CO129-623-9 Estimates of Expenditure- includes a report for the year ending March 1952 1-2-1951 - 30-11-1951 — Page 151

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deplorable condition owing to the cessation of any maintenance work during the Japanese Occupation, and the impossibility of doing anything since owing to domands for work of higher priority.

The necessary provision has been included to enable a start to be made on the Causeway Bay Reclamation scheme. The proposal is to construct a new typhoon shelter and to reclaim the area enclosed by the present shelter, so that it can be used for playing fields. It is expected that the whole schome, if filling is proceeded with as rapidly as possible, will cost something in the region of $8 million, and it is hop d that some contribution towards the total cost will be forthcoming from other sources. The schome would certainly fill a long-felt need, as it would make a consider- able area available for recreation purposes, some of which could conveniently be allocated to Queens College.

Funds have been provided too, for a start to be made on the central reclamation scheme which covers the frontage along the Praya from the west of the Dockyard to just west of Queens Pior. This reclamation will not only provide a suitable concourse for the new Star Furry Piers, for which provision has also been made, but will make available a number of new building sites, one of which will be earmarked for the now City Hall. Only a token sum of 50,000 has been included for this latter project during the coming year, as a considerable time must necessarily elapse before the site is available for building purposes, and also before final drawings are prepared. It will be necessary, in the first place, for the various interests to decide among themselves exactly what facilities should be provided in the new building, and the purpose of the token sum now included is to provide funds so that, if it is so desired, a competition may be held for the best design for the now building.

In the course of the year, a visit was arranged by an expert on slaughterhouse equipment. He inspected the proposed site for the new abbatoir at Kennedy Town,

and advised on the equipment which would be required. To a large extent, it is necessary to decide on the layout for the machinery and equipment before the structure itself can be designed. This will now be pressed forward, and it is hoped that plans will be sufficiently advanced to permit of a start being made on actual construction work before the end of the financial year, though work on a very large scale will not be possible before 1952/53. A sum of approximately 2 million has been included to cover the work which, it is hopod, will be carried out in the course of the present financial year.

Provision has been made for a further instalment of the light construction market programme, and for a further block of quarters for the rank and file of the Police to cost 5,375,000. A sum of $100,000 has been included for the installation of further traffic lights. There are in particular several cross roads along Nathan Road where such a form of automatic control would be of benefit.

It is also expected that in 1951/52 it will be possible to start work in earnest on the new Government offices. A necessary preliminary has been completed in the provision of a new Headquarters for the Defence Force, in the former Civil Service Cricket Club pavilion at Happy Valley, which has been reconstructed for that purpose. It is necessary for the old Defence Force Headquarters to be demolished before work on the Government offices can commence.

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