HONG KONG LEGISLATIVE COUNCIL.
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year 1931 was a difficult financial one, but very full figures, containing all available information, were sent to the Secretary of State on 10th March, 1932, in support of the Government's view that finance need no longer stand in the way and that the work could and should be undertaken at once.
We hope we have now satisfied the Secretary of State on the engineering features of the scheme and the ability of the Colony to finance it; and nothing has been or will be left undone to show the great urgency. Government, indeed, welcomes this further opportunity for despatching another cable to convey to the Secretary of State the views of the Honourable Unofficial Members that have been so strongly expressed to-day.
In view of the admitted seriousness of the situation I will now ask the Director of Public Works to make a statement on the present position of the water supply and the new proposals for distribution.
THE DIRECTOR OF PUBLIC WORKS. The total quantity of water in storage in the reservoirs of the Colony to-day is 731 million gallons, being 573 million gallons in Hong Kong and 158 million gallons in Kowloon.
On Wednesday, the 11th May, it was deemed necessary to cut down the supply throughout the Colony to seven hours a day, and since then careful watch has been made both on the consumption and the distribution of this supply.
After full investigation it is now considered that neither the reduction in consumption nor the distribution of the present supply is satisfactory, and that further restriction is necessary.
The present supplies on both sides of the harbour must be cut down, and the proportion of the supply taken through meters should be reduced, as street fountain consumers are at present not getting an equitable share.
Under the existing systems of supply through meters and street fountains, both off the same main, it is not possible to restrict either supply separately, the result being that while there appears to be considerable hardship amongst those drawing their supplies from street fountains, metered consumers enjoy a com- paratively generous supply.
To reduce the hours of supply to any considerable extent under the existing system would throw the burden of sacrifice still more on those using street fountains, and would further aggravate the present disparity of supply.
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