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Works Department alone; and they now suggest that the
scheme of development should be under the general
supervising authority of the Consulting Engineers.
I am bound to say that an examination of these
papers seems to show that if the Colony is allowed to
have its own way there may be a danger of Hong Kong being
landed in a predicament similar to that in which the
Federated Malay States have found themselves at Prai and
Port Swettenham. (Cf. penultimate paragraph of Sir H.
Lambert's minute of 8/7 on H.Cr.27155/25 M.S.).
It will be recalled that in connection with the
Port Swettenham wharves, the reference to the C.E.
was made after the Government was committed to the Worke and
had actually started them. As a result, over $2 million
were spent and the wharves have turned out to be practically
useless, the difficulties of navigation (due to erratio currents etc.) being such as to deter ocean going ships
from using them.
It does not seem likely that any particular
work at Hong Kong may become a white elephant quite in this way, though in paragraph 5 of the enclosure to
0.A.51080/22 the C.E. advised as follows:-
The
"The proposed reclamation between N. Point and
and Quarry Bay will be in a somewhat exposed position,
will form a considerable extension of an existing
promontory already projecting into the tide way.
probable result of this will be to accentuate considerably the strength of the tidal currents in the immediate vicinity of the work in such a manner as to
be detrimental to the use of the quays which might there
be constructed.
門
The greater danger however seems to be that
injudicious
injudicious development at one part of the harbour
may very prejudiciously affect a much more desirable
development in another part of the harbour.
The possible effect of the reclamation,
with a vertical sea wall, which is now being
constructed at North Point (36757 and 43293) on the
much more ambitious project of the development of
Hung Hom Bay, is a case very much in point.
As to this the C.E, have advised
(paragraph 6 of enclosure in 51080/22);
"The effect of the reclamation, especially
if faced with vertical wall, would be to direct any
sea coming from an easterly direction into Hung Hom
bay to the detriment of any quays to be constructed
in that locality, whereas at present there exista à
good natural spending beach between N. Point and
Quarry Bay".
In spite of this advice and in spite of the
fact that the Hung Hom Bay scheme is much the most
not only prominent and ambitious part/of the C.E. 1922 scheme,
but also of the present proposals of the Government
the Goverment have concluded an agreement with a
Chinese syndicate to build a vertical deep sea wall
at North Point, and it is proposed to extend this
for a considerable distance Eastwards right into
Quarry Bay(see drawing No. 3 in 36761).
The C.E. (paragraph 4 of 43293) conclude "that
consons. of which we have no knowledge have outweighed
the disadvantage a
which are involved in the
construction of a deep-water wall at this site"
-
and in view of the emphatic nature of the C.E. advice
(51080/22) against this development at N. Point,
one
would