September 3rd, 1921.j
ST. JOSEPH'S COLLEGE.
IMPORTANT EDUCATIONAL
EXTENSION.
The new class-room of St. Joseph's College form a striking addition to the architectural features of the Peak's lower slopes.
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With the practical completion of these class-rooms the directorate of St. Joseph's College see the fruition of a scheme which has caused them anxious deliberation for a long time past. The old problem of cutting the coat according to the cloth" has been an acute one, in this instance. Education, unfortunately, is not a form of enterprise for which unlimited sup- plies of money are available. The price of materials has risen so greatly of late that first one part of the scheme and then another has had to be sacrificed and, even then, the original estimate of $80,000 has been exceeded by about $30,000, and St. Joseph's are obliged to ask the Govern- ment to supplement its original generous grant. The Government promised $40,000 half the amount of the estimate and, as the total cost is larger than $80,000 through causes over which the directors have no control, and which they have done their best to counter-balance, by making cuts in the original scheme. it is hoped that the Government will see its way to increase its contribution so as to pay half of the final, instead of half of the estimated sum.
It had been hoped to provide labora- tories for science teaching, but this very necessary acquisition to the College must await the generosity of Old Boys of St. Joseph's or other friends of education. A recreation hall and gymnasium is, also, urgently needed to accommodate the boys in hot or rainy weather. If funds had permitted, this would have been con- structed, so as to join the old school buildings to the new, the whole forming three sides of a square.
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But enough, for the nonce, of what might have been." It must not be sup- posed, from the foregoing hints of the aspirations of St. Joseph's, that what has been accomplished is a truncated and inadequate achievement. Far from it.
CHINA OVERLAND Trade repORT
most storey, the ceiling is of moulded teakwood, which gives a very handsome effect. It would have been very pleasant to St. Joseph's, we imagine, to make an inaugural bonfire, this afternoon, of ali their antiquated school furniture, and, after the fashion of the newly-married, have nothing but new furniture in the new home. Funds would not run to it; but one or two rooms are resplendent with new furniture-perhaps in the hope that some of to-day's visitors may be touched by the contrast and rise to the occasion.
It should be said that eighteen of the rooms will be used as class-rooms, one as a reception room and one as a scouts' hall. There are, in addition, in the towers at either end of the main build- | ing, masters' rooms, luncheon rooms for pupils and cloak rooms and lavatories, provided with the water carriage system.
AN EARLY EDUCATIONALIST.
The exterior of the building is impos- ing. In a niche, on the level of the top floor, is a statue of St. John Baptist de la Salle, teaching a youth from an open book.
The sculpture is a copy, made in France, of the well-known statue by Falquière. De la Salle, who lived at the end of the seventeenth and the begin- ning of the eighteenth century, was the founder of popular education in France. He founded the Society of the Christian Brothers-devoted entirely to the further ance of education-which has now extend- ed over a great part of the world.
The original design of the building pro- vided for facings with rubbed-red brick work, so that its appearance would have been in keeping with the French Fathers' Mission House near by. The cost proved prohibitive, however, and the exterior had to be plastered, instead. Such sacrifices as this, of course, grieve nobody_more than the architects in this case, Messrs. Little, Adams and Wood-who, whenever they see the finished work, will prob- ably be tempted to sadly contrast the real with the ideal.
BANK OF EAST ASIA.
NEW PREMISES COMPLETED.
The Bank of East Asia moves to its Central, on Sept. 5th. new offices, No. 10, Des Voeux Road
The term
offices
new
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THE BANK OF CHINA.
HONGKONG SKY-SCRAPER "
COMPLETED.
An enterprise which forms a landmark in the history of Hongkong the Colony's first " sky-scraper "-entered on its final stage, this week and the Bank of China, in Queen's Road Central, is ready for occupation.
Messrs. Little, Adams and Wood are the architects who have supervised this great project, which has cost $200,000, and has occupied the period since March 1920,-about 18 months. Mr. Foo Sik, the builder, is also the owner of the site.
The building is a six-storeyed one, reinforced concrete framed. It is 90 feet completed, in the same style, the whole high, and when the next-door building is block will measure a hundred feet square. To all intents and purposes, the two buildings will form a monster cube, by 100 feet deep, by 100 feet high. The within a few feet of being 100 feet wide, adjoining premises are being rebuilt, to the same height, for the Shanghai Com- mercial and Savings Bank.
The ground floor of the new building is arranged as banking premises for the Bank of China, and the upper floors are available to be let as offices. The bank treasury,
in the basement, is built entirely of reinforced concrete, with walls 2ft. 6ins. thick, lined with asphalte to keep the place dry, and further lined with pointed brickwork.
The building is faced in stone, up to the first floor level, and above that in rubbed green brickwork. The general effect is admirable and imposing. The green rubbed facing bricks form a new feature in building decoration, so far as any large building in Hongkong is con- cerned. All the floors and roof are of concrete, and the whole af the woodwork is of teak.
There are two handsome entrances to the building; one, in Queen's Road, to the Bank of China, and the other, in Duddell Street, for the use of tenants of the upper floors. Two Penrose passenger lifts serve the tenants. The building has a flat roof, so we may yet see the example of New York followed in Hongkong and have roof supper-dances beneath the stars.
ACCOMMODATION FOR 600 PUPILS. The new class-rooms, erected at the northern end of the school playground, parallel with the existing buildings, pro- vide upwards of 20 rooms and will com-
seems permissible, in the circum fortably accommodate 600 pupils, or 750 stances, for, although the shell of the old with only a little squeezing. The build-building remains, the place has under- ing is a four-storey one, of reinforced gone such a complete transformation, concrete, with five class-rooms on each under the direction of Messrs. Little MR. STEVENS'S KIDNAPPER. floor, and verandahs giving, at one and Adams & Wood, architects, that recent the same time, access to the class-rooms arrivals in the Colony might very reason- and protection from sun and rain. The ably suppose the building to be an verandahs and corridors are paved with entirely new one. red quarry tiles, supplied by Messrs. Malkin, of London. The staircases are of concrete, each tread being ribbed to prevent slipping when exuberant youths are released from class and race down- stairs, treading close on one another's heels.
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What happened was that, after the Bank acquired No. 10, Des Voeux Road Central, the whole of the interior was gutted, and the place was given a new inside." Walls, roof and facade are the same; the facade, revealed to public view in the last few days, looks new, it is true, It will be gathered, from the various but this is because the granite has been references to concrete already made, that "punched." The roof, has been extensively the new building is what the layman re-laid; walls have been strengthened and usually speaks of as a fire-proof one. new stanchions have been put in, so that The expert, however, would say that the building, if not new, in the full sense there is no such thing as a
(( fire-proof of the word, is as good as new. building; fire-resisting is the correct term. The San Francisco fire showed that strange things may happen to steel and concrete buildings under great heat, but, for all that, we think the St. Joseph's parent may feel sure, humanly speaking, that the new buildings are secure from danger of fire.
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The building has, now, teak-covered concrete floors. The ground floor 18 arranged as banking premises for the Bank of East Asia, with treasury, book safe, and safe deposit vault of reinforced concrete construction and provided with Chubb's treasury doors. The brass coun- to work is locally made.
The two offices.
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The class-rooms are of an ideal size from an educational point of view, nei-
floors above are fitted as ther too large nor too small. Each room
All woodwork is of teak and is fitted with swinging, wall blackboards mosaic tiling in the public space of American construction. All woodwork supplied by Messrs. Malkin, of London. is of stained teak; the floors are of con- Modern sanitary arrangements are in crete, covered with teak, but, on the top-stalled throughout the building.
SHENSI BRIGAND SHOT.
Reuter's Peking correspondent writes: A report from General Yen Hsing-wen, Tuchun of Shensi, says that Colonel Kuo Chien, the leader of the bandits who re- cently imprisoned Mr. Stevens, the Eng- lish Missionary, has been executed. Kuo was the last of four bandit leaders who have terrorized various regions in Shensi for several years. Sometimes a partisan of General Chen Shu-fan, and at other times an open enemy of the Provincial Government and the people alike, Kuo is believed to have maintained close rela- tions with Kuangtung for many years.
When General Feng Yu-hsiang entered Shensi in June, Kuo came forward with an offer of assistance and subsequently requested permission to enter Sianfu. General Feng did not accept his offer of help, but allowed him to go to Sian.
Meanwhile, however, Generals Yen and Feng had made close inquiries into the records of Kuo and other suspected characters.
of Convincing evidence many crimes carried out by Kuo was secured, and he was summarily shot by order of the Tuchun.
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