Wanchai Gap Road to Wongneichung Road and from Wanchai-Aberdeen Road to Wongneichung-Little Hongkong Road. Although these paths greatly facilitate the work of the Forest Guards they have, also, unfortunately been of great assistance to fuel stealers.
New Forestry Service Paths,
Description of Paths From To Length in Miles Cost of Construction $ Peak Road, Hatton Road, 78.24 Peak Road, Magazine Gap Road, 60.93 Magazine Gap Road, Wanchai Gap Road, 14 96.53 Wanchai Gap Road, Wanchai-Aberdeen Road, Wongneichung Road, 232.86 Wongneichung-Little Hongkong Road, 4 510.62 Total, 10.333 $979.18The cost of keeping in repair the old paths was $176.80. The heavy rainstorms which frequently occur here will render it necessary to spend an annual sum on this item.
Clearing Undergrowth around Houses.--The clearing of brushwood around houses, to the extent of a million and a half square feet, was carried out at Shaukiwan, Bonham Road, Kennedy Town, Babington Path, Conduit Road, Kennedy Road and Bowen Road at the expense of the Government in connection with the crusade against mosquitoes and malaria. A clearing of 140,000 sq. ft. was also done at the expense of private individuals at the Peak, Bowen Road and Wongneichung.
As showing the futility of this work as long as breeding places for mosquitoes remain, it is only necessary to state that after the brushwood had been cleared in one of the districts where malaria was rife a tin was found nearly full of water and containing large quantities of Anopheles and Culex larvae in the garden of, and close to, one of the houses whose inmates were suffering severely from malaria.
FORESTRY LICENCES.-NEW TERRITORIES.
These fees are now collected by the District Officer at Taipo for the Northern District, and by the Assistant Land Officer in Hongkong for the Southern District. The total sum collected for the year as furnished by them was $4,890.59. The terms of these licences were altered during the year, and one of the conditions now is that trees may not be cut within 250 yards of a village or within 50 yards of such main roads as are specified in the licence.