228
(N.B.-An addition for pumping from the City has been made in the case of the Peak and Middle Levels.)
HONGKONG.
(a)-Water Supply.
were
THE HONGKONG WEEKLY PRESS &
(b)-The drainage of the Middle Levels should be diverted to an outfall in the Sulphur Channel. (c)-All sewage on the Western side of Kowloon Peninsula should be diverted to outfalls at Kowloon Point and North of the Cosmopo- litan Dock.
not
10. As our recommendations do involve the supply of Salt Water, the question of "the provision of suitable
"does not arise. pipes
T. L. PERKINS, Chairman. L. GIBBS.
R. M. HENDERSON. C.E. WARREN.
July 9th, 1921.
6. The City and Peak Water Supply has about reached the limit of its capa-
It is suggested that the cost of this city, .e., if such a dry period as that should be met by an additional rate in experienced during 1894-1896
to the districts concerned, each district recur there would be scarcity. The pre-being first given the option to decide by sent supply (1920) is fully 7 million vote whether or no it will adopt a Water a Public Water gallons a day. The water required for Carriage System with the proposed Water Carriage Services Supply. to the Peak and Middle Levels amounts to 5 and 22 million gallons a year, res- pectively. One inch of water on an acre amounts to 22,000 gallons. In the driest recorded year at least 20 inches of rain can be collected in Hongkong, so that the above amounts can be collected respec- tively from 12 and 50 acres.
The pre- sent gathering ground of the City and Hill District Water Works amounts to 2,561 acres. There is however an area of about 2,600 acres in the neighbourhood of Taitam which is available for catch- watering and which may be reckoned on to increase the supply (without further reservoirs) from its present figure of 7 millions to 10 millions a day. A catch- water to intercept the water from about 300 acres of the above 2,600 acres at a cost of $70,000 is now in contemplation; this will provide an additional supply of at least 130 million gallons a year and will take no longer to carry out than the works necessary for supplying at a much greater cost ($417,000) 27 million gallons of Salt Water a year.
(b)-Peak District.
The sanitary advantage to the Peak owing to its scattered location and the long carry for fæcal matter, is so great and the amount
of water required is so small that a Public Water Carriage System using fresh water might with advantage be adopted there as soon the necessary additions to the Peak pumping plant, now on order, are in- stalled.
(c.)-Middle Levels.
as
In the Middle Levels the amount of water required is a more serious matter and the sanitary advantage less, and it seems that a Public Water Carriage Sys- tem using fresh water should remain in abeyance there till an adequate exten- sion of the Taitam gathering ground has been put in hand.
7.-The Kowloon Works will produce 1.7 million gallons a day in the driest recorded year and can be considerably extended at a comparatively small cost. The present supply is about 1.3 million gallons a day. The Water Supply in Kowloon is therefore still fairly ahead of present requirements, but in view of the rapid growth of the district a Water Carriage System using fresh water should not be installed until extensions of the present Water Works are put in hand.
General.
6-The time may come when the limit of the fresh water resources of the Colony has been so nearly reached that it will be more economical to obtain a supply of Salt Water than to obtain an equal additional supply of fresh water, but it 'does not appear that that time has yet arrived, and no works which may be carried out now for the use of fresh water will in any way interfere with the use of Salt Water when its use is found to be more economical,
9.-Some alterations to the sewerage system in each of the three districts will be desirable. After perusing the six re- ports (Annexes 5-10) received from Mr. Newhouse, we have come to the following conclusions:-
(a)-The drainage of the Peak District
should be diverted to an outfall on the South side of the Island.
HONGKONG
BOOK-KEEPER'S SHARP SENTENCE.
PROCEEDINGS IN MACAO.
Carlos José Sequeira appeared before Tribunal in Macao, this week, Chief Justice Moncada, at the Judicial charge of forgery.
on
a
arrest have been
The defendant was a book-keeper in the Hongkong branch, in Pedder Street, of the North West Trading Co., Ltd., and it was alleged that he forged the signature of the manager of the branch to 34 cheques, in 1919 and 1920. on October Sequeira absented himself 21st, 1920, on which date suspicions were first aroused, and rewards for informa- tion leading to his widely published. Subsequent investiga- tions revealed a number of forgeries of the manager's signature drawer of cheques and the omission to enter them These cheques in the Company's books. were all made payable to Sequeira. The counterfoils of the cheques, in some cases, bore different amounts from those which appeared on the cheques them- selves, and names of persons other than Sequira. In other cases the majority -the counterfoils had been cancelled. The total amount involved in the charges was $11,990.
(L
"
as
(C
Sequeira, who claims to be a Portu- guese subject, was arrested by the police
at Macao.
A number of witness from Hongkong attended; the Procurator of Macao con- ducted the case for the prosecution, and Mr. H. Nolasco defended. Mr. T. M. Hazlerigg (Assistant Crown Solicitor) watched the proceedings on behalf of the Hongkong Government.
The Chief Justice sentenced the defen- dant to Timor, telling him that, but for extenuat- six years' imprisonment at ing circumstances, the sentence would have been one of twelve years.
The sentence does not begin to run until it has been confirmed by the Portu- guese authorities at Goa.
a
Owing to military movements in the Central Yangtsze region, Hankow message says, cargo deliveries from the provinces are very difficult to obtain.
The Java-China-Japan Line has dis- tributed a dividend of 15 per cent, for the year 1920. The report speaks of the business of the Company having been seriously affected by the competition of Japanese and American Shipping Board vessels, and alludes to the disturbing effect which the violent fluctuations in the rate of the Mexican dollar has had on business life in Eastern Asia.
182
[September 3rd, 1921. CORRESPONDENCE.
AN INACCURATE REPORT.
C
[TO THE EDITOR OF THE HONGKONG DAILY PRESS."]
SIR, My attention has to-day been called to an article appearing in your issue of May 27th, referring to statistics purported to have been given by me.
It seems regrettable that inaccurate newspaper reports should be taken as authoritative statements. Having had the privilege of conferring with the Authorities of the Civil Medical Depart- ment and having in my possession the published reports of that Department, it is not likely that I should have made such an unintelligible statement as the one appearing in the Hongkong and other Eastern papers.
On first seeing the report as it appear- ed in the Eastern papers, I took steps through Reuters to correct the. statement made. This correction will, of course, have reached you many weeks before my letter.
It is regrettable that the Sanitary Board were inveigled into spending valu- able time in discussing the accuracy of the statement that was never made in the form in which they considered it.
The Eastern. Commission have placed their reports on the Eastern Colonies in the hands of the National Council. This body has already transmitted them to the Colonial Office, by whom they will doubt- less be forwarded to the Colonial Govern- ments concerned.—Yours very truly,
SYBIL NEVILLE ROLFE,
General Secretary.
80, Avenue Chambers,
Southampton Row, London, W.C.1.
July 19th, 1921.
[The article to which Mrs. Rolfe refers was based on a Reuter cable attributing certain statements to her. These formed
the subject of a series of questions by Dr. KocH at a meeting of the Sanitary Board, to which answers were given by
the Medical Officer of Health. We have received through Reuter's no correction to Mrs. of the statements attributed Rolfe in the telegram which formed the basis of our comment.-ED.]
I
SUSPECTED ARSON.
A KEROSENE FIRE IN WINGLOK STREET.
Attempted arson is alleged in a report received by the police from the manager of a Chinese shop occupying the ground The floor of No. 32, Winglok Steet. manager states that he was asleep in the front part of the shop when he was awakened by one of his fokis with an alarm of fire. At
the back of the shop he saw smoke filtering in through cracks in the back door. There was also a strong smell of kerosene. When the door was opened, a pile of waste paper saturat- ed in petroleum was found burning furiously immediately outside. The man- ager and his fokis got buckets of water and managed to extinguish the flames. Near the door, was found an empty bottle which had contained kerosene.
The first and second floors of the house are occupied as a Boarding House, so that if the fire had involved the building there might have been great loss of life.
No comments yet.
Private notes are available after approval.