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The
HONG KONG.
HONG KONG.
4
REPORTS EXHIBITING THE PAST AND PRESENT
The road round the island was repaired during the year 1850, the contract for which, amounting to 621. 18s. 4d., was paid during the year 1851, since which time no repairs have been effected.
Sundry repairs have been paid for on the Wongneichung and Sukunpu Roads, amount- ing to 20%, 168. 6d.; the total expenditure on road construction and repair being 6987. 18. 9d.
Bridges.
The only bridge constructed during the year is that over the ford at Causeway Bay, a twenty feet arch, upon abutments four feet high, with a roadway of twenty feet in the clear, which was much required, and cost 145l. 16s. 8d.
Authority (under Report and Estimate No. 4, of 1851, and Requisition No. 20, of 1851) was given for an expenditure amounting to 316L. 13s. 4d. for the construction of stone bridges and drains on the road round the island (with the exception of the two large bridges; one at Tytam; the other at Quarry Bay). These are in course of construction.
Buildings.
The repairs of a miscellaneous character to gaols, police stations, and other civil buildings, including expenditures by other departments, amounted during the year to 1367. 10s. 7d, in addition to which hired watchmen were employed to take charge of the Albany and Larkins' Godowns, resumed by Government at an outlay of 331. 158., making the aggregate expenditure for buildings 1714. 158. 7d.
Victoria.
The works in the city, exclusive of convict labour, comprised covering the open culverts with the stones of the parapet walls (reserving the coping stones for future use), at an expenditure of 46l. 13s. 10d.; the extension of a drain in Albert Road, 67. 5s.; and man- holes to drains on the Plaza Road, Sl. 10s. 8d. Total for drains, 614. 98. 6d.
Sundry Works.
Planting trees, 343 in number, of various kinds and sizes, in several parts of the city, amounted to 20%. 158. 9d. The goats complained of in previous years as doing so much damage to trees have not been so destructive this year, and the only damage trees have sustained lately is caused mostly by thieves stealing the supports thereto, and by drunken sailors, nevertheless the greater number are thriving very well, and will in a few years be a great ornament to the city.
Five public wells were also ordered to be made during the year, four of which are completed, and upon which an advance of 251. has been made. Twenty-one stone seats were placed near the public roads.
These were formed out of the coping-stones of the open culverts in the city, lately covered over.
The additional Government grant for completion of the cathedral was paid during the year, amounting to 4557.
I have also to report the commencement of the work for Government House, in the preparation and lowering of the proposed site, which provides for the cutting and removal of 24,000 yards of earth, at an expenditure of 2007.
Convicts.
In the purchase of stone hammers and new tools for convict labour, both inside and outside the gaol, and also in their repair, the sum of 27l. 12s. 7d. has been paid; this is a very small sum, considering the number of men employed. I have, however, to remark, that the wheelbarrows, and, indeed, most of the plant, is in very bad condition.
The total expenditure on account of works of all kinds, as enumerated above, has amounted to the sum of 1,613ł. 18s. 1d.
The labour performed by the convicts has consisted in the general repair of all the roads and streets in the city, which I have been able to keep in a very satisfactory state. The rains not having been particularly heavy last year, the damage they sustained was not very considerable. In actual repairs I have employed 3,900 men upon & miles of road, which gives an average of 11. a yard, or a total estimated value of 81. 58.
In the improvement of the roads round the Wongneichung Valley, by placing stone parapets thereto, and several other services, in the formation of retaining walls, widening drains, &c., I employed 5,310 men; and in the construction, widening, and lowering the road to join the Government House Road from Caine Road and Arbuthnot Road, 2,296 men, at an aggregate estimated value of work amounting to 1581. 9s. 2d. Sundry drains in various parts of the town were repaired and cleaned out from time to time by 312 men. Scavenging, under charge of the policeman on duty in the city, was performed by 158 men, and miscellaneous services of all kinds by 399 men, valued at 187. 2s. 1d.
The total number of men employed outside the gaol, therefore, has amounted to 12,375 men, being 2,878 less than last year, giving a total value of work performed equal to 2571. 16s. 3d.
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STATE OF HER MAJESTY'S COLONIAL POSSESSIONS.
Those employed at hard labour within the gaol walls amounted to about 18,000. labour performed is of a very light nature indeed; they were employed breaking stones for the roads, but as it was not done by task work it cannot be considered a punishment. The advantage of the use of broken stone upon the roads, fine as I require it, becomes more apparent every year, and enables me to effect repairs in a much more substantial manner than I could do in previous years, and therefore it is desirable to continue the supply. I estimate that only 220 tons have been broken, which I value at 3s. 6d. per ton, or 387. 10s., during the year, a much smaller quantity than last year.
A few men were employed picking oakum for the navy and making mats for the Government offices, and an average of ten daily were employed in the ordinary work of the gaol, carrying water, &c.
The labour of the three department coolies I turned to account during the year on the public works, when they were not in attendance upon me, or otherwise employed with their overseer. In repairs to roads they performed the work of 249 men; in making new drains, 6 men; clearing drains and side channels, 229 men"; planting and trimming trees, 274 men; removing timber, 126 men; cutting grass and weeding at Government offices, 31 men; miscellaneous, 12 men.
In conclusion, I have to remark that the whole of the roads, works, and buildings under my charge are in a good state of preservation, with the exception of some wooden bridges; and although the road over the hills to Tytam and that round the island have not been repaired during the year, no great damage has occurred thereto, and both are passable for horses.
W. Caine,
SIR,
Colonial Secretary.
I have, &c.
(Signed)
Enclosure 3.
CHAS. ST. GEO. CLEVERLY. Surveyor General.
Surveyor General's Office, Victoria, February 10, 1852.
I HAVE the honour to forward, for the information of his Excellency the Governor, my annual report upon the state and progress of the department for the year 1851.
During the year last passed there have been no changes in the department, and the general services and duty performed by its members have been of a precisely similar nature to those of the previous year.
The Chinese overseer and his coolies, when not in attendance upon me, perform the ordinary repairs to streets, drains, and attention to the trees, and the general miscellaneous services which are constantly demanded.
In contract work, having no foreman or clerk of works, I employ them occasionally to see any special portion of work requiring supervision fully carried out according to my instructions, and in that particular have rendered very effective help, though not equal to that of a trained overseer.
The repairs to buildings I was necessarily obliged to superintend myself in the morn- ings and evenings (the only portions of the day I could devote to that duty). The works carried on, however, have been but trifling, and thus a constant supervision was not demanded upon all of them; but as an instance of the difficulties I have occasionally to encounter in compelling an efficient mode of construction, I must mention that on visiting the bridge at Causeway Bay as usual I objected to some of the stonework in the arch, and on the following day this had been patched up with wood, and coloured to imitate the stone, which, if not discovered in tine, would eventually have caused the destruction of the entire bridge in a few years. In such cases, where a wilful system of scamping work is adopted, I invariably condemn a large portion of it; and although this mode causes some delay and inconvenience to the public in certain cases, it is the only means I have at pre- sent of obliging the contractors to execute sound and satisfactory work; but I find they never try that plan of cheating again.
The expenditure on roads undertaken by the department, both in construction and repair, amounted to 6981. 1s. 9d.; upon bridges, 1451 16s. 8d; upon sundry miscellaneous services 314. 198. 8d. The whole together, with 4551. additional grant for the completion of the cathedral, amounted to 1,613 18s. 1d.
The supervision of convict labour is entirely executed by myself, the Indian sergeant of the guard acting as overseer. A daily return is made of the number of men employed, and the nature of their work, to enable me to bring the value of it to account in my annual return for the Blue Book. I have to report most favourably of the conduct of the sergeant Chorepah, who is very attentive, and makes the men perform as satisfactory work as can be expected.
The Chinese overseer and coolies have given also equal satisfaction.
The supply of tools and their repair during the year amounted to 271. 128. 7d. The work performed, including breaking stones, I estimate in my return upon works at 2967 68 3d, which gives a rate of 9 per cent. upon it, and may be considered by no means heavy; but many of the wheelbarrows and some other articles are now in a bad
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Enclosure 3.
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