44. Maintenance of Roads and Bridges in New Territories.-A further length of the Taipo Road, between the 2nd and 4th milestones and extending over a distance of 1½ miles, was coated with macadam.
A further extension of the Kowloon City Road towards Customs Pass was added to the roads in this district.
45. Maintenance of Telegraphs.-The work of duplicating all the Government telephone lines so as to place them in Metallic Circuit was completed early in the year, the cost being defrayed out of Suspense Account.
A telephone line was constructed between the extension of the Nurses' Quarters in the Medical Staff Quarters and the Government Civil Hospital; cables were substituted for the overhead wires in Pedder Street and the immediate neighbourhood so as to overcome the difficulty of providing posts in suitable positions for the overhead wires; a short length of cable was taken up near Pottinger Street; the Percival Street route was practically reconstructed; the Caine Road route was much improved and the route at Causeway Bay altered to enable the Queen's Recreation Ground to be extended.
On account of repeated interruptions in the communication with Waglan Lighthouse, caused by the friction of the cable against the rocks, a new armoured end, 100 feet long, was laid.
All the instruments on Green Island were much damaged by lightning, necessitating special repairs.
46. Maintenance of Telegraphs in New Territories.-Two twenty-line switches were obtained from Messrs. Ericsson & Co. and were duly installed at Tai Po and Tsim Sha Tsui Police Station Exchanges.
47. Maintenance of Sewers. Nullahs, &c.—The sewers, storm-water drains, and trained nullahs, were cleansed and maintained in good condition, and the flushing tanks were systematically worked.
The details of the expenditure under this heading are as follows:
Labour for cleansing operations $13,683.70 Repairs.... $4,365.50 Tools for cleansing operations $1,174.88 $19,224.08as against $22,447.36 in the previous year.
The decrease in expenditure, as compared with the previous year, is due to less being required in the way of cleansing operations.
48. Gas Lighting, City of Victoria and the Peak.-The total number of lamps in use at the end of the year in the City was 970, an increase of 3 over the previous year, and in the Hill District, 112, an increase of 1. The lighting of the Military Cantonments by 15 lamps remained on the same footing as formerly.
49. Electric Lighting, City.-No alteration has been made in the number of lamps, which remains at 75.
50. Gas Lighting, Kowloon.—The total number of lamps at the end of the year, was 241, an increase of 4 over the previous year.
51. Electric Lighting, Kowloon.-No alteration has been made in the number of lamps which remains at 22.
52. Maintenance of Praya Wall and Piers.-The following is a statement of the principal items of expenditure under the vote:
Blake Pier.... $1,356 Water Police Pier, Kowloon Point $688 Reinstating Sea Wall South of K.M.L. 58. $658 Arsenal Street Wharf..... $421 Murray Pier $388 Kennedy Town Pier $343 $324 Harbour Office Pier $242 Lai Chi Kok Pier.....Preparations were made for repainting Blake Pier, the necessary anti-corrosive paints being stocked at a cost of $1,015, which is included in the above sum.