
5.
I venture, therefore, to deprecate any
attempt to reduce materially the programme of Public Works, merely on the ground that the expenditure in one year or a series of years is very heavy and that the Estimates
shew large deficits. The works which it is proposed to undertake are in the great majority of cases essential to the proper development of the Colony and in all cases they
are desirable and useful. The first class of works must be and the others ought to be, undertaken sooner or later and I submit that the accrued balances of the past are better employed in expediting improvements and developments than in earning a low rate of interest as investments in
stock.
You need be under no apprehension as to the danger of excessive votes leading to extravagance. The Public Works Department, as now reorganized, is an extremely efficient department and I am confident that we obtain full value for our money.
6.
It is necessary also to point out that many of the works which from mere perusal of the estimates appear to involve a heavy burden are really sources of profit. It would be impossible to go through the schedule of Public Works Extraordinary in detail, but I will refer to a few special items which will serve to illustrate this point.
No.8. New Queen's College. The situation of the
old college in the heart of the Chinese quarter has made it almost impossible in modern conditions to carry on the school work efficiently, and the old building is no longer adequate to modern needs. It was therefore essential to
provide a new school. A suitable site has been found at
the Eastern end of the town which is admirably suited for the erection of a building on up-to-date lines. The cost
is