CO129-299 - Administrator Major Gen Gascoigne - 1900 [5-6] — Page 141

11.

COPY.

Enclosure.

133

Memorandum 10013

&

REC REG 11 JUN 00

During the past three years the P.W.D. Stafti

been weakened by the retirement of Mr.Bowdler and MrMalsch on

pension, the resignation of Mr.Gibbs and Mr.Hazeland and the

death of Mr.Prosser. The only new appointment made in the time

was that of Mr.T.H.Hughes who however has been almost exclu-

sively employed in the New Territory.

During the same time, the area of the Colony has been

increased from 50 to over 400 square miles. Three large per-

manent Police Stations have been erected in the New Territory

at considerable distances from Hongkong, anda fourth is under

construction over 40 miles away by sea, while three more have

been sanctioned but not started. The mileage of roads in Hong-

Kong has been considerably increased by the completion of Sec Tons of the Fraya, the opening of Barker Road and Chamberlain

Road, the completion of MacDormell Road and the extension of

roads in British Kowloon. The mileage of telephone times have

been more than trebled by the extension to Taipo, Pingshan, and

thê northern boundary of the New Territory. The decrease in

Staff, coinciding with an increase in work has pressed hardly

on every member of the Department.

Although the Votes for annually recurrent expenditure

have remained nearly stationary for some years, the number of

buildings to be maintained, the mileage of roads, of stors

drains, of dewers, and of water pipes and services have largely

increased and the duties of supervision become more onerous.

By the retirement of Mr.Hazeland, Mr.Tooker is left without

assistance in the supervision of maintenance and the Building

Ordinance work, the latter largely increasedșmoreover by

recent legislation regarding insanitary properties, Ordinance

of 1899 Clauses 9 and 10, throws very important duties on

the Public Works Department, though the expenditure which will

be