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The new plant has been constructed inside one of the three old Dow sand beds, and the other two beds have been roofed over and made into additional service reservoirs to feed the Kennedy Road District. Additional head has thereby been obtained for No. 4 Hydraulic Motor, which shows a large increase in output.
The leakage from Wongneichong Reservoir has been picked up below the dam and conveyed by means of a 2" dia. W.I. pipe to a small service reservoir on the hill behind Deep Water Bay. This supply is being utilized for supplying R.B.L. 245 and distribution pipes have been laid in the roads.
Considerable investigation work was carried out in connection with a proposed scheme for the development of the Aberdeen Valley.
Kowloon. The following lengths of cast iron distribution mains were laid: 450 lin. feet of 3′′ dia. 870 lin. ft. of 4" dia., 8,110 lin. ft. of 6" dia., 1,750 lin. ft. of 8" dia. and 750 lin. ft. of 18" dia.
New Kowloon.-An additional length of 4,000 lin. ft. of 6" C.I. pipes was laid in the Kowloon Tong Development area.
New Territories.--Shing Mun Valley Scheme. A length of about eighty feet of the North Tunnel was straightened, and considerable lengths of pathways, copings and channelling were completed.
Pipe laying commenced in August and a total length of 3,230 Jin. feet of 24" dia, steel main had been laid by the end of the year. The two reinforced concrete bridges over the Sheklaipui Stream were completed.
Construction of the Fast Gravity Filter Beds and Chemical House was commenced during the year and fair progress was made.
RECLAMATIONS.
Hong Kong. Praya East, about 90 acres, of which about 75 acres were reclaimed at end of year.
North Point.-Private Scheme, 231 acres, scheme almost completed.
Kowloon -Taikoktsui, about 54 acres, of which about 52 were reclaimed by end of the year.
New Kowloon.-Shamshuipo Reclamation comprising an area of about 66 acres completed except for sea wall. No further work was carried out during the year.
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was
Kai Tack Reclamation.-Originally a private enterprise, resumed by Government early in the year. Approximate area 205 acres, about 40 acres were filled in during the year, making a total of about 160 acres of reclaimed land.
Kowloon Bay West Reclamation.—This abeyance practically throughout the year.
work remained 111
Kowloon Bay East Reclamation.-Practically during the year.
no work done
New Territories.-Further Reclamation work was undertaken by the Standard Oil Co. and about 75% completed.
PIERS.
Hong Kong. The extensive repair work on Blake Pier was satisfactorily completed.
Kowloon. The Police Pier at Tsim Sha Tsui suffered consider. able damage from typhoon seas during July. Repair work was well 1. hand by end of the year.
MISCELLANEOUS.
The total amount expended on Public Works Extraordinary was
0.69 and on annually recurrent works $1,542,494.98.
VIII-Public Health.
The Birth rate for the year was 8.2 per 1000 among the Chinese community and 19.6 per 1000 among the Non-Chinese as compared with 4.18 and 19.21 in 1926. This is the highest Chinese birth rate ever recorded in the Colony. Birth statistics in Hong Kong are most misleading as registration is largely evaded by the Chinese especially as regards female children. Registration of Chinese births in 1927 shows increases of 104% as regards males and 153% as regards females over the figures for 1926; the population is estimated to have increased meanwhile by about 10% and it appears, therefore, that registration of births, especially of females, is being carried out to a greater degree than formerly.
The death rate for the year was 16.6 per 1000 anong the Chinese community and 13.2 per 1000 among the Non-Chinese civil com- munity, as compared with 16.01 and 10.9 in 1926. The ratio of deaths of infants to the total deaths registered was 31.6% (27.3% in 1926.
There were 4,239 deaths from respiratory diseases other than Tuberculosis as compared with 8,566 in 1926. Of these 34 were Non-Chinese (27 in 1926). Tubercular infections of the respiratory system caused 1,595 deaths in 1927 (1,517 in 1926) of which 31 were
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