CO129-412 - Governor Sir May - 1914 [7-8] — Page 287

CO129 Colonial Office Hong Kong Records 理藩院香港檔案 All

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money and no work is the evident motto

Chan A Tong's idea of a Contractor is apparently to sign

pay little or no atten-

-

building contracts, sublet everything

tion to the work and then expect to make large profits.

I submit that the Contractor's letters are plausible ex-

-

cuses from beginning to end promoses that have never been

fulfilled nor in my opinion had he any intention of ever

doing so

-

they are exactly similar to his continued promises

to do certain work from time to time, but alas, has now to be

donw by the Government at the eleventh hour.

It is obvious that the Government have not received full

value for the sums that have been advanced from time to time-

neither have the sums that he has received been utilized in

full for the benefit of the work as the Contractor has entered

into other contracts and this building has been considered of

no importance to him.

The contractor's recent enterprises are;-

Eerecting a Chinese Hotel at West Point Erecting a Hospital, Yau Ma Ti

With respect to the contract for fittings etc: I attach

copy of letter dated 24th December 1907 marked "B", it will be

noted that the Contractor asks for the work at a lower rate -

he even expresses the desire to carry out the work at the price

of the lowest tender, or even lower- it seems strange to my

mind that he did not discover or realize his imaginary loss over

the first contract long before the date of this letter.

It will be noted that after the Contract was signed that

one year elapsed with but little work being done.

It will also be noted that work to the value of only g 25000

was executed at the contract date for completion.

After many years delay the Government have now to complete

the work, and from a financial point of view as follows:-

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