98
- 5-
Manager of Mackinnon, Mackenzie and Company, Agents for
the Peninsular and Oriental Steam Navigation Company, and Mr. A. Cameron, General Manager of the Canadian Pacific Steamships Limited, were in favour of dredging immediately
to a depth of thirty-six feet. The Committee was not in possession of the information contained in enclosure 2 at the time of its discussion. The question of the most
suitable depth is largely a technical one turning on the question of what depth of water there should be between the bottom of a ship and the harbour bed, which is composed
of shell, quartz grit and sand. I should be glad if this question could be referred to the Imperial Shipping
Committee. Consideration should be given not only to
the desirability of maintaining Hong Kong as a first class
port, but also to the cost of dredging. The plane to which depths are referred is Hong Kong Ordnance Datum; this plane is six inches above the Datum of Admiralty Tide
Tables.
6.
To obtain a depth of thirty-four feet,
approximately 450,000 cubic yards would have to be dredged, and for a depth of thirty-six feet, approximately 800,000 cubic yards. The Netherlands Harbour Works Company, who
have considerable experience in this part of the world and who carried out satisfactorily the previous dredging of this area, have given estimates of $1.25 per cubic yard for dredging 450,000 cubic yards and $1.10 per cubic yard for dredging 800,000 cubic yards, the work to be completed in eight and twelve months respectively. These figures are about $0.40 per cubic yard higher than they would
otherwise