220
Hong Kong Annual Administration Reports, 1841-1941
STATE OF HER MAJESTY'S COLONIAL POSSESSIONS.
This amount of labour has been executed under my personal superintendence. Within the gaol, however, a far larger and less profitable number of men has been employed under the inspection of the gaoler; the labour, as far as it goes, is in some respects valuable. I obtained a large supply of broken stones for the repair of roads, and in this service the gaoler's return gives a total number 11,847 men; but the quantity of stone broken was very small indeed for that number; the stone available, however, was large, and consequently required considerable labour to break it to the size necessary for our roads.
The value of this labour I estimate at 120%.
Cooks and water carriers amounted to 3,650 men, expressing
a value of work, if performed by free labour, equal to
So that no less than 21,794 men have been kept to hard labour within the gaol. The class of men confined for simple imprisonment, debt, those on the treadwheel, and the sick, amounted to 19,339, from whom no effective labour whatever has been derived.
The total value of labour as estimated by me as performed by convicts, is-
Outside the gaol £ 311 10 0 Within the gaol 369 10 4 Total £ 681 0 4The coolies of the department, when not in attendance upon me in surveying or in other occupations, have had their labour turned to account as follows:-In planting trees, 494 days; in supervision of public works under contract or otherwise, 236 days; repairing roads, 20 days; clearing drains, &c., 158 days, and sundry services, 18 days, all of which work would otherwise have been obliged to be paid for, and consequently it may be presumed they have earned the value of their wages, which amounts to £371. 10s. per annum.
Recapitulation of expenditure and value of services performed:-
£ s. d. Buildings 4,589 5 9 Drains 260 0 0 Roads 367 2 8 Convicts tools 20 13 1 Total expenditure £5,237 11 10 Convict labour £681 0 4 Department coolies 37 10 0 Actual value of all services 718 10 4 £5,956 2 2I have, &c. (Signed)
(True copy.)
CHAS. ST. GEO. CLEVERLEY,
Surveyor General.
SIR,
W. SIMON, Colonial Secretary.
Surveyor General's Office,
Victoria, March 28, 1855.
I HAVE the honour to submit my annual report upon the progress of my department for this year 1854 for the information of the honourable the Lieutenant Governor.
The supervision of Government House and the works in connexion with it occupied a very large share of my attention, and the extreme difficulty I have had with the contractor in forcing him to use more expedition and employ a greater number of men has been excessive; his pecuniary losses I believe, are considerable, and this coupled with the rise in the price of labour and of all building materials has added to his losses, and in a measure prevented the completion of the work; for instance, during the greater part of the year but little lime has reached the colony from the neighbourhood of Canton, and the supply has been made almost entirely from the kilns on the opposite Kowloon shore, and for which an exorbitant price was demanded.
Fortunately, before the blockade I obtained nearly all the marble tiles I required, the deficiency, however, I have supplied by slate and stone. The earthenware railings for
220
Hong Kong Annual Administration Reports, 1841-1941
STATE OF HER MAJESTY'S COLONIAL POSSESSIONS.
This amount of labour has been executed under my personal superintendence. Within the gaol, however, a far larger and less profitable number of inen has been employed under the inspection of the gaoler; the labour, as far as it goes, is in some respects valuable. I obtained a large supply of broken stones for the repair of roads, and in this service the gaoler's return gives a total number 11,847 men; but the quantity of stone broken was very small indeed for that number; the stone available, however, was large, and consequently required considerable labour to break it to the size necessary for our roads.
The value of this labour I estimate at 120%.
Cooks and water carriers amounted to 3,650 men, expressing
a value of work, if performed by free labour, equal to
Picking oakum, 5,693 nt 2d.
*
Carpenters and blacksmiths, 604 at 1s. 2d.
Breaking stones as above
d.
71 17 6
47 8 10
30 4 0 120 0 0
1
£369 10 4
So that no less than 21,794 men have been kept to hard labour within the gaol. The class of men confined for simple imprisonment, debt, those on the treadwheel, and the sick, amounted to 19,339, from whom no effective labour whatever has been derived.
The total value of labour as estimated by me as performed by convicts, is-
Outside the gnol Within the gaol
J. d. 311 10 0 369 10 4
Total
£681 0
The coolies of the department, when not in attendance upon me in surveying or in other occupations, have had their labour turned to account as follows :-In planting trees, 494 days; in supervision of public works under contract or otherwise, 236 days; re- pairing roads, 20 days; elcaring drains, &e., 158 days, and sundry services, 18 days, all of which work would otherwise have been obliged to be paid for, and consequently it may be presumed they have earned the value of their wages, which amounts to 371. 10s. per
annum.
Recapitulation of expenditure and value of services performed :-
Buildings
Drains
Roads
Convicts tools
£ 5. d. 4,589 5 91
260 TO 367 2 8 20 13 1
£5,237 11 101
Total expenditure
Convict labour
£681
0
Department coolies
37 10 0
Actual value of all services
718 10 4
£5,956 2 21
I have, &c. (Signed)
(True copy.)
CHIAS. ST. GEO. CLEVERLEY,
Surveyor General.
SIR,
W. SIMON, Colonial Secretary.
Surveyor General's Office,
Victoria, March 28, 1855.
I HAVE the honour to submit my annual report upon the progress of my de- partment for this year 1854 for the information of the honourable the Lieutenant Governor.
The supervision of Governmont House and the works in connexion with it occupied a very large share of my attention, and the extreme difficulty I have had with the contractor in forcing him to use more expedition and employ a greater number of men has been excessive; his pecuniary losses I believe, are considerable, and this coupled with the rise in the price of labour und of all building materials has added to his losses, and in a measure prevented the completion of the work; for instance, during the greater part of the year but little lime has reached the colony from the neighbourhood of Canton, and the supply has been male almost entirely from the kilns on the opposite Cowloon shore, and for which an exorbitant price was demanded.
Fortunately, before the blockade I obtained nearly all the marble tiles I required, the deficiency, however, I have supplied by slate and stone. The earthenware railings for
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