CO129-193 - Governor Hennessy - 1881 [5-7] — Page 164

was not wasted; and that more tanks should be placed on the northern slope of the hills behind the Town.

I have the honour to be, My Lord, Your Lordship's Most Obedient, Humble Servant,

> The Daily Press.

HONGKONG, JUNE 14th, 1881.

THE WATER SUPPLY.

Hon. F. B. JOHNSON asked if the Government could give any information as to the scheme for increasing the water supply of the Colony. He said he needed no apology for putting such a question in a place like this, where the population was rapidly increasing and an impression prevailed that the water supply was not adequate.

His EXCELLENCY—Gentlemen, the history of this question is of some interest, no doubt. In the year 1878 Sir Arthur Kennedy reported to Her Majesty's Government that Pokfulam reservoir was only giving one-third the quantity of water which it had been constructed to supply. That report, on reaching London, was submitted by the Secretary of State to Mr. Moorsom, who had retired from the service and was then in England, and Mr. Moorsom explained in a report to the Colonial Office that the pipe from the reservoir to the town, for which he was not responsible, was, it appears, too narrow, that there were certain places in it where leakages and stoppages occurred, and that in fact a large conduit was required, and that these subsidiary works, though they might cost a large sum, $30,000 or $40,000, were absolutely necessary to render the Pokfulam reservoir capable of supplying the amount of water it might do.

In the meantime Mr. Price, who served with me in Sierra Leone, arrived in London, and a wish was expressed by the Colonial Office that he should at once proceed to frame some estimate of what was to be done to have an adequate supply of water. Accordingly, he prepared certain plans in London as well as he could, and he made a report and, judging from the maps of the island he had before him, and the nature of the place of which he had details, he arrived at the conclusion that what he called the Tytam scheme was the only good one to adopt.

On his arrival in the Colony he proceeded, at the request of Sir Arthur Kennedy, to elaborate this scheme and it was laid before the Legislative Council. I am bound to say that, as far as I can judge, it received very careful consideration from Sir Arthur Kennedy and from the members of the Legislature.

On the 5th March the question was discussed at this Council table. I think my hon. friend on my right, the senior unofficial member (Mr. Ryrie), is the only person now present who was then a member of the Council, and he, no doubt, remembers the discussion I refer to.

That discussion now becomes itself of great importance on the main question we must ask. I find in that discussion Sir Arthur Kennedy began by saying—

I regret only that the outlay involved an expense almost beyond the means of the Colony. It would be seen that the Surveyor General had had several discussions with him as to the advisability of curtailing the allowance of water per head which he advocated in his original report. Without data to go upon—which would be arrived at only by a thorough survey—it was impossible for them to come to anything like a fair estimate of what the supply would cost. When the detailed survey had been completed, it would, in his opinion, be time enough to submit the whole question to a Committee of the Council, because to talk of ways and means before they knew the cost would be like putting the cart before the horse; they would not arrive at any practical result.

In his original project Mr. Price advocated at one time thirty gallons per head per day and afterwards fifteen gallons. That project was modified by Mr. Price, and the modified project had been laid on the table when this discussion took place. In that revised scheme this remark occurs—

It is true that in England the bulk of this allowance is needed for special and sanitary purposes, but it is none the less true that the sewerage of Victoria stands in similar need.

Upon that report, every word of which was read to the Council by Sir Arthur Kennedy, and after that statement by the Governor, the Hon. Mr. Whittall said—

He thought it would be well to tell the Surveyor General that it was impossible to carry out the present scheme, and ask him to prepare another. He was quite aware of the importance of a good supply of water. But it must not be overlooked that the Colony was not so very badly off now, and if more care were taken to prevent waste they might manage to do with the present supply.

C. O. 13137 RE22 In 19 161

Now I would ask hon. members to bear that in mind. The official member of Council was of opinion if care was taken to prevent waste they might manage with the present small supply. He went on—

But he need not go into that now. He thought sufficient water could be obtained to answer all the requirements of the Colony for much less than the proposed sum. The original scheme could not be considered for a moment. It would cost a very large amount of money and a sinking fund to carry out the project, and even if a rate was reduced to £100,000, it would raise the existing taxes to 25 per cent, a rate which the Colony could not afford, the existing percentage of taxes being as much as Colony could bear.

With regard to that reference Mr. Austin said—

The total increased police and other rate would be only 20 per cent., as against 25 per cent. suggested by his honourable friend.

Sir Arthur Kennedy said—

It had been said the habits of the Chinese were such that they did not need so much water, but it was our duty to teach them better habits.

Then I find that another member of Council, the Acting Colonial Treasurer (Mr. Charles May), said—

The report went on the assumption that the Chinese require as much water as the Europeans; but nobody who knew anything about their habits would come to this conclusion. Throughout the winter months they certainly did not need two gallons per head. For the purposes of flushing the drains and for other purposes, water could be got in unlimited quantities from the sea. He was, therefore, strongly of opinion that we did not want additional water for necessary accommodation of our enlarged population, and knowing as well as anyone the habits of the people, and what their real demands were, he must say that the supply of water we now got, if carefully and not wastefully used, was sufficient, and that really the Colony ought not to be called upon to incur any farther expense.

His opinions were quite apart from the report, but he thought if the Council took into consideration whether there was any serious demand for a supply of water, they would arrive at the conclusion that at the present time, the Pokfulam reservoir would give us all that we want.

Well, gentlemen, the fact still remains that at the date of that discussion this large conduit had not been constructed. Nothing was done to remedy the defects of the Pokfulam reservoir system.

But I find Sir Arthur Kennedy drew the attention of Mr. Price to this question of what is called the subsidiary water supply, and a short time before that discussion Mr. Price wrote a letter dated 18th February, 1874, to the Colonial Secretary, in which he stated he had gauged the Pokfulam Reservoir and he says: "The supply, calculated at the usual rate of five gallons a head, will fall short by about twenty days." He does not state to what extent, but he says five gallons would then be supplied.

I find when this discussion took place in Council and the original report of the Surveyor-General and this revised report were dealt with, I think my hon. friend Mr. Ryrie proposed and Mr. Rowett seconded, that nothing should be done until a complete survey and report were made, for which my hon. friend said he was willing to grant five thousand dollars, but that in the meantime nothing should be done in the way of this gigantic and expensive scheme.

But there was an opinion expressed that anything that could be done to render the Pokfulam Reservoir what it ought to be, the Council would of course cheerfully vote the funds for.

Then I find on the 6th March, immediately after the debate in Council, a letter is addressed by the Colonial Secretary to Mr. Price, who is told that a sum not exceeding $1,000 is placed at the disposal of the Government for the survey and the work can therefore be proceeded with at once.

The next document in the Colonial Secretary's office is to this effect—

In reply to your intimation that the Legislative Council had voted a sum of $5,000 for the Water Works Detailed Surveys, and that I might proceed with the same, I have the honour to inform you that I am not able to undertake the Surveys aforesaid owing to the absence of competent professional assistance.

The next record I find on the subject is a letter from Mr. Price, dated 23rd April, in which he makes this very sensible remark—

I may add that in the estimates of 1873 $25,000 were voted by the Council for the "Improvement of the Water Supply," and it is a matter of regret that that sum should have been withdrawn from the estimates of the current year, for at present the people in the districts referred to stand in no greater need than of some addition, however small, to the scant supply which the public hydrants afford them.

There I find the first distinct reference by the Survey Department to the subsidiary water supply, and I find the Surveyor-General pointing out that a sum...