CO129-509-15 Water supply- development scheme 30-1-1928 - 17-1-1929 — Page 87

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Vehicular Ferry had been proposed but he considered it would be very expensive, would add to the congestion in the harbour, and would be liable to frequent interruption in bad weather. The remaining possibility was a tunnel. If it were possible that a tunnel might be constructed, he considerea it would be desirable that the water pipes should be laid in the tunnel and the cross harbour pipe line would then be unnecessary. Some estimates on the cost of the construction of the tunnel had been made. Mr Denison estimated it at 3 to 3 million dollars, but Mr Mackichan estimated it at 15 or 20 million dollars. Mr Spiller said he had been unable to obtain any estimates of the cost of recent tunnelling with the exception of the London tubes which were through clay, whereas the Hong Kong tunnel would be through granite. On the basis of the London tubes, the cost of tunnelling would be about $3,750,000. Mr Chatham pointed out, however, that there would be considerable resumptions necessary at each end and it was generally felt that the cost would be much more like 15 million than 3

million. Mr Chatham and Mr Fairley both considered also that there would be any problems to be solved and it would robably take a year's investigation before plans could be prepare and would be anything from six years before the tunnel was completed. It was, therefore, agreed that the possibility of using the tunnel for bringing over the water must be definitely ruled out.

4. While it was felt that the military and political questions which might be raised were hardly within the purview of the Committee the view was expressed that both for military and political purposes Hong Kong and the New Territories must be regarded as a unit: it would be

i possible to defend or retain the one without the other.

So