CO129-322 - Acting Governor May - 1904 [1-5] — Page 386

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COFY

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Enclosure 1.

C.0. 14089

384

21ER 04

Public Works Office,

Hongkong, 27th. January, 1904.

Both January 1904.

The Honourable

Sir,

I have the honour to forward you a letter

which I have received from Messrs. Denison, Ram, and Gibbs re-

garding the catchwater which it is proposed to construct in con-

nection with the Kowloon Waterworks Scheme.

This catchwater will contour the northern

slopes of the range of hills which forms the boundary of New Kow-

loon and it has been found on investigation that it can be ex-

tended so as to intercept the drainage from a very large area,

at least 1,000 acres.

The position is very fully explained in the

enclosed letter and I would perely add that the interception of

the water from these slopes will be the most economical way of increasing the water supply of Kowloon and that within a mode- rate space of time works for this purpose will require to be carried out. The starting of the proposed failway to Canton would certainly hasten the necessity for it and might even render its.

execution immediately necessary.

The question to be decided is therefore

whether the catchwater is now to extend a distance of about 5

miles, intercepting the drainage from an area of 1,000 acres, cr

whether it is to be limited to about 2 miles, thus curtailing

the drainage area to about 400 acres. In the latter event, it would still be necessary to construct the catchwater so that it could eventually be extended the full distance, the two alter- natives I have mentioned being those numbered (3) and (4) in the

enclosed

The Acting Colonial Secretary.