CO129-523-1 Reclamation work at North Point- a general plan of port of Hong Kong showing extent... 27-12-1929 - 12-6-1930 — Page 28

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Government proposals as to lay-out were, I think,

unwise, and it is possible that some of those

proposals, and the sea wall proposals, did cause

appreciable delay. All however, were the subject of

negotiation, and I think that Mr. Kwik should reali se

that a scheme of this kind and magnitude probably

could not be carried out without a good deal of

discussion and alteration of detail and should conform

to some extent at least with other developments or

possibilities of development. As regards the delay

of two years which Mr. Davidson alleges, I would

point out that the negotiations for the purchase of

areas "A" and "B" alone were not completed until 16 months after the purchase of Marine Lot 430 and

431, and that the Government cannot justly be blamed

for that delay. Mr. Kwik himself had varied his

original scheme.

On the whole, and on a somewhat

incomplete view of the situation, I have come to the

conclusion that we need not make any offer in respect

of the Lay-out and Delay complaints, except in

connexion with the delay occasioned by the alteration

of the design of the sea wall, a subject dealt with

below.

8.

Vertical Sea wall: This appears to me to be

the only substantial part of Mr. Kwik's case, other

than the question of the nullah, and I think that we

ought to make a concession to him here, quite apart

from any legal liability, a question discussed

shortly below.

The history of the vertical sea wall

is given very shortly in Note No.3 which is annexed to

this minute.

9.

It seems that a rubble mound wall would have

been