[ { "id": 238389, "series_id": 27, "series_slug": "histsyn-co129-engine", "series_title": "CO129 Colonial Office Hong Kong Records 理藩院香港檔案", "series_use_hku_proxy": false, "document_key": "CO129-055 - Sir Bowring - 1856 [3-5]", "page_number": 211, "title": "CO129-055 - Sir Bowring - 1856 [3-5]", "content_text": "The ... already ... the premises.\n\nRexcavation of trenches for foundation of Forward and arches a là buildings to be made of the width of four feet and to the depth of three, to be levelled & rammed with lime before laying the footings.\n\nThe foundations of all walls to be of rubble masonry up to the external walls, which are to be two feet thick, the lowest course to be four feet wide and to diminish in regular float and set in offsets; walls of 1:6 wide, are to have the lowest course two feet below surface and three feet wide diminishing in regular offsets.\n\nA plinth of smooth dressed ashlar is required to all exterior walls from ground level to level of floor see elevation, set, finish ashlar.\n\nThe Plinth facing the streets to project three inches and to have one wich of the arice chamfered, the stones of plinth not to be less than 1:6\" high & thick alternate headers and Stretchers. headers to be in length the entire thickness of the wall, backed with rough dressed stone.\n\nCarpenter.\n\n2082.3 C. feet fir flooring to wrought, fixed joisting @ 5/6\n\n...\n\nPage ... (omitted as not explicitly stated, but the format for page numbering is followed in the original text)\n\nDetails of measurements and costs:\n\n52 Square feet @ 1/6° = 3410. Her 980.9- 64.4.-1 39. 6. 67.12. 2 (0) 10 7.18\n\n48 2. ft. hardwood. Forward Z 27.8.4. 364. 7. 154. 11. 7 2051. 16.6\n\n206\n\n \n1179 5. It paving in outbuildings\n\n170 S. you render\n\n6586. yds render\n\n70662. 5. Gte\n\nHowever, to follow the exact output format as requested (HTML using for paragraphs and \n only if absolutely necessary), and to correct and reformat the given text according to the rules:\n\nRexcavation of trenches for foundation of Forward and arches a là buildings to be made of the width of four feet and to the depth of three, to be levelled and rammed with lime before laying the footings.\n\nThe foundations of all walls to be of rubble masonry up to the external walls, which are to be two feet thick, the lowest course to be four feet wide and to diminish in regular float and set in offsets; walls of 1 brick wide, are to have the lowest course two feet below surface and three feet wide diminishing in regular offsets.\n\nA plinth of smooth dressed ashlar is required to all exterior walls from ground level to level of floor see elevation, set, finish ashlar.\n\nThe Plinth facing the streets to project three inches and to have one wich of the arice chamfered, the stones of plinth not to be less than 1:6\" high and thick alternate headers and Stretchers. headers to be in length the entire thickness of the wall, backed with rough dressed stone.\n\nCarpenter. 2082.3 C. feet fir flooring to wrought, fixed joisting @ 5/6\n\n52 Square feet @ 1/6° = 3410. Her 980.9- 64.4.-1 39. 6. 67.12. 2 (0) 10 7.18\n\n48 2. ft. hardwood. Forward Z 27.8.4. 364. 7. 154. 11. 7 2051. 16.6\n\n1179 5. It paving in outbuildings\n\n170 S. you render\n\n6586. yds render\n\n70662. 5. Gte\n\n206\n\nThis version adheres to the requested HTML format and corrects the text according to the provided rules.", "txt_file_path": "txt/2diw2n4r2/CO129-055 - Sir Bowring - 1856 [3-5].txt", "external_url": "", "rank": 0 }, { "id": 238403, "series_id": 27, "series_slug": "histsyn-co129-engine", "series_title": "CO129 Colonial Office Hong Kong Records 理藩院香港檔案", "series_use_hku_proxy": false, "document_key": "CO129-055 - Sir Bowring - 1856 [3-5]", "page_number": 225, "title": "CO129-055 - Sir Bowring - 1856 [3-5]", "content_text": "cti and rammed with dry lime before laying the footings. Foundations of all walls to be of concrete 2 feet thick, external walls 2 feet thick with rubble masonry, lowest course of which is to be four feet wide diminishing in regular offsets. Walls of 1 brick are backing @ 1/% to have lowest Course 3 feet wide two feet below ground surface also diminishing in regular offsets.\n\nLOCAL - dow sills @ F.. 62½ S. feet hearth. A plinth of smooth dressed ashlar is required for all exterior walls from ground level stone fixed @ 1/8\" to level of floor to project 1 inches and to have one inch of arice chamfered, the stones smooth dressed of plinth not to be less than 1:6 high and 10 inches thick. Ashlar steps to alternate headers and stretchers, headers to be doorways @ 1/% in length the entire thickness of the wall, locker\" 72 feet external with rough dressed rubble masonry walls to the dimensions shown in the drawing; at 72 granite caps & splay to bring the stairs. Verandah @ 1/8\" intervals of about 10 feet and in such position bases for brick columns @ 12-6\" are to be made through the 500 C. feet granite plinth course of 9 inches x 4½ inches leaving 3x girders @ 1/- as may be pointed out during the execution of the work; openings for cast iron ventilators which will be in double sets above and below floors.\n\nPage ?\n\n2. s. 175 2.3 20. 11. 3.6. 3. 6. 4.13.9 3./2. 5. 8.- 45.-. W 800 фа } 25. 28213 Forward A 289 28 218", "txt_file_path": "txt/2diw2n4r2/CO129-055 - Sir Bowring - 1856 [3-5].txt", "external_url": "", "rank": 0 }, { "id": 242322, "series_id": 27, "series_slug": "histsyn-co129-engine", "series_title": "CO129 Colonial Office Hong Kong Records 理藩院香港檔案", "series_use_hku_proxy": false, "document_key": "CO129-064 - Sir Bowring - 1857 [8-10]", "page_number": 208, "title": "CO129-064 - Sir Bowring - 1857 [8-10]", "content_text": "## THE FRIEND OF CHINA AND HONGKONG GAZETTE.\n\n### VICTORIA, SATURDAY, JULY 6, 1857.\n\n**Chinese Calendar, Hà Moon, 5th Day: DIARY. MEMORANDA**\n\n| Day | Astronomical Data |\n| --- | --- |\n| Sunday,... | H❘ Sets 4. P.M. 5,37 634 |\n| Monday,... | 11.16! 1,01 |\n| Tuesday,... | 5.27 6.34 1: |\n| Wednesday,... | 1,564 632 2.5% 30$ |\n| Thursday,.. | 28 Ted |\n\n**VINE SERVICES SUNDAY**\n- St. John's Cathedral-6.45 and 11a, M. and Gr.\n- Union Chapel-63d 7? P. M.\n- Beamers Chapel--1 \n\n## SUPPLEMENTARY SHIPPING LIST\n\n### ARRIVALS AT HONGKONG\n\n- July 24, 11 M. Sir. Fury, Com. Leckie, from Canton\n- July 24, Fr. Gun-boat Drogenos, Co Berry, from Lantao.\n\n### DEPARTURES FROM HONGKONG\n\n- July 24, Nova, Porter, Shanghai.\n- July 24, Clipper (Hong). Marxen, East Coast\n- July 25, H. Mail, towed by the Coromandel for the river.\n\n### POSTAL OPPORTUNITIES.\n- For Macao: Monday, per Feina at Noon; Tuesday, per Willamette at Noon, and per Spark at Ten.\n- For Indian England: per Shanghai to-morrow at 8. Supplementary mail closes at 7.30.\n\nIn the Estate of HENRY DAVIS, of Victoria, Hongkong, Merchant, deceased,\nAre from ZIND SOZAMING and Natives \nA DREYER & Co. \nFreight and Back Vans, \nHongkong, 1st April, 1857.\n\n## FOR SALE.\n- CLARE CHAMPAGNE, BRANDY, and French PRESERVES.\n- VAUCHER FRERES. Hongkong, 6th April, 1857.\n\nFROM NEW YORK DIRECT Received per \"Iotspur,\" and for Sale by the undersigned,\n- 100 Boxes Family Soap,\n- 100 Boxes Scented Water Soap,\n- 50 Tins Corn Meal,\n- 50 Boxes Spero Candies,\n- Baker's Buns \n- 5 Cons Superior White Lead,\n- 20 Half barrels White Beans,\n- 20 do. Split Peas,\n- 50 do. Crushed Sugar,\n- 2600 lbs. Sill's Butter in 16 lbs. Kegs,\n- 50 feet Oakum,\n- 100 Tins Black Varnish,\n- Marlinspikes, Caulking Irons and Mallets,\n- Axes, large and small, Paint, Tar and White-wash Brushes,\n- 20 Entire American Cider Vinegar,\n- Pump and Harness Leather, Cotton Canvas,\n- And from Manila: 500 Coils Steam and Manila Rope,\n\nTHOMAS HUNT & Co \nHongkong, 1st July, 1857.\n\n## JUST RECEIVED\n- PATENT Water Cements,\n- Fresh Prunes in Gums, Fresh Raisins in and boxes.\n\nTUOS HUNT & Co. \nHongkong, 20th June, 1857.\n\n## FOR SALE\n- TWO Second-rate FIRE ENGINES complete, from London, ON VIEW NEAR MAG EWEN & Co.'s \nHongkong, 15th July, 1857.\n\n## NOTICE.\nAll Persons having Claims against, or being Indebted to, the late Estate, are requested to forward particulars of the same to the undersigned forthwith \nHENRY RUTTER Administrator.\n\nHongkong, 17th March, 1857.\n\nIn the matter of the Estate of the late MR JAMES SMITH of the Firm of Smith & BLAW, of Victoria, deceased.\n\nNOTICE-All Persons having Claims on the said Estate are requested to forward particulars of the same to M. JAMES W. BRIMELOW, But all Persons indebted to the said Estate, are requested to pay the respective amounts thereto to the said James W. Brimelow,\n\nD. LAPRAIK \nARD. S. DIXSON \nExecutors.\n\n承辦人得忌時麗 \n北力晏度路士吉德 \n士布林羅收入是荷 \n兩亦如嫩交還與未 \n人欠到達士銀 \n朱士布林羅處或各 \n各人債目祈送到 \n·士藏身故如有欠到 \n羅公司之未士朗時 \n廠者未士氏蹲布林 \n\n## NEW ADVERTISEMENTS.\n\n### NOTICE.\n\nQUOTATIONS. \nEXCHANGE AND BULLION. \nHongkong Bank Corporation on \nLondon, 4, 1, Truliai - Gold to Sycee, outis-Date Sycee, Nominal! Pres Laves 24 335.36 per Tael and at at 319 821 d. Canton...\n\nIt is now upwards of a month since we furnished the public with a report of the trial of Tan cute of Tarrant v. Ah Lum the poisoner. The Jury, a special one, awarded the Plaintiff $1,010, it will be remembered, subject to the Judge's decision on the low point raised by Defendant's Counsel; and our readers, no doubt, are desirous of knowing what has been the result of the matter, and how the disputed point has been arranged. But though, as we have remarked, it is upwards of a month since the trial was reported, from that day to the present we have not heard a word of the threatened kroviment;---so, as the time allowed for the mo time was for some time expired, the verdict of the Jury stands. So much for the verdict whether the award will be forthcoming, or whether we shall obtain even a refund of the costs out of pocket \"are problems the solution of which has yet to be told of \n\nThe Editor of the China Mail, in strictures exhibiting the most extraordinary feeling of sympathy for a suspicious character it has ever been our lot to read, has told the world that, owing to the unjust confinement to which Ah Lum has been subjected, being unable personally to look after his office--he, Ah Lum, is now declared to have become Bankrupt and will have to pass through the Insolvent Court\" and, adds the Editor with an evident hug of gratulation, there will possibly (the italics are ours) be some \"difficulty in recovering the amount of damages.\" Possibly there may--but, at all events, we are placed, by the verdict of one of the most respectable juries ever empanelled in this Colony, in a position to challenge the Insolvent's Balance sheet; and should it be, as we shall not be surprised to find, that Ah Lum's bankruptcy is due as much to his very proper stoppage at business here as to some astounding malversation in the shape of lawyer's fees, or payment of hireling scribes the facts will duly be made patent to the public, and, it will be hoped, produce a salutary effect that the Jury's award will not be altogether lost \n\nThe arrival of the mail prevented the intention of noticing in our last issue a very interesting letter in the Hongkong Register of Tuesday, signed a Catholic Missionary, and of which the intelligent Redacteur of that paper thus remarks.--- \n\nWe publish better from a Roman Catholic Missionary. in reply to some observations by a contemporary as to what ought to be the course of the French in China in his opinion. We don't of course agree with the remarks of our contemporary but we entirely agree with the letter which we publish. Neither the fact nor the spirit are in good taste, and an easy answer could be time to both were worth while which is not. \n\nWhether the letter in question is a reply to our observations--whether it is \"bad taste\" (as one reverend Father disclaims it)--or whether the subject is worth while to notice are all points on which we shall leave our readers to form their own opinions. Here is a translation of such parts of the letter necessary to an understanding of it, and appended is an extract from the speech of His Lordship the Bishop of Victoria, on the 5th of May last, the spirit of which, it rejoices us to find, is entirely in consonance with the honestionsa which May last, the spirit of which, it rejoices us to find, is not our contemporary does not think it worth while to notice. \n\nTranslation, \n\nReferring to the Anglo-French alliance on the China question--the author of the article accuses the French of a desire to impose their religion on Canton by means of bayonets, amusing it (religion) to serve their ambition.\"This alliance so surely desired by Great Britain rests, it is true, on different interests. Now, as well as in 1841, one noble neighbours are pressing the granting of their commerce. Now, as well as in 1841, France defends is the cause of humanity and \n\nas fafmontas nigha 50 - Fella 24 y. \n\nSHANGHA 15th July -On London 7, The-On Calcutta Theme dava sight Rs. per 1 Palnation, which is only possible on religious principles. de-Draft on Hongkong 29 porced sc. MANILA, 5th June - London, da iglu 4,3 -day sigur 4.9-On Hongkong and carest submit in this country to many obstacles--that Before 1841 the commerce of England had to premium golden Siang 50 pre eit pra \n\ndo-Spa isa and Mexican chopped dollars per \n\nOPIUM, \n\nRosatoma, 5th July, Palan 5520, New Para $590, New Bennes $575, Mal $515, \nMacao, 6th July New Itna $545. Old Patna $525, New Bars $575, \nGames-No Market. \n\nSHANGAR, 1 July--Malwa 400 Trots, New Patna, A Tacle \n\n### FREIGHTS AND TONNAGE.\n\n- CANTON-SHANGHAE, £3, the Tea, a £6.6 for Silk--To New York, 10 per ton of 40 cunt.\n- Also London, Sugar, £3,10, Hemp £4,10 To United States Arabia 23,,10 \n\n### HONGKONG-THE FIRE\n\nFour days after the Fireman's report of the conflagration on Wednesday last--it commenced a little before eight, in or outside the easternmost of Lane dare storici houses in a detached block between the Taipingshan Temple on Hollywood \n\nintroduction at some merchant like being altogether repelled by the Chinese authorities--the pino inspired by the English power has been, it is true, to cause of the war of 1841 The result of the treaty \n\ngive an entire sanction, at all events to make trade more free. is for the benefit of all nations, and to deliver trade from all obstacles, that England presses herself forward with such insisting force most noble is her project and ardently do we desire success to the undertaking, \n\nLong before 1841 your illustrious ancestors were halflence to the successor of Saint Peter--and Quitted to us in the same faith, and by a common wish with us they defended the Liberty of conscience of their brethren in the east against the ferocious despotism of musselmon persecutors, there were even then Catholics in China; and in alternate peace and persecution their numbers have successively multiplied. \n\nIn France profited by the fact of England's acting, though timidly, under similar circumstances \n\nEDWARD WEB has this day been admitted Partner in our Firm \nDENT, BEALE & Co. \nShanghai, 1st July, 1857.\n\nNo. 20 Rua Campo, Macao. \nSHAW'S HOTEL Board and Accommodation, Billiards. \nBy M Il saaw. \n\nThe lower part obtained was rendered inst by mason of the stone formations known as Bridges's folly. The lower part of the house loyally destroyed was a carpenter's shop, and it was from the large and valuable pute of China pine square in the yard adjoining the shop, that the flames were continued wall between nine and ten o'clock. How the fire originated, no one has yet discovered it is singular that it should have occurred within a few yards of the last fire, and in a carpenter's timber yard again. The value of the property destroyed will be about a thousand pounds sterling, and it is said an old man perished by suffocation in one of the \n\nFrom 1841 to the present time, imprisonment and torture have not ceased be the lot of Christians (in China) and area their blood has been spilt and it is for that blood France comes and demands reparation to prevent a repetition of past horrors, And the more extended freedom of conscience en-\n\nWe have heard doubts expressed of the truth of the story told of that gentleman's in miles. The tale, it is said, has never been properly authenticated. - F. C. \n\nThe writer of one of the letters to which we have referred says,--- \n\nand your gracious Queen and our beloved Emperor have thought to unite their endeavours in order to a \n\nI am told that the Chusan Mandarin which Sorira told greater chance of success to their (general) establishment a pier, has era on board his in in such loose con \n\nGarment figs (England, par U.M.O, epizm-France \n\nthe last faar mancha tha to snout naw 80 his font or legs\"--and he slit, antur at the 4:5, I saw the To impose cur religion, cramming). \n\nMantarım yestoniy, He says that Zaring los contoamgut religion by means of the bayonet is out of the or bord le ha 99 ext 20 men cited and focio question, and the honourable author of the article book about $7900 in Cash. Bu on occasion his fricade publ need not be alarmed. \n\nOn our side we Mal0 to have him released, bat Sostro took the money and \n\nLed.\" are far from being alarmed about the Missionaries \n\nof the religion founded by Fancy the eighth and In addition to their ambroglio with the Perin Elizabeth on the contrary, the zeal will exclleguese, the French have a sinal fate with tho ours. Perhaps, indeed, they will be the first ab noted Apak. appears, the nature of which har jects of our zeal perhaps they will become our over, we have yet to hear This is all the Herald brothers by the faith, as they are alresly by feel tel's of it: - ings of regard, respect, and charity.\" \n\nAt the 58th Anniversary Meeting of the Church Missionary Society, held in Exeter Hall on the Morning of Wednesday, the 5th of May 1857, the President, the Earl of Caichesser, in the Chair; the first Resolution having been moved by the Lord Bishop of London, and seconded by the Dean of Carlisle, the second Resolution was moved by the Lord Bishop of Victoria; and the Bishop spoke as follows- \n\n\"Now, My Lord, what is the reason that I have dwelt so much on these encouraging features of the \"Chesping ove ment? It is not, of course, that I wish the assembly to carry away with them the first notion that I look upon this body of men is, in any kind sense of the word, Christian. I know the vague screw, the wina jasjsącko, with which the term \"region\" Christianity\" apst be applied to see a system as I have been referring ( I have no confidence in the personal boaters eftlus rebellion; but I cannot help thinking that God, who in His providence has permitted a may want containing within it so many elements of exerbal truth, mus necs invenit to accomplish indinvely, by means of the The pin Rey lotion, so.he great and mercatene wis Sa China. Its act. \n\nA pak's finct of Wank roast hoals are lying off the sol zato, aqua the lacteria, blockade by 17. I. Corete La Ca pricieuse. They have taken several of their gate ashore, and threaten to take the city of Ningpo, and hadre French men of war attack them. 41 Montes, the Porteced Consul has demode) indemnity from the Chinese nothontie waved as the Intendat, Aigners, exco Portuganun, were 11-ing in parket \n\nThe Earl of Elgin and suite left this port in the Shannon on the 16th instant--the flarer Master reporting Calcutta as the vessel's destination. Quid meant General believes that the Shannon is gone to Peking, and gives as his reason for believing this, the fact of Mr Wade, Chinese Secretary Her Majesty's Plenipotentiary, being ordered to be very diplomatic when embarking, and by no means to let it be known when he was bound to or when he would be back, Mr Wade is the gentleman sent by Sir John Bowring to Cochin-China in 1855 will be remembered, and who was left by the Raider without even a servant on the bank of the River below Hue, where he remained, recognized by the Cochin-Chinese government, until the Radler came back for him Should it really be that the Shannon has gone direct to the Pelbo, better selection for letter carrying in the Svenson's barge could not have been made, and we congratulate His Excellency the Ambassador on the possession of such an able instrument. Mr Wade's experience as a Chinese Custom house officer will not be lost in negotiations at the North. \n\nPROVINCIAL.\n\nThe great apesaluter Tuksen it is said is convonal in the Commissioner's enquiry.— Ibid. \n\n### PEKING.\n\nThe Peking Gazette have reached us up to June 15th, but contain nothing of special interest. The business of the Empire seems to go on as quietly and regularly as ever, but the state of the finances continues to be the absorbing topic at head quarters. Contributions are proposed on all hands, and in places where the accounts have been left in disorder by previous officials of 1855, a minute investigation is insisted on, and deficiencies are to be made up within a stated time. -- \n\nLord Canning has justified the belief which we have been induced to form of him. He lives in days which have more significance than years in the career of many of his predecessors and all his acts are momentous. Since he took the conduct of affairs into his own hands, criticism has been disarmed. All the resources of the country have been gathered up and made the most of, and every corner of the Empire within and without has been ransacked to furnish aid in India's great extremity. No means have been left untried to satisfy the hungry soldiery, and to keep the rebels without a shadow of \n\nThe 79 Native of hry presented an arze, praying that they might be permitted to march to the North West to shore in the lafore and Dulate the loyalty of the Europeans, and within a very few hours his Lordship made his appearance at Barrackpore harangued the troops drawn out to receive him, and did more good perhaps by the utterance of a few single phrases fresh from the heart, and clothed with the authority of his high station, than would have been expected from the reigation of a score of General Orders which but few read and lower still autoreland.. \n\nA Rent Fortune has kindly sent us a copy \nYau's organization of a squadron at Faishan, to of his new work' —Fortune's residence among the Chinese-inland, on the corest, and at sea, \n\nof the 18th instant\" We now learn that, under the being a narrative of scenes and giventures \n\nrenowned chief Le, the rebels gave battle to the \"during a third visit sa Cuius, from 1983 to \n\nImperialists under General Kwin nea: Sewking, * 1856--inclu hag wations of many untional and gained a complete victory--only three boats \n\nproductions and works of art, the callure of \n\nscoping to Canton to tell the result, of carrying Silk & with suggestions on the present \n\nLe's bravado challenge to Yah to come on again \n\n• war.” A book of 450 pages netava. —we have soon as it could get couly. Le's force is stid to not as yet had sufficient space time to give auber 100,000 fighting mon, and 1,000 war ves more than a cursory glance at its roulents; suf- seis, and His Excellency Le's bead quarters aro Betear, however, to enable us to ratify the trail-i now at the district city of Bet. The first class city \n\nof Secking is in very straitened eramstances. faless of the very able review of it in the Mone News at the 10di ult. To residents in Shanghae and Ningpo the work will be peculiarly and men, bae ked a hard batte with Imperialist necepeptable--most of the locities describd woops from Tw-chow, and having gained the vic being those which juries troat those places tory 11. E. e compelling the whole of the surround- are now been aing ordery occurrruos Eng cuantry people to sabm to his rule. Fearing and encompassing the use of car British alat men in colowing is an abstract of the country travelled for the provincial city itse, Yeh is calling in a the Tauschow men, and has stational a thousand of over by Mr Fortune during the perid of the \n\nthem in the South eastern suburbs. The lendore of story. \n\nthe Ninety six villages 150, base bed to send their Chapter I gives the voyage from Hongkong to Shanghae in the Steamer Ganges, -II, the quota of armed men--between two and three to Shanghae to Ningp by boat, and thence \n\nBanner-men, Manchus, and the Lieutenant Gover- to Yuhang on the eastern side of the Yang \n\nnor's guards, altogether about three thousand, ace woopad on the heights beyond the northern wolf. Kiang (the over skirting Ningpe) a distance \n\nThe Hak has of Ko ineng and Six other dis of Bome forty miles by boat and chair--back to Ningpo, and on to the old city ut Traken, tricts have united, and are burning and destroying abontwelve miles from Ningpo, on the branch wherever they go. Canton is the great point to escaps Lo, and there the poor starving wroches of the river conning to the northward. Horn-\n\nA Ningpo in his boat, in Casper VI. we \n\nThousands, wäinen and childen Temporary A letter in the Penang Gazette says - Almat Gad Mr Fortune at Teung, the celebrated \n\nrunt sheds have been erected for them at Chefing 1,000 to 1,500 Chicamen lure had their heads monastery ab at a dog in unites from the Yu. \n\non the south of the river, and them are daily take off by the Dynks who are in arms in all bang spoken of in Chauer Hero ur \n\ndalinge out of congee and rice, supplied by the directions. The Chinese had hald' possession of For was laid up with fever, and bad tɔ sự - aut \n\nauthorities, in gasathies just suficient to ward off the town for about two days, befare the mermer öü cure. to Chine-e medheal treatidens Dr \n\ndisentation. The City is divided into five grand Jantes Brooke arrived, and wern in the fires and Chapter Vils of a return to 8 g divisions, and those agin into sections, within about the town. The Bret shot from the wormerly which ehe bodied tour patrol night and day long 18 pounder cleared the fort, and in a short time. The fear of a rising within the walls to vary they were all swarning out of the town, the steam- great--each en draade his neighbour, ander at the time hard at work with gun such rifies, every ermutenanes is depressed. Few says which did considerable execution. Every day br the icporter can rentize their sad position with- loads of hatuls were arriving Sock, Drak \n\nout being in like predicament. On one hand they were flocking to in Qarsunds and eating the Chin \"feat the approach of the western barbarians name in all directions. They are all cleared not \"on the other the northern and western rebels and of the Sarawak territory, only 150 ne so en DỀ added to both is treachery at home\" Truly some 2,000 to 3,500 having recaped. All th \n\npursued this line of argueal; int I have dve up this foster because I view with considorable apprehension the fature corse of British and French diplomace, the Bast There are very resultar angers now environing the path \n\nnexion with Chan, In China, we who at a distanca e46- tarsly watched the progress of Live gerat European WAY İN which our counter bua been recently engagent, coad with a great degree of satisfaction of the Anglo-French allowe We porused with the keepest colorant the inteliigance luxught by mal anal of the rivalum nad lenda of a couturies being buries in the tombe of the heroes who fel at Alma and In- kermann; and I certainly would not now say one word in depreciation of the character of that able z in who sways the destinies and wichts the trapetisi sceptro of Prano. Baltas will any, test it in davio to my aan mini that the French have a large foot in the Bash; that thng baye no roumawiał interests to vota mer and fister in those masteroms, and that their time too often serval as a kind of rovarg s pred Musinnary phion over the broad waters of the Faci fic, iving en layout to at, at Tahiti, the dip.ad eba Kolla aastat ja redressing the inaainy grievances of the Jeans propagandists thoughout the west. And when I re- member that the Romish propagandi-ts in Chian have always viewed the Tae-ping Revolution via peraline slicka nad Me like-when i renninber that in the early stages af din renale lion linge native Reteruses, ju neging than iloitars, and not yet being skilled in tar den of making a disuneti n with- \n\n### FRENCH PORTUGUESE.\n\nThe Atten by the Portuguese orcha me at Nagpo monopoliza the boat traffic between that port and Shanghae, resulting in an armed collision with one Frenchoren, was told of in one of car numbers some two or three months ago, the 2qbble being referral to the high authorities of the respective nations at Macan. \n\nFrom the proceedings of the French War Ves- sele Marceau and La Capricesse since, it would now appear that the Governor of Marni hat nu thorized the seizure of certain vessels wherever found, and in porsaance of the resolve we ern freas the North-Chisa Herald of the 4th and ch instant that first the Schooner Aurora was taken, and then the Tarcbas 166 and 44. The Chinese portions of the crews of there vessels, with the usal humanity, were instantly handed over by the French to the tender arcles of the Sergh Menilarius,and were soon disposed of, of course. The Portuguese are still in eustody and will be brought to Mucas for trial in uil due time we suppose. \n\nby leters of a week's later date than the infantion reported in the Herald, we find that \n\non called Seiro, spoken of as a great deg peraio, gave himself up to the Freach on the 13th instant, and that thrun of his comrades, hid in the fee houses on the banks of the river, were also caught the sun day. Sonire it appears had been carrying 9 Mandarin about with hire that he had \n\n### Chapter XIII.\n- takes the reader from Tez-tsing to the village of Pururchse and on into the Quartz valley and Temple, 2000 teet alus tar level of the son, where, in the month of October, before the Hongkong summer is well over, the air is \"piercingly sild.\" The same chapior describes a boat voyage of some peril from Ning to Shanghae. \n\n### FOOCHOW.\n\nIt was rumored abroad somewhat extensively that he founded on the arrival of the Lieutenant Governor to Jeeva for the upper provinces, but Fes story had no foundation. The Goverant Gentral is now in his pe par place, and we hope that the may continue to fill and a loze it. \n\n### Friend of India Jane A \n\nit is vary sad. Oh, Sử Jaha Bowring--Sir Chinese women went over safe, about 200; and of all the bool they got in Sarawak, the pasere John Bowring--what an amount of misery ban tkou to answer for ' \n\nvery litla now,\" One of the rusas of trying to get quit of the Dyaks ws to throw money he g The The Chinese were macahing in body of about 2000, eluding 700 women and childies, and the Dyeks hovering stout them, nerasionally making a dash at a corner, det iching 40 a 50 from the main body, and whipping nineir heads with great seal. The Chinese have had t terte lesson En Satown. Their inawer of going ab eat it won to take held of a Chimwatan by his vel, nad whip off bis hand with great dexterity'; one blow suffired, I hardly expect the slaughter will scop here; the Dyaks, having their blood up and expecting the \n\nWe have been favoured with the perusal of a letter from this port dated 7h uirino, received per averiand courier. From it we learn that a man- darin of high rank has arrived there from Palting on his way to Canton where it is ranured he is to \n\nCe left the capital 2. be second in rank to Yeh. \n\nout a man is left.\"--Dady News, June; 10. \n\nQ \n\nor 3 months since, but had made a siren tous route in consequence of the troubled state of the country. Es proceeds in Arany on his way to the South. \n\nThe rebels have retired near to the borders of Chapter XIV. takes Me Fortune back to Tse-\n\nthe province. hey are reported to be quiet, attire to trave a deal of booty, parave them sill kee again, and narrates abe partientors of a jar. Suoma \n\nSmall supplies of Ton from distant dis ney from Ningpo to Sletoghar by the infultricts had arrived and to reso had gone up to par- \n\nThe Duren in Jaray —The nėščiai įvursal of te via Ya-yar, Noskalon, Tiyenin. chrce, but as the season i'r the first chep had pa99- \n\nthe Hague of the 5th casains a long tepat to ne aland that for the se oud was far advanced, few Kanpoo, Yedhow, Chapes and Ping-hoe. Shanghee in the Silk country, by Carim, \n\nChapter XVI. spus with journey for fine toux were expected and not a large younity of King Halland from Myer, Minister of Cole medium xds, the second crop being 1 sjured from is, and M. Gevers. Minister of Pareiga A Forte, zolucive to Japanese affairs, and his Majesty has Page, Nantsing and Houchowfoo. Lo Chup the fact of the first faves por having been gathered. ter XVIII, Mr (ortane runebes be greated From the ear districts ton hd cute in more free-approved of Annexed to the report are fee distance inland, viz the town of Marcoee,ly since the dispersion of the rebels. \n\nsome orty miles west fira Hoochosloo, and the same chapter gives his return to Shanghae, Chapter XXI contains the last of theur. neyings, was winding up business tour to Nings po, the valley of the Nine stones, and Tras Asing again--finally, a return to fonghong and voyage to Calcutio \n\nMexican dollars were a 10 per cent disconat There was nothin, doing la Opkom sture the tax of 20 per chest and brand-China Herald, July, 11. \n\nThe Cairngoras was to leave on the 4th instant,pa Rad to!load, concluded on the 30th of Jan \n\nary, 1896. Three articles, amongst other things, a futt ship, having 1,000 tons of new you on board. She would be the first away--two or thre, ather Slipmats that the Dutch shit be allowed to excreike their worship tronly, and that they shall no longer yeable ware wearly laden- \n\nRico centinued dear bat'the weather was favora- \nbe subjected to the impious cartas of trampling ble for crops. \n\nunder got the image of our Saviour on the croes, They aleo eunal that the Dutch shall be permitted to trade in the open ports, and to get to and parsip ee from Japanese traders. Also to take her wives and children to the wil perts The trucks funter. declare that the importation of foreign and the ex portation of Japanese money shall be allowed; that the Japanese government may levy madarité im. pon, Trungit, and export duties; and, betly, that The Dutch it Nangas ke any misintan free relations with foreigners, both on board veganf• and at Deco \n\nThe report adds, that the Japanese green en has declared asel\" resdy to raciale vrea tea with all foreign governments that may wish top them--Avid. \n\nSo innch for an answer 10 the question which will be added by Chua Residents of \"where dad Me Fortune go to when fast here ?\" In our j next paper we shal: furnish some illustrationsį of the notices\" mentioned on sho ate pagod \n\n(From our Overland Nlition of to day.) From the official announcement in our last that there would be no second Mail Seaner from China this month, Subscribers to tlus journal will not have expected their customary paper. Mr Wal ker the ... Co's. Superintendent, however, with a consideration for pulite interests deservist Gach commandation, promptly chartered the Grsi vanbie Steamer to bundthe Road jun away from the heaving down huik-which he has placa on the Shanghae ins; aking thence tho Shang Adi; mud that vasset, deep as she can swim with alk, now goes to Gaile with the muit. May cephyr smooth as be glossy cargo speed her way through tive most dangeroza period of the year in lue China Sea. We pray this under some nusideration for the interests of underwriters. \n\n## SHANGHAE\n\nAn Imperial Commnissioner named Warg, triv \nhers (Saanghae) on the 7th instans quite unex- pected by the dohorities. \n\nis said he has corng to examine into hn causes of the low state of the public trensary funds, and to tnvestigate certain disbursensule made en ac count of purchases of rice fur the govern went some moatas back, -ay well as to squeeze the marchana and the Toatai ton, to raise fimis to help the pa sing exigences of the looper al Government. We! hear 50,000 weis was demanded from each of tha \n\nmeharts doing the largest business, and that it will probably be compromised for The 5,000 \n\nIt is rumored that Ho Kweling, the fately ap pointed Govarour-general of the Two Keang, is the originator of the present enquiry, on proteaze of not being satisfied with the manner the prisent Intendant, B. E. Las, has been performing tha functions of his post. We have no doubt, Theres fore, that it wit be eney for the Emperial Commis elouer, if his instructions are to that eflist, to tay of sone hold weak poll in the multifarious trans risgrace. We should, however, regret much, sho actions of flis Excellency Lan to bring him into that be the result of the investigation, both for the \n\nThus the despatch of the last mail, military there appears reason für believing that balure we operations about Canton have bem and \n\nCatcmpt possesion of the walls, the rebels will \n\nhave concladed the business for 13. Our Prurin interests of foreign merchants end the Clainese. cial reporter's news it will be seen are alarming. i \n\nFu has been fourteen years a man-larin \n\n### THOUGHT.\n\nThere is a luxury in earnest thought The unthinkang kaka dream of floppy har Who, holding sweet cornuates will himseti, Roving the fèlie ofiscality, \n\nFees het sa labelincas, though ali stEYA, Ngreaves at etalless avai jinde of looke \n\nDoes has lotless med. The daisied eid, The garden of the wood, alike shall be Fer dina struly ; everything aro \n\nThe flower, the tree; the titing, the running brooks,— Aure to bin asterials for clight, AB curists a pure veliges to atm, \n\nYea, nevor fi ing pleasure. Grieť may ce Deal's cold echipe conceal his fail-erfed jar, Rickness may pale uus e vak, lone plach this pace, Be thought tall be fat luns on Ristie Tomas of earth's disygietrose a chara Te all the hatefulensing to sleep \n\nAnd lighten evʼn the heaviest (sail afilis. \n\nUpwards and Quinards. By & W. PARTRIDGE,", "txt_file_path": "txt/2diw2n4r2/CO129-064 - Sir Bowring - 1857 [8-10].txt", "external_url": "", "rank": 0 }, { "id": 251380, "series_id": 27, "series_slug": "histsyn-co129-engine", "series_title": "CO129 Colonial Office Hong Kong Records 理藩院香港檔案", "series_use_hku_proxy": false, "document_key": "CO129-081 - Sir Robinson - 1861 [4-7]", "page_number": 390, "title": "CO129-081 - Sir Robinson - 1861 [4-7]", "content_text": "## Correspondence regarding the Brothel Ordinance and the Conduct of Public Functionaries\n\n\"1.—I have read with much concern the correspondence connected with the proceedings of public functionaries in reference to the brothel Ordinance.\n\n\"The Registrar General did in my judgment give evidence in Atai's case tending to implicate Mr. May in direct complicity with the Brothel in question, which evidence justice requires that Mr. Caldwell contradicted and that charge certainly not established, should revise his statements as to the mode of escape of the prostitutes whom he supposed had been assisted by a party under Mr. May's protection. On being convinced of his error, I think Mr. Caldwell should convey to Mr. May the expression of his regret with the acknowledgment of that error—and I recommend greater caution in any statements connected with the execution of his responsible duties.\"\n\n**The Registrar General.**\n\n\"No. 15.\"\n\nI have, &c.\n\nLC\n\n\"W. T. BRIDGES,\" Acting Colonial Secretary.\n\noath administered to me before I was called upon to give evidence. I have the honor to be, Sir, your most obedient servant,\n\n\"D. R. CALDWELL,\" \"Registrar General & Protector of Chinese.\"\n\nHonorable W. T. Bridges, Esq., D.C.L.\" \"Acting Colonial Secretary,\n&c.,\n&c.,\nge.\"\n\n\"I am respectfully of opinion that the Registrar General's explanation is completely satisfactory, and I venture to hope that His Excellency the Governor will authorise me to state so officially.—W. T. B.\"\"31/3/58.\"\n\n**Memo: to Mr. Bridges.**\n\n\"State to Mr. Caldwell that having caused further information to be taken and convinced myself that the statement was made by him as to the escape of the women without any mala fides on his part, his explanation is deemed satisfactory.“ J. B.”—“ 3/4/58.\"\n\n## REGISTRAR GENERAL'S OFFICE, VICTORIA, HONGKONG, 31st March, 1858.\n\nSIR, I have the honour to acknowledge the receipt of your letter of the 23rd instant, communicating to me the minute made by His Excellency the Governor regarding my conduct connected with the case of a woman named Ahtai, convicted of keeping a Brothel, and as it would appear from the wording of the minute that I have made a statement which is not true, and that His Excellency calls upon me in justice to Mr. May to express my regret and to acknowledge the error, I feel it my duty respectfully to represent to His Excellency, that at the time I made the discovery of a window being on the side of a house belonging to Mr. May, and close to a roof leading from Ahtai's house, and the fact that Ahtai's women were in the house when I first knocked, and not finding them when I gained admission, and that if they left the house at all, they must have gone through that window; there being apparently no other means of escape or concealment, I considered I was right in the conclusion I then came to, and which the Constable who was with me at the time agreed to, viz., that the women had escaped through that window; that they actually did so I could not say, but I only stated what was my impression at the time; as to the practicability of any women or even a child making their escape from the roof to the window, I am now the more positive, as I have since inspected the place in company with Mr. Jarman, who, I believe, has stated that it is quite impossible for any woman to do so, and to which statement he still adheres, although, strange to say, he would not do so at the time he examined the place with me, but requested that I would give him the night to consider over the matter! and, as I expected, the next morning he informed me he could not alter his former statement. The distance from the window to the edge of the roof is just about 2 feet, the lower part of the former being on a level with the latter, the window being about 3 feet high, the Venetians, when opened, would project on each side of the window about a foot, thus affording a very convenient support to a person stepping across, and I must consequently adhere to my former statement that the window afforded a most ready means of escape for even a child; I must however acknowledge that on my last examination of the premises the window in question I found open and observed that there are wooden bars to it; if these bars, being fixtures, were in the window on the night in question of course it would have been impossible for any person to have gone through, but at the time it was shut and knowing that the house belonged to Mr. May I did not attempt to open it; had I not known this, I should certainly have endeavoured to have gone through the window in pursuit of the women.\n\n\"I beg further to state that I had no wish to connect Mr. May in any way with the case; on the contrary, I purposely avoided it by describing his house as a private house, but the evidence which I afterwards gave regarding him and his house was forced from me by questions from yourself through the Chief Magistrate, to which I was bound to reply. Had I voluntarily brought Mr. May's name unnecessarily into the matter I might reasonably be expected to apologise for having done so, but I beg respectfully to observe that I was only doing my duty in replying to questions put to me by my superiors and acting up to the ...\n\n\"No. 181.\"\n\n## COLONIAL SECRETARY'S OFFICE, VICTORIA, HONGKONG, 3rd April, 1858.\n\nSIR,—I have submitted to His Excellency the Governor your letter No. 3, and I am directed to inform you that His Excellency having caused further information to be taken in the circumstances connected with the case of Ahtai's house, is convinced that the statement made by you as to the escape of the women was made in good faith on your part.\n\n\"His Excellency is therefore of opinion that your explanation is satisfactory. I have the honour to be, Sir, your most obedient servant,\n\n**The Registrar General.**\n\nCC\n\n\"W. T. BRIDGES,\" Acting Colonial Secretary.\n\nMr. Caldwell having no further evidence to produce in support of Charge 2, Mr. May stated in reply that he had always been opposed to the indiscriminate employment of the Police in visiting and regulating brothels, believing such not to have been the intention of the Legislative Council when passing the Ordinance. He thought such a course if allowed would have opened a floodgate for the inundation of the Police Department with corruption and extortion, greater even than that lately discovered in the case of the gambling houses. But he stated that the Police always interfered whenever ordered to do so by the Superintendent, or an Inspector, or by the Registrar General. There was a standing order that the Police were to give their services to the Registrar General whenever he required them, and he asserted that he had always given the most zealous assistance in carrying out the Ordinance as far as he was empowered to do so; and that he had only refrained from interfering himself, or allowing the Police to interfere, in a manner which would in his opinion have been not only injudicious, but illegal. Charge 3 was then proceeded with :--\n\n\"With having by misrepresentations induced the Acting Chief Magistrate, who had sentenced a prisoner charged with receiving Goods in pawn without a licence, to reverse his judgment and discharge the prisoner, there being conclusive evidence of his guilt.\"\n\nMr. Caldwell in support of this Charge wished the following depositions in a case before the Acting Chief Magistrate in the year 1859 to be placed on the Minutes:--\n\nPage 390\nPage 391", "txt_file_path": "txt/2diw2n4r2/CO129-081 - Sir Robinson - 1861 [4-7].txt", "external_url": "", "rank": 0 }, { "id": 293452, "series_id": 27, "series_slug": "histsyn-co129-engine", "series_title": "CO129 Colonial Office Hong Kong Records 理藩院香港檔案", "series_use_hku_proxy": false, "document_key": "CO129-167 - Sir Kennedy - 1874 [1-8]", "page_number": 112, "title": "CO129-167 - Sir Kennedy - 1874 [1-8]", "content_text": "## THE CHINA MAIL.\n### HONGKONG, WEDNESDAY, MARCH 11, 1874.\n\n## THE AMENDED WATERWORKS PROJECT.\n\nComing then to the probable needs of the Colony as regards drinking and washing purposes, we should regard an average of 10 gallons as sufficient. No doubt the European portion of the community use very much more, but the average must be calculated on the whole population; and with every sympathy to teach the natives better habits, it will, we fear, be a very long time before the habits of Chinese coolies become assimilated to those of European gentlemen.\n\nFour gallons per diem is as much as even the cleaner inhabitants of the native quarter use per head; let us say five, and that would still leave a similar surplus on over 90,000 individuals to the benefit of the European quarter.\n\nOf course, this must be accompanied with a really efficient supply of salt water, for public sanitary purposes and for use in cases of fire. But, granting that this latter could be secured, it certainly seems that ten gallons per head per diem would be sufficient.\n\nAs the case now stands, a sum of £233,000 is asked for, to furnish a constant allowance, all the year round, of 15 gallons of water per head; and the only two questions to be settled (assuming this to be the lowest estimate) are: Does the Colony absolutely require the water, and, can the Colony afford to pay the money for it.\n\nIt is no doubt quite true, as H. E. the Governor stated in Council, that when he arrived in Hongkong the necessity of a better water supply was a foregone conclusion. But its most ardent advocates spoke and wrote with the proviso that the expense should not be overwhelming. If, therefore, there be any hope of obtaining a cheaper supply, all the year round, by utilizing the sea water for sanitary purposes, such an idea certainly seems worth consideration. It may indeed then be found possible to give up the Tytam project in favour of Aberdeen. It has been universally admitted that the only objection to the former is its cost, but there can be no doubt how strongly that objection weighs in the public mind.\n\nIt must not be forgotten that, for a long series of years, a vast number of houses have been paying taxes for which they only did not receive even the faintest equivalent. Owners therefore naturally fear the imposition of yet higher taxes of which, at best, it would be some years before they could reap any benefit. If Mr Price can possibly hit upon a plan which will supply a sufficiency of water for the purposes named, at a reasonable cost, he will be one of the greatest benefactors the Colony ever had.\n\nWe quite sympathise with all he has said about doing the work thoroughly; but even a good thing may be bought too dearly. It is much to be regretted that the Council have not said: \"Tell us what can be done for £150,000.\" As it is the Surveyor General is quite right in recommending a thorough scheme. It has yet to be proved that so able an engineer as he has shown himself can suggest nothing within the means of the Colony.\n\nThe readiness evinced by the Surveyor with the desire of H. E. the Governor General to do all in his power to meet the feeling of the community regarding the cost of the water supply scheme, has undoubtedly caused a favourable impression. He has at least shown that no desire to glorify his department at the public expense has prompted him to advocate a costly scheme, and his latest amendment deserves careful consideration.\n\nThe document in which he specifies the possible reduction on the original estimate having been already published in full, we need deal only with its net result in discussing it. We are reluctantly obliged to say that we share the opinion expressed by the unofficial members as regards the latter question, while by no means satisfied as regards the former. Or, to put the matter more accurately, while we believe a supply of water to the extent named to be a necessity, we do not believe that it must necessarily be fresh water. It would certainly seem to us that the suggestion of Mr Ryrie as to raising salt water to flush the drains and put out fires is worth serious consideration.\n\nThe points to be aimed at are: What is the smallest efficient supply of water for potable and lavatory purposes and, what supply of sea water at a high level would be sufficient to do all that is necessary in the way of flushing drains, watering streets, and in fact doing everything which rather requires water as a liquid mechanical force than as an article of diet or a solvent. As regards this point no very great difficulties are presented. A very small reservoir at a high level, fed by a steam force pump on the Praya would amply suffice for all necessary purposes.\n\nThe reservoir need not be large, inasmuch as it would be quite a matter of indifference if it became nearly empty every now and then, provided it was filled in time for periodical needs. Nor need the cost of such a construction be very heavy. One holding some 10 or 20 millions of gallons would probably suffice, and the dam would be almost the only expense, as the pipe service would be very limited.\n\nPage 108", "txt_file_path": "txt/2diw2n4r2/CO129-167 - Sir Kennedy - 1874 [1-8].txt", "external_url": "", "rank": 0 }, { "id": 296563, "series_id": 27, "series_slug": "histsyn-co129-engine", "series_title": "CO129 Colonial Office Hong Kong Records 理藩院香港檔案", "series_use_hku_proxy": false, "document_key": "CO129-171 - Acting Governor Austin - 1875 [7-11] -- Sir Kennedy - 1875 [12]", "page_number": 293, "title": "CO129-171 - Acting Governor Austin - 1875 [7-11] -- Sir Kennedy - 1875 [12]", "content_text": "290\n\nthe initiation of a new \"Worths, the Sanitary or General ...\n\nof any additional ...\n\nwho ...\n\ncould be authorized to make detailed surveys upon which accurate estimates could properly be obtained.\n\n3.\n\nMeanwhile Your Lordship placed me in possession of Mr. Price's Report, which was submitted to Mr. Rawlinson. That eminent Engineer concurred generally in his Report, giving support to Price's views regarding the Pylam Project, but recommending an alternative scheme which would reduce the outlay to £136,400.\n\n6.\n\nThe ground was thus cleared of irritating unsed questions as to details of construction & design.\n\nThe best locality for the new \"Worths\" was determined. Mr. Price, ably supported by members of his Staff (Mr. Danby), executed his detailed survey of The Pylau Valley and the line of country which the conduit should follow to bring the water into the City, and the result of his investigations is clearly elaborated in the final Report which I have now the honour to lay before Your Lordship.\n\nIt will be seen that the Surveyor General submits two schemes, termed respectively \"The High Level Project\" and \"The Low Level Project,\" and their advantages and ...", "txt_file_path": "txt/2diw2n4r2/CO129-171 - Acting Governor Austin - 1875 [7-11] -- Sir Kennedy - 1875 [12].txt", "external_url": "", "rank": 0 }, { "id": 296564, "series_id": 27, "series_slug": "histsyn-co129-engine", "series_title": "CO129 Colonial Office Hong Kong Records 理藩院香港檔案", "series_use_hku_proxy": false, "document_key": "CO129-171 - Acting Governor Austin - 1875 [7-11] -- Sir Kennedy - 1875 [12]", "page_number": 294, "title": "CO129-171 - Acting Governor Austin - 1875 [7-11] -- Sir Kennedy - 1875 [12]", "content_text": "291\n\nexecutive\n\ncomparative cost formed the subject of full consideration at the last meeting of the Executive Council, at which by my request \"Messrs\" Nipie and Keswick, Member of the Legislative Council, attended\n\nThe Surveyor General was also present and explained to the Council the details of his two Projects and the distribution of the present Supply of Water. The Council had, too, the satisfaction of considering with his aid the admirable drawings which accompany his Report, and I believe that nothing was wanting to enable them to deal with the whole question in its entirety.\n\n9.\n\nThe conclusions arrived at were as follows:\n\n(1). That it was of the highest importance to obtain an increased supply of water\n\n(ii). That the High Level Project which would only provide for increased supply of 3/4 gallon per head at a cost of £39,000, being a project incapable of future extension or enlargement, be set aside\n\n(iii). That it would be advisable to undertake the Low Level Project, though at present in a modified form only.", "txt_file_path": "txt/2diw2n4r2/CO129-171 - Acting Governor Austin - 1875 [7-11] -- Sir Kennedy - 1875 [12].txt", "external_url": "", "rank": 0 }, { "id": 296569, "series_id": 27, "series_slug": "histsyn-co129-engine", "series_title": "CO129 Colonial Office Hong Kong Records 理藩院香港檔案", "series_use_hku_proxy": false, "document_key": "CO129-171 - Acting Governor Austin - 1875 [7-11] -- Sir Kennedy - 1875 [12]", "page_number": 299, "title": "CO129-171 - Acting Governor Austin - 1875 [7-11] -- Sir Kennedy - 1875 [12]", "content_text": "Details of the Construction of the Proposed New Works in Tytom Valley. Low Level Project\n\nThe works required for this Project originally designed consisted of:\n\n1. An Embankment 98 feet high with the Outlet and overflow works.\n\n2. A Conduit Tunnel to convey the water supply to Victoria from the Tytam Valley through the ridge of hills which divide that Valley from the Northern slope of the Island.\n\n3. An Open Conduit and 18 inch Iron Main from the Outlet of the above Tunnel to the City.\n\nThere is no longer any need to enter into any description of the Embankment and Outlet works, since the Colonial Government has decided for the present to do without a storage reservoir, limiting itself to bringing the contents of the Tytom Stream.", "txt_file_path": "txt/2diw2n4r2/CO129-171 - Acting Governor Austin - 1875 [7-11] -- Sir Kennedy - 1875 [12].txt", "external_url": "", "rank": 0 }, { "id": 296571, "series_id": 27, "series_slug": "histsyn-co129-engine", "series_title": "CO129 Colonial Office Hong Kong Records 理藩院香港檔案", "series_use_hku_proxy": false, "document_key": "CO129-171 - Acting Governor Austin - 1875 [7-11] -- Sir Kennedy - 1875 [12]", "page_number": 301, "title": "CO129-171 - Acting Governor Austin - 1875 [7-11] -- Sir Kennedy - 1875 [12]", "content_text": "298\n\noverflows and also catchpits to arrest the progress of the deposits of sand liable to accumulate. The Syphon head or inlet of the main will be kept 33 feet above its outlet extremity which will be in one of the existing City Tanks situate at a height of about 300 feet above the level of the sea. The Main will be 18 inches\n\ninternal diameter, the pipes of ... feet long and\n\n13\n\n1/4 of an inch thick. They will be laid under\n\nthe Race Course and part of\n\nthe\n\nCity,\n\nalong\n\nthe Public Streets\n\nand the top of the pipes will be\n\n1.5\" below the surface of the roads.\n\nAir Valves will be fixed at\n\nevery\n\nthe summit of\n\nhill and washout Valves at the bottom\n\nof every depression\n\non\n\nthe line of Main.\n\nThe Conduit and Main will be so laid out\n\nthat if future demands exact a greater head of\n\npressure, that is to say water, this can be had at\n\nsmall Cost,\n\nby adding a few extra\n\nlengths of pipe to\n\nextend the Main higher up the hill on which\n\nthe Conduit is constructed.\n\nThe whole of the foregoing works were designed\n\nas portions of the Low Level Project in its integrity and therefore when at a future day the Embankment\n\ncomes to be built and an impounding reservoir, at Tytam is made, they will be found fully adequate.\n\nThe delivery Capacities of both Conduit and main have been carefully calculated to accord with the largest storage supply obtainable.\n\nThe Constructional details of the tunnel,\n\nthe Conduit and their Minor\n\nadjuncts have already been the subject of a correspondence between the Crown Agents and Mr. Rawlinson, and as upon all these professional points there is perfect accord, there will be no need for me in this Memorandum to go\n\nover the same ground again.\n\nThe accompanying roll contains the plans\n\nof both the High and Low Level Projects. It was perhaps not necessary to include the\n\nformer,\n\nyet\n\nthe drawings of the Lower which refer to the Embankment and\n\nStorage Reservoir since these works are not to be\n\ncarried out, they are therefore only forwarded home.", "txt_file_path": "txt/2diw2n4r2/CO129-171 - Acting Governor Austin - 1875 [7-11] -- Sir Kennedy - 1875 [12].txt", "external_url": "", "rank": 0 }, { "id": 304432, "series_id": 27, "series_slug": "histsyn-co129-engine", "series_title": "CO129 Colonial Office Hong Kong Records 理藩院香港檔案", "series_use_hku_proxy": false, "document_key": "CO129-185 - Acting Governor Marsh Governor Hennessy - 1879 [6-12]", "page_number": 375, "title": "CO129-185 - Acting Governor Marsh Governor Hennessy - 1879 [6-12]", "content_text": "# Document on Water Supply for Fire Extinguishing in Hong Kong\n\nstations were of great value; and fires were on several occasions extinguished by a jet from the hydrant before the arrival of the engines. As far as I remember, things were much in this state when I went on furlough in 1871. But on returning from leave I found that during my absence of eighteen months, the pressure on the mains had decreased to such an extent that it was no longer of much use for the purposes of fire extinction; and besides this, the water was now so seldom turned on in the mains that the street pipes could not even be relied on for the small supply of fresh water necessary for the boilers of the steam engines.\n\nI was informed by the then Acting Surveyor-General that this change was caused by the large number of new pipes connected with the mains for the supply of Chinese houses in different parts of the town. The dearth of water increased, and towards the end of 1873, by order of the Superintendent of the Fire Brigade, the subsidiary posts were abandoned as useless and the hoses returned to store.\n\nFor the last two or three years, the hydrant supply has been so precarious that even for supplying the boilers they are seldom resorted to until every other source has failed. By giving previous notice to the turncock, a good supply may be obtained from the street pipes in certain parts of the town, but in this case, the delay is so great, and the result so uncertain, that its utility is greatly curtailed for the purposes of this Department.\n\nWell, upon that a minute was made to the Surveyor-General:----\n\nRefer this to the Surveyor-General, and ask him what steps he can take to restore the water supply to the state it was in a few years ago as described by the Superintendent of the Fire Brigade.\n\nThen the Surveyor-General immediately reported:-\n\nThere is the same volume of water now as formerly, though of course the allowance per head of inhabitants has diminished by the increase of population since 1869. There was then, as Mr. Creagh rightly observes, great pressure on the mains, whereas now there is none at all. This is owing to the practice which was followed without due consideration up to 1873 of indiscriminately granting permits to lay private water pipes to houses from the mains, instead of reserving the whole of the supply for the public hydrants, where every rate-payer, rich or poor, could have procured his daily provision on the same footing of equality, while the Government could have retained exclusive control over the pressure for cases of emergency like fire.\n\nAt present, the numberless house-pipes everywhere bleeding the mains make it impossible to restore to the latter their former pressure. The chief arteries are in fact in such a state of depletion, that in order to enable the water to travel any distance, it becomes necessary to cut off the rest of the city and to concentrate the whole of the force upon one particular district at a time, each district in its turn being assisted in this manner once during the 24 hours. Permits for house supplies were stopped in 1873, too late to do any good, as enough of them had already been issued to work the present mischief, but as there is so much rebuilding and restoration of the house property going on all over Victoria just now, I think the evil might be somewhat lessened in course of time by declining to re-grant permits to these new structures; this would be tantamount to calling back former permits issued to the old ones.\n\nThe Attorney-General remarks that in all equity parties suffering from the fire should be restored as far as possible to their former position, which opinion would naturally meet on general grounds with everybody's concurrence, but on the other hand, it should also be weighed whether, on the ground of public expediency and looking to the exhausted condition of the public hydrants, the Government might not properly avail itself of the opportunity to assist the latter by declining to renew the permits. It is probable that if we had had water enough on Christmas night the fire would not have spread as it did.\n\nBut of course, the remedy for all this is more water from fresh sources.\n\nUpon that the following minute is made:\n\nThe Surveyor-General's clear and practical report shows how this deficient water supply for fire brigade purposes has occurred.\n\nI agree with him that we must increase our water supply. Looking at present simply to the question of getting more water for extinguishing fires, I should be glad if he would confer with Mr. Creagh, the Acting Head of the Fire Brigade, and the Hon. P. Ryrie (who has from time to time made valuable suggestions to the Government on this subject), and consider the possibility of utilising, more than has hitherto been done, the water in the harbour.\n\nAs the town of Victoria is built on a slope along the water's edge, it might be possible to construct Fire Brigade tanks on the upper levels, or to adopt other means for increasing the supply.\n\nWell, that minute I made on the 1st May, and I am happy to say the three gentlemen to whom I entrusted that important question have made, as it seems to me, a very practical report. They say:-\n\nThe undersigned, having met several times to discuss the question of the insufficiency of water for the extinction of fires in Victoria, now submit as the result of their deliberations the project of high-level tanks and Fire Brigade mains, elaborated by the Surveyor-General in the accompanying plans and estimates.\n\nThey are of opinion that the project would receive the support of the Community, and that the outlay of fifty thousand dollars, though large, is one which--after the experience of last Christmas Day--may properly be recommended to the Executive.\n\nIf the Tytam Scheme for an increased water-supply for general uses be not feasible, they consider that, looking to the danger of destruction which house-property continues to incur, no time should be lost in securing a sufficient storage of water, at least for Fire Brigade purposes, and with reference to such a storage, they desire to point out that the present proposal of special Fire Brigade mains would be none the less desirable even in the event of the realization of the Tytam Scheme.\n\nBy the plan of inter-connected tanks now submitted, it will be possible to concentrate six hundred and thirty thousand gallons on any fire between the Sailors' Home and the City Hall, and as the pressure on the proposed Fire Brigade mains will suffice to send a stream over the tops of the highest houses, the aid of fire-engines will not be required. These, however, would continue to play a most important part in pumping an additional supply from the sea.\n\nThe undersigned, however, can only recommend the project now submitted, on the assumption that the most jealous care will be taken to prevent any connexion between the special Fire Brigade mains and the actual water-mains of the city, as such a connexion would be fatal to the project by destroying the pressure which it should be sought to maintain intact at every fire-plug.\n\nThe undersigned avail themselves of this opportunity to call the attention of Government to the grave necessity of dredging the Praya foreshore, at certain places already indicated by the Superintendent of the Fire Brigade, to a depth sufficient to admit of fire-engines being usefully employed during the hours of low tide.\n\nJ. M. DICK. E. RYRIE. \nC. V. CREAGH.\n\nHongkong, 17th September, 1870.\n\nI will only add, gentlemen, on my own consideration, before I saw the report, the general conclusions at which I arrived were as follows:--- That the supply of water for extinguishing fires in Hongkong is not sufficient; that the Fire Brigade should be placed under the control of a skilled officer; that a competent engineer should be obtained who would devote his whole time to keeping the engines and other apparatus in proper order; that a larger number of permanently paid firemen should be employed; that the system of using hydrants seems to be well suited for the greater part of the town of Victoria. These were the conclusions at which I myself arrived from the correspondence in my hands, and after having had the opportunity of consulting with those who are really the largest house-holders in the colony, that is, the native community. They take the greatest interest in this subject, and are clearly of opinion that the course you have suggested to-day is that which we ought to follow. I have expressed my opinion in the Council Chamber that the practice of blowing down houses is a barbarous one, and that we should devote ourselves to harnessing the water supply in the first instance, and to the reorganisation of the brigade. I hope we shall do both together. With respect to the question of the expenditure of $50,000 for the high-level water-tanks and the additional salary required for thoroughly competent men, I am of opinion that this is an outlay which the colony ought to undertake. I am not one of those who believe it is your duty--as representing Fire Insurance Companies--to extinguish fires. You perform certain important commercial functions, both for the shareholders and the public in general, but the duty of extinguishing fires I believe to be the duty of the Government; and in coming to me to-day and making suggestions you have fulfilled another function, and a very important one, of Fire Insurance Companies. On the whole, gentlemen, I agree with what you have said, but, without pledging myself to anything you have put before me as to the reorganisation of the brigade. That will depend on the suggestions of the gentleman who comes out from London. Any suggestions you may wish to make at any other time will receive my best attention.\n\nHon. W. Keswick--I would only remark, your Excellency, that the cost of the Manchester and Liverpool Brigades is singularly small. That of Manchester is only $2,000 per annum, and that of Liverpool £2,871. I mention this matter, not that I for a moment object to seeing any expenditure in Hongkong to obtain efficiency, but simply as an instance of how cheaply it can be had at home.\n\nHis EXCELLENCY--You.\n\nHon. W. KESWICK thanked his Excellency for receiving the deputation, and the members withdrew.\n\nPage 374", "txt_file_path": "txt/2diw2n4r2/CO129-185 - Acting Governor Marsh Governor Hennessy - 1879 [6-12].txt", "external_url": "", "rank": 0 }, { "id": 304433, "series_id": 27, "series_slug": "histsyn-co129-engine", "series_title": "CO129 Colonial Office Hong Kong Records 理藩院香港檔案", "series_use_hku_proxy": false, "document_key": "CO129-185 - Acting Governor Marsh Governor Hennessy - 1879 [6-12]", "page_number": 376, "title": "CO129-185 - Acting Governor Marsh Governor Hennessy - 1879 [6-12]", "content_text": "## Report by Brigade Major Rice, Captain Pasric, and Major O'Reilly\n\nThe undersigned having met several times to discuss the question of the insufficiency of walls for the extinction of fires in Victoria, now submit as the result of their deliberations, the project of high-level tanks and fire mains by Brigade Major Rice, the Surveyor General, accompanying plans and estimates.\n\nThey are all of opinion that the project would receive the support of the community and that the outlay of Fifty Thousand dollars, though large, is one which - after...", "txt_file_path": "txt/2diw2n4r2/CO129-185 - Acting Governor Marsh Governor Hennessy - 1879 [6-12].txt", "external_url": "", "rank": 0 }, { "id": 319407, "series_id": 27, "series_slug": "histsyn-co129-engine", "series_title": "CO129 Colonial Office Hong Kong Records 理藩院香港檔案", "series_use_hku_proxy": false, "document_key": "CO129-204 - Acting Governor Marsh - 1882 [11-12]", "page_number": 411, "title": "CO129-204 - Acting Governor Marsh - 1882 [11-12]", "content_text": "## 406 \n164931 \n**RECP** \n\nCong \n\nInr 6. Chadwick to the Crown Agents. \n\nPark Cottage \nEast Sheen \n4th September 1882 \n\nTo \nThe Crown Agents for the Colonies. \n\nGentlemen \n\nI have the honour to submit for transmission to the Right Honourable the Secretary of State for the Colonies the following Memorandum on certain tidal observations, made in connection with my mission to Hong Kong. \n\nOn my arrival at Hong Kong I found that the office of the Surveyor General had no information on the subject of the tides; that mean-sea-level, and the heights of high- and low-water, neaps and springs, was not known with accuracy. \n\nFor the preparation of any drainage project, involving a sea outfall, an accurate knowledge", "txt_file_path": "txt/2diw2n4r2/CO129-204 - Acting Governor Marsh - 1882 [11-12].txt", "external_url": "", "rank": 0 }, { "id": 322319, "series_id": 27, "series_slug": "histsyn-co129-engine", "series_title": "CO129 Colonial Office Hong Kong Records 理藩院香港檔案", "series_use_hku_proxy": false, "document_key": "CO129-210 - Governor Sir Bowen - 1883 [6-7]", "page_number": 191, "title": "CO129-210 - Governor Sir Bowen - 1883 [6-7]", "content_text": "(C.S.O. No. 1559 of 1883.)\n\nEnclosure.\n\nREPORT.\n\n188\n\nWith reference to the verbal and written reports of the Medical Staff on the prevalence of Fever at Causeway Bay, and to the complaints which have been made of the noxious exhalations from the tidal foreshore or marsh lying to the south of the causeway, I have the honour to report that I have caused a survey to be made of the locality and now submit the accompanying tracing of the same, showing tinted green, the area, (twenty-six acres) which it is proposed to reclaim in order to convert the swamp into healthy dry land.\n\n2. There can be no doubt as to the desirability of the reclamation on sanitary grounds and the work seems equally desirable as a means of obtaining a large tract of building land for warehouses and factories. There has been a considerable demand of late for sites for godowns and industrial establishments of one kind and another to the East of the town, and these have now taken up a great portion of the vacant land at Bowrington. Looking to the overcrowded condition of the City it would have been better to have reserved the Bowrington sites for private dwelling houses and to have sent intending builders of warehouses and factories to some suburb like Causeway Bay.\n\nThis, however, may still be done in respect of future applicants (of whom I have no doubt there will still be many) if the contemplated reclamation is carried out, and what remains available of Bowrington may yet be devoted to dwelling houses. At current rates land at Causeway Bay may be valued at $4,000 per acre. Deducting five acres for roads and cross streets the remaining 21 acres reclaimed, may be fairly estimated as representing a value of $84,000.\n\n3. The reclamation should be carried up to a height of 3 feet above the level of high-water spring tides. A higher formation level would be expensive and inconvenient in complicating the drainage of the private lands at the back. The quantity of earth to be filled in is 300,000 cubic yards. Owing to the close proximity of the material the work may be done for 9 cents per cubic yard making the cost of the earth-works $27,000.\n\n4. In the original project of a break-water and harbour of refuge for boats at Causeway Bay approved by Sir MICHAEL HICKS-BEACH in 1878, the reclamation of the tidal foreshore to the South of the Causeway was not included. Owing to the expense, this portion of the scheme was left to some future date, and in the plan which was forwarded to the Secretary of State the swamp to the South of the Causeway was merely shown intersected by three proposed channels or dykes, which were to be dredged out of the mud and kept open, to enable boats to haul up on the Shaukiwán Road out of the reach of typhoon seas.\n\n5. The present intention to reclaim however is an improvement on the original proposition as it will enable the boats to haul up on to the new embankment, along the whole extent of the Causeway without having to go through the marsh as formerly contemplated.", "txt_file_path": "txt/2diw2n4r2/CO129-210 - Governor Sir Bowen - 1883 [6-7].txt", "external_url": "", "rank": 0 }, { "id": 325162, "series_id": 27, "series_slug": "histsyn-co129-engine", "series_title": "CO129 Colonial Office Hong Kong Records 理藩院香港檔案", "series_use_hku_proxy": false, "document_key": "CO129-215 - Governor Sir Bowen - 1884 [1-4]", "page_number": 422, "title": "CO129-215 - Governor Sir Bowen - 1884 [1-4]", "content_text": "# Enclosure\n\n## INTERESTING MEMORIAL FROM THE TSUNG-LI YAMEN ON COAST DEFENCE.\n\nThe following translation of a memorial from the Tsung-li Yamen on the pressing necessity of coast defence and the need of quieting the dangers near at hand so as to guard well against those in the future is made by the N. C. Herald :\n\nThe Franco-Annamese question is somewhat different from the former Russian difficulty. Whether it is decided to preserve peace or to declare war; to act on the offensive or defensive, the dangers on the south-west will ever remain unchanged. When a foreign invasion is imminent, coast defence must not be for a moment forgotten. Annam and Kuangtung are connected with each other both by land and water, and troops have been ordered thither to guard (against any attack from the enemy). Military reports are now awaited from Peng Yu-lin and Chang Shu-sheng, and plans will be devised upon consulting them.\n\nBut let a review of the coast be taken. The Pai-yang (Northern Ocean) defence embraces Taku and Pei-tang and slightly watches over Lü Shan (Port Arthur); but the protection of Teng-lai is nil. The Nan-yang (Southern Ocean) defence includes the river and the sea with Kiang Yin as the strategical point, and guards Su Tai. As to Teng-lai, Ting Pao-chên in his Memorial considered Tengchow, Chefoo, and Wei-hai-wei as the essential points to be defended. The Governor of the Province (Shantung) however had erected only five forts in and near Teng Shêu Kau which are insufficient to well protect the coast.\n\nThe 800 marines under the Superintendence of the same Governor had been transferred by Li Hung-chang to the gunboats Chao-yung and Yang-wei of the Pei-yang squadron and whatever guns there are of the old pattern. When Wu Chang-ch'ing was instructed to organize the defence of that province, he had only a short time to act in and did not accomplish much. Now the inundation has come; our army and our funds are only capable of dealing with one point at a time and not sufficient to defend all the points at once.\n\nOur Yamen has repeatedly been devising plans and methods of defence on behalf of that province. It is not necessary to increase the garrison of Tengchow, as there is a chên tai stationed there. Wei-hai-wei from its natural advantages is very defensible. But Chefoo with its broad expanse of sea, and level sandy coast, a haven for merchant vessels, has ever been exposed to and sought after by foreign vessels, and therefore a heavy garrison is needed for its protection.\n\nAs Wu Ta-ch'êng watches over Lan-lo and Wu Chang-ch'ing is placed in Korea, they cannot be spared from their posts. The Throne is petitioned to instruct the Pei-yang Superintendent to select an able commander who will take with him trained soldiers from four to six camps and hold Chefoo. When Chefoo is secure, then both Lü Shan and Ka Tang will be safe.\n\nThe most important of the coast defence undertaken by Tso Tsung-tang is Po-mao Shan. The strait of Po-mao is situated 70 li east of the Chou Chi mouth and is the receptacle of the sea-flowing rivers of Soochow and Changchow. In the time of the Ming dynasty alarms were communicated by means of smoke signals at Po-mao to warn the people of a Japanese invasion.\n\nThe sea outside the strait is broad, and steamers pass and re-pass in it. The natural dangers of the place can be judiciously employed to make its defence effectual. The sea ports of Liu Ho, Ta-chien Fou, Hsü-liu Ching and others, through which the Capital of Kiangsu can be reached, are away from the Metropolitan city over a hundred li and are nevertheless to be defended.\n\nTsung-ming, an isolated island in the sea, relies solely on the chên-piao who commands but a weak garrison. If an alarm of war is sounded the isle is difficult for reinforcements to reach; every precaution for protecting the place should then be prepared beforehand.\n\nThe organization of the fishing brigade in the southern provinces is indeed an admirable idea; it prevents spies in the inland waters and can assist in harassing the enemy along the sea-coast. But fishing brigades may only be able to protect the people (in cases of need); they are of no avail in a battle.\n\nThe defence of Kiangsu needs more funds than can be spared; and if a tax is collected and militia instituted, people will ever be kept in a state of alarm and doubt. Therefore the Throne is petitioned to command the Fatai of Kiangsu, under the head of Winter Defence, to pick able-bodied men from the six or seven districts along the coast and class them in divisions of 300 each.\n\nThey are to be given rifles and ammunition and trained stuff year from three to five months in winter and spring; they will be able to handle their arms well and be thoroughly disciplined in that time. In peace they may detain and arrest salt-smugglers; in war they can patrol the sea-ports. In carrying this plan into execution, the funds will not be wasted, people will not be disturbed, and the many districts close to each other will rest in security.\n\nThe salt smugglers along the shores of the T'ai Hu who appear and disappear at intervals are doing a great deal of harm to the community and interfere with the organization of coast defence. It is imperative to crush any rebellious project on their part in the bud; then no danger will be apprehended from them at the rear when fighting an enemy in front.\n\nLet the Throne instruct the Fatai of the province to collect volunteer boats that they may capture these desperadoes and change them into loyal subjects; then land, sea, and lakes, (freed of them) may become tranquil.\n\nThe coast of the Min province is washed by the Che-yang (Chêkiang Ocean) and at the furthest end by the Canton sea. The government of this province requires an able official as the ever vigilant watching (for an opportunity to attack China) must be guarded against.\n\nIf the high authorities of the province consider tranquillity, and able rule, and not intent on devising plans for defence, at the first stir of the ocean's waves (war) Formosa, Peng-hu, and Amoy will be untenable. It is prayed that the Throne will bestow some thought on the province of Min either in appointing some able officials or decreeing some old generals to govern and protect it.\n\nThe isolated isle of Ting-hai, the port of Cha-pu, Ningpo, and Chou-shan in the province must be placed under the strictest surveillance. Some time ago a Decree was promulgated ordering Lin Ping-chang to take charge of the coast defence, who from his experience in war affairs will be able to bring it to an effectual state, and Your Majesties may rest at ease on that point.\n\nAnother matter, however, must be brought to the Imperial notice. The coast defence was instituted about ten years ago; the money expended on purchasing guns and ships amounted to tens of millions, and yet in case of war nothing can be relied on; the preparation for defence against Russian invasion cost the outlay over ten millions, and still the coasts are in a disorderly state.\n\nThe provincial authorities shirk their responsibility by complaining of the niggardliness of the Boards, while the officials of the Boards in turn fail in their duty by charging the provincial authorities with indulging in extravagant expenses. The dilly-dallying, the waste of time and opportunity, are all due to the faults of our Yamen.\n\nEven if the judgment of not censuring us, we cannot fool ourselves on the question of coast defence. The Yamen considers the protection of trade and defence of the coast to be two points of essential importance. The coast defence being in an unworthy state, it is not likely that trade will flourish.\n\nFrom this time forward let the coast defence be ever kept up in an efficient condition. The preparation which exists against the threats of the French today will be improved upon for defending the coast in the future. After receiving a Decree in reply to this Memorial, our Yamen will diligently study the naturally defensible points of the coast and the new invention of foreign gunboats, consulting with the Board of Revenue with regard to funds, with the Board of War in regard to tactics and military affairs, and with provincial authorities on procuring able commanders.\n\nWhen the country can remain at peace (without dishonour) or go to war (with confidence) then our reputation for being powerful will be established, and rebellious projects will be stifled. When preparation (for coast defence) begins, then danger ceases.\n\nPage 333\n\n**An unpublished decree from the Empress is also sent to us, but it contains nothing of importance beyond an expression of opinion on the part of Her Majesty that the schemes of the French are \"wily and insatiable.\"—ED.**\n\nPage 420", "txt_file_path": "txt/2diw2n4r2/CO129-215 - Governor Sir Bowen - 1884 [1-4].txt", "external_url": "", "rank": 0 }, { "id": 339136, "series_id": 27, "series_slug": "histsyn-co129-engine", "series_title": "CO129 Colonial Office Hong Kong Records 理藩院香港檔案", "series_use_hku_proxy": false, "document_key": "CO129-241 - Governor Des Voeus - 1889 [1-7]", "page_number": 572, "title": "CO129-241 - Governor Des Voeus - 1889 [1-7]", "content_text": "## 570\n\nDifference from Mr. Cooper's scheme.\n\nIt will readily be seen, that I differ very essentially from Mr. Cooper's Scheme, in providing outfalls for sewage into the harbour at a number of points, instead of at the four points C. 1, C. 2, C. 3 and C. 4 marked on Plate 1.\n\nAn experience of ten years in the Colony, and having had an office for six years on the Praya front, opposite Peddar's Wharf, and having always carefully observed the course of the numerous cargo boats and traffic by the side of the Praya, convinces me, that there is an almost equal strong current at any point along the Praya from Wellington Battery to Belchers Point, and that there is very little difference in the speed of matter, either Eastward or Westward.\n\nThe float experiments of Mr. Chadwick and Mr. Cooper were confined to particular points, and in no way cause me to alter the above opinion. Therefore it would be far better to discharge smaller portions of sewage at a number of points, and thus diffuse the matter more thoroughly, than greater portions of sewage discharged at three or four points only.\n\n### Strong tideway opposite Chinese quarter.\n\nIt would need but a very slight acquaintance with the Praya to see, that way opposite where the large population of Chinese are, the Praya Wall has been constructed in the deepest water, and consequently in strong tideway, which would effectually carry away any matters discharged by properly constructed and numerous outfalls. At a very little distance from the Praya Wall, ocean steamers are berthed.\n\n### Lesser tideway at certain places.\n\nThere are places, such as opposite the City Hall, Commissariat Pier and certain places Bowrington, where the configuration of the Praya would naturally lead one to expect slack water; even at such places, I consider, that by suitable length of outfall, there is amply sufficient current to diffuse the small amount of sewage discharged at those places.\n\n### Objection to outfall at Bowrington Canal.\n\nAt Bowrington Canal especially, there exists a large foreshore caused by the deposit of silt washed down the Wong-nei-cheong Valley. The outfall, proposed by Mr. Cooper at C. 4, is essentially wrongly placed for a collecting sewer, as admitted in the report by the recommendation to carry this discharge by pumping to North Point.\n\n### Advantage of numerous direct outfalls.\n\nAn advantage in having numerous direct outfalls is, that sewage would be more rapidly discharged into the sea from its place of production. I estimate that from no part of the City would the sewage take longer than two hours to be dispersed into the sea. Sir Robert Rawlinson in his \"Suggestions,\" says: All sewage should be disposed of, if practicable, on the day of its production. This would not be the case with low lying intercepting sewers; and in a tropical climate, it is essential to have the most speedy discharge.\n\nAn important fact which must not be forgotten in considering the matter discharge into the harbour of the sewage of this City, is, that practically no faecal matter exists. The disposal of night-soil being carried out by the bucket system.\n\n### Disapproval of increased number of Water Closets.\n\nI disapprove of any increase in the number of water-closets, which should only be allowed in the Hotels, Clubs, or large Public Institutions. There is not therefore the liability of having floating matter brought down by the sewers into the harbour.\n\n### Proposed new reclamation advantageous to outfalls.\n\nI have made no mention of the proposed reclamation from the Harbour in front of the City and shown on Plate No. 1, as it is obvious that the sea wall would project into deeper water, and greater tidal currents, thereby diffusing the discharge of outfalls still more rapidly. The work of constructing such outfalls would be a simple matter in building the new wall, which will be in from 15 to 40 feet depth of water.\n\n## Intercepting Sewers necessary to Mr. Cooper's Scheme.\n\nThe employment of four outfall points only, necessitates the construction of intercepting sewers, low-lying and of very flat gradients, such as 1 in 1,000 to 1 in 1,700.\n\n### Construction costly.\n\nThe construction of these sewers would be extremely costly, the soil is made ground, practically sand free to the sea, the trenches would be continually flooded and heavy pumping would be required; in many places, without close piling, no pumping would contend with the sea.\n\nBesides, granted that the sewers were constructed, they would be \"backwatered\" every high tide. During the South West Monsoon (especially when typhoons are in the neighbourhood) the sea level remains abnormally high for days together, there being no rise and fall of the tide, and during such times the sewers may be called upon to work under pressure.\n\nIt must also be remembered, that these intercepting sewers by not having a free outfall, can never be emptied; silting, in this case, must take place, necessitating, either very heavy flushing, or periodical cleaning out of the silt pits.\n\n### Gas from Discharge of intercepting Sewer.\n\nA source of danger is also created by the sewer becoming an elongated tank with slow velocity, constantly giving off sewage gas, which must be discharged somewhere, and no doubt the tendency is for it to be distributed up the tributary sewers.\n\n### Experience of Brighton intercepting Sewer.\n\nI would here like to give the experience at Brighton of the low level intercepting sewer. In a paper read before the Institution of Civil Engineers, the Borough Surveyor of Brighton gives as his opinion, that, for a town like Brighton, the system of pipe outfalls into deep water was a good one, and that, from a sanitary point of view, they were not better off, after having built the seven miles of intercepting sewer, than they had been with the outfall pipes previously laid. The outfall pipes mentioned were taken to a lowest depth of 8 to 16 feet and discharged into the sea.\n\n### Mr. Monson on intercepting Sewers.\n\nIn the same discussion, Mr. Monson made observations applying to large intercepting outfall sewers generally; he objected strongly to the large quantity of sewage gas that was being constantly driven off, and that the sewage was blocked by the tide and consequently sludge was freely deposited, the ventilators that were put in could be of small area compared with the volume of sewage, and he believed, that the resident medical men considered the scheme the reverse of satisfactory.\n\nThe intercepting sewers, running along the Praya East and West, will have to cross at right angles all the numerous Praya outfalls, which are at various levels. The sewers cannot go over or through them, and going under will necessitate a considerable depth at the beginning. The only alternative is to resort to syphons, of which only two or three are proposed. With sewers at such flat gradients, on either side of the syphon, very considerable difficulty will be experienced from deposit.\n\n## Combined System for Chinese districts.\n\nIn recommending the adoption of the Combined System for the purely Chinese part of the city, I am, besides following the recommendation of Mr. Chadwick to use such of the sewers as are suitable for the conveyance of sewage, utilizing the large amount of new drains, constructed by the Government subsequent to the date of Mr. Chadwick's report.\n\n### Chinese utilizes existing Sewers.\n\nIn a speech delivered by the Surveyor General at the Meeting of the Legislative Council held on the 5th November, 1886, the following words occur:\n\nWith regard to the words that have fallen from the hon: member opposite with reference to Sanitary Works, the hon: member may be aware, or he may not be aware, that the Government of the Colony has been for the last three and a half years assiduously engaged in reconstructing the main sewers of this town upon modern sanitary principles. From the returns which I hold in my hand I find that during the last three and a half years in the Western District of Victoria 2,450 yards of main sewers have been constructed, in the Central District 1,900 yards, and in the Eastern District 3,100 yards, making in all 7,450 yards of new main sewers, or, roughly speaking, about four and a half miles. Besides this, many other works of improvement in connection with main sewerage have also been carried out, and these improvements have been pushed forward for the last three and a half years and are still being unremittingly pushed forward from day to day as part and parcel of the comprehensive scheme for the main drainage of the city adopted four years ago. The main drainage works of Victoria, however, are something like Rome, they are not to be built in a day. At all events, the statistics I have quoted to the Council will show that considerable progress has been made in the main drainage works. Having said this much on the subject of the main drainage of the town, I come to the cognate subject of house drainage, and here I am able to agree with any hon: member at this table who may lift his voice against the actual condition of things. House drains are to the main sewers what the veins are to the arteries in a man's body. The Government have been engaged in restoring the arteries to proper working order, and it devolves upon the...", "txt_file_path": "txt/2diw2n4r2/CO129-241 - Governor Des Voeus - 1889 [1-7].txt", "external_url": "", "rank": 0 }, { "id": 339145, "series_id": 27, "series_slug": "histsyn-co129-engine", "series_title": "CO129 Colonial Office Hong Kong Records 理藩院香港檔案", "series_use_hku_proxy": false, "document_key": "CO129-241 - Governor Des Voeus - 1889 [1-7]", "page_number": 581, "title": "CO129-241 - Governor Des Voeus - 1889 [1-7]", "content_text": "# CHADWICK'S Report\n\nferred to advise the reconstruction of defective house-drains as the first remedy and increased ventilation of mains as the second. Mr. LEIGH joins issue with us, and clamours for the increased ventilation of mains while he relegates the removal of the noxious house-drains and their substitution by properly built ones to a second place in the order of importance. To illustrate my point by a simile: Mr. LEIGH brings into the room a dead cat far gone in decomposition and then with his handkerchief to his nose begins to clamour about the defective ventilation of the room.\n\nOur reply is a simple common-sense reply; we say: \"As however wide we may open the door and window to improve the ventilation, the smell will not disappear, your best plan will be to remove the cause of smell first.\" With regard to defective house-drains however, it may be stated that the Public Health Ordinance, having now made sanitary reform compulsory, a marked improvement may be expected within the next few years in the drainage of native tenements, and this together with the ample ventilating facilities shown in Mr. COOPER's proposed pipe-sewers under the Separate System, will provide the true remedy for the evil odours complained of.\n\n## 11\nAt 5 of his letter Mr. LEIGH proposes to reserve exclusively for the passage of through-streams from the Mountain side,--all the present drains of a larger size which traverse the Chinese districts. No sewage is to enter these larger main drains, but duplicate sewers are to be built alongside of them for the escape of the local rainfall in the particular district subserved, and for the district sewage combined.\n\nThis looks to me very much like the Separate System, and if Mr. LEIGH acknowledges in respect of the larger main-drains the advantage of dissociating foul waters from storm floods, why not extend his support to the lesser drains which are only in one degree less subjected to the same conditions, and at once espouse Mr. COOPER's propositions? But Mr. LEIGH's proposition of large sized double-barrelled main drains down the same valley lines besides being clumsy and complicated will involve if adopted, an outlay so large as to represent in this particular feature alone, about one quarter of Mr. COOPER's entire estimate of cost, and if to this outlay we add the expense of providing new combined sewers in all those streets which at present do not possess them we shall find that Mr. LEIGH's estimates of cost will exceed those of Mr. COOPER with the difference that under the carefully elaborated plans of the latter we shall acquire a thoroughly comprehensive and effective system of town-drainage while under the crude and imperfectly thought out schemes of the former we shall have attained only a disjointed one of inferior value.\n\n## 12\nAs reference is made in more than one passage of Mr. LEIGH's letter to more recent drainage improvements effected under my supervision, it may remove misconceptions if I explain that these works have comprised the construction of new drains in streets where none existed before, the reconstruction of main drains on straight lines. Where in the earlier days of the Colony they had been built on tortuous lines (as for instance at Jervois Street and Bonham Strand which Mr. LEIGH describes as still existent though they were properly rebuilt as far back as five years ago) and the extension of the town drains higher up the hill where they terminate in open chimney shafts, and that all these works would not be by any means superseded or rendered useless for the purposes they were designed by the adoption now of the Separate System, inasmuch as sound drains are as great a necessity for the escape of storm waters as are sound sewers for the escape of foul-waters.\n\n## 13\nLong before Mr. COOPER's Separate System Project was submitted by me to the Colonial Government I had carefully weighed over in my mind all the considerations now put forward by Mr. LEIGH, and it was only after a very careful deliberation of all the pros and cons both in respect of the Combined System and the Separate System that I resolved to support as strongly as I was able the carefully prepared plan of Mr. COOPER. I am convinced that the Separate System for the Chinese districts of the City, with its proposed glazed stoneware pipe mains of limited diameter, laid in straight lines on moderately steep gradients and with all its accessories in the shape of ventilating grates, turning Chambers, Manholes etc, and its carefully determined volume of flow--is in the present circumstances of the Colony infinitely preferable to a continuation of the Combined System-under which we are tied to the conveyance of sewage through granite sewers of unduly large size, laid to unduly steep gradients and on lines that are full of bends and twists and which are constructed of a material less adapted to stimulate flow in the more level streets than the smooth glassy surface of stone-ware pipes. I came to my conclusions the more readily that I recognized how much there remained yet to be done in the reconstruction and repair of the actual net-work of granite drains before we could hope to make the combined system attain even a moderate degree of efficiency, all of which meant an expenditure of public money that would go a very long way to establish the Separate System in its entirety if we elected to adopt this rival system in lieu. Also I particularly considered the question of the interception feature of Mr. COOPER's scheme-with its system of over-flows--and the positions proposed for the out-falls, and have been convinced by a careful investigation of the float experiments that the points selected were the most judicious, furthermore I have considered in respect of the proposed new sea wall to be now built along deep water that due regard for the safety of that structure during typhoons requires that the number of sewer outlets should be as limited as is consistent with the efficiency of the sewerage arrangements of the town and I am therefore in favour of the smallest number of openings possible.\n\n## 14\nIn the foregoing remarks which relate purely to the native districts of Victoria, I have made no allusion to the higher or European levels because in respect of these I understand there is complete unanimity of opinion.\n\n## 15\nIn conclusion I would submit that I am of opinion no advantage will be gained by the acceptance of Mr. LEIGH's professional offer to furnish competing plans and specifications of his own for a Counter project of public drainage because his propositions while far more costly than he is aware of do not hold out to the Colony any promise of the same thorough and effective results that are apparent under Mr. COOPER's carefully prepared designs.\n\nSIR,\nHongkong, 23rd March, 1889.\n\n## Enclosure 3\n**J. M. PRICE, Surveyor General.**\n\n**PUBLIC WORKS DEPARTMENT, December 29th, 1888.**\n\nIn answer to your invitation of the 22nd instant I have now the honour to forward you the following observations on Mr. LEIGH's report on the Proposed Drainage of the City of Victoria.\n\nOn page 3 Mr. LEIGH states that the proposed scheme is diametrically opposed to that of Mr. CHADWICK.\n\nOn reference to Mr. CHADWICK's report I find on page 25 in discussing the advisability of admitting rainfall into the sewers he says: \"The principal argument for its admission is that downpours of rain clean the sewers.\" This is worthless.\n\nOn page 49 of Mr. CHADWICK's report, paragraph 11 reads as follows:- \"Plates I and II show methods of draining some common types of houses according to the principles just enunciated. Provision is made for the removal of slop water only, but, as stated in the report, drains fit for that purpose are fit for the conveyance of excreta also, so that when the time comes they can easily receive the additions necessary to fit them for this additional duty. No provision is made for removal of rain water which should be dealt with separately for the reasons stated in the report. The dimensions are, however, ample to receive a considerable quantity of rain to carry off all would be clearly impossible.\"\n\nAt page 33, in paragraph 207 of the same report Mr. CHADWICK says:—“The upper portions of the existing sewers, those above Queen's Road, are, thanks to their great fall, rather than to their design and construction, almost wholly free from deposit. Nevertheless, it would be well to render their inverts watertight, and to accelerate the dry-weather flow through them, by concentrating it in a semi-circular tile, laid on the invert.\" Mr. CHADWICK evidently did not entertain a very high opinion of the old sewers.\n\nMr. LEIGH on page 7 of his report quotes a speech made by the Surveyor General on the 5th of November, 1886, in which he stated that 44 miles of new sewers had been constructed and many other improvements carried out during the last three and a half years.\n\nPage 11", "txt_file_path": "txt/2diw2n4r2/CO129-241 - Governor Des Voeus - 1889 [1-7].txt", "external_url": "", "rank": 0 }, { "id": 345983, "series_id": 27, "series_slug": "histsyn-co129-engine", "series_title": "CO129 Colonial Office Hong Kong Records 理藩院香港檔案", "series_use_hku_proxy": false, "document_key": "CO129-250 - Acting Governor Barker - 1891 [6-8]", "page_number": 382, "title": "CO129-250 - Acting Governor Barker - 1891 [6-8]", "content_text": "## 21.\n\nFor the Norvicon Water supply, a sum of $950 was provided in 1890, and expended on the sinking of a new well, which gave encouraging results. The total cost of these works has been roughly estimated at $180,000, but no final project has been prepared, nor can it be properly prepared till the supply of the well has been tested, as recommended in the report on this subject. I therefore recommend that a sum of $3,000 should be provided for testing the well.\n\n## 22.\n\nThe cost of completing the sewerage system of the city of Victoria, in the manner set forth in reports and estimates submitted, amounts to $282,500 (or to $212,000, if the interception of the sewage of the Eastern District be omitted). Any money spent on this vote in 1890 will be charged to vote \"Main Drainage and Sanitary,\" to which, however, other public works, such as Peak Sewerage, Peak Wells, Jubilee Street Sewers, minor improvements to sewerage, as well as maintenance of sewers, have to be charged.\n\nThe Sewerage and Drainage of the High Level District has been commenced and should be finished within the year; a portion of the Western District may also be commenced. The probable expenditure on works comprised in the above-mentioned estimate in 1890 will be about $40,000.", "txt_file_path": "txt/2diw2n4r2/CO129-250 - Acting Governor Barker - 1891 [6-8].txt", "external_url": "", "rank": 0 }, { "id": 349311, "series_id": 27, "series_slug": "histsyn-co129-engine", "series_title": "CO129 Colonial Office Hong Kong Records 理藩院香港檔案", "series_use_hku_proxy": false, "document_key": "CO129-255 - Governor Sir Robinson - 1892 [5-7]", "page_number": 263, "title": "CO129-255 - Governor Sir Robinson - 1892 [5-7]", "content_text": "262 per acre.\n\n4. Below \"his proposed extension is at high water level and estimate roughly the cost of reclaiming, filling, constructing roads, sewers, storm water channels at $220,000 or 9 cents per square foot acre.\n\n7. It is therefore not unreasonable to expect the Government to entertain exceptional conditions in respect of the Crowson Lease now at $3,700 per acre.\n\n8. The average advance of the land when reclaimed subject to an annual crown rent of $218 per acre would probably be about 10 cents per square foot or $4,356 per acre, but there would be little chance of an area except some large public or private company such as applying for the land over and above the money required for the purposes set forth in this application.\n\nFurther, the Government is relieved of all risk in connection with the project and the providing of funds for the carrying out of these applied for. The actual value of the land after the completion of the preliminary works, which will take about two years to complete, over and above the cost of such work, will be from the foregoing figures $656 per acre subject to an annual crown rent of $218 per acre for 99 years, the term of the proposed lease. Capitalizing at 5%, the present value would be $4,988 per acre.\n\nThe terms offered $10 per acre and $21 annual rent give a return of $426 per acre.\n\n10. As a set off against this large difference will be the improvement...", "txt_file_path": "txt/2diw2n4r2/CO129-255 - Governor Sir Robinson - 1892 [5-7].txt", "external_url": "", "rank": 0 }, { "id": 355711, "series_id": 27, "series_slug": "histsyn-co129-engine", "series_title": "CO129 Colonial Office Hong Kong Records 理藩院香港檔案", "series_use_hku_proxy": false, "document_key": "CO129-264 - Governor Sir Robinson & Public Offices - 1894 [9-12]", "page_number": 697, "title": "CO129-264 - Governor Sir Robinson & Public Offices - 1894 [9-12]", "content_text": "# \n\n55. I do not consider that it would be prudent to raise the Pokfulum dam, an opinion with which the Director of Public Works agrees, and which was also, I believe, held by Mr. Price, the former Surveyor General.\n\n56. In view of a future increase in the population and augmentation in the legitimate consumption of water, the means of making a substantial increase to the total water supply should now be considered. It is very desirable that the supply derivable from the present gathering-ground should be developed to the utmost, rather than water should be collected from several gathering-grounds. To secure the purity of the water, it is necessary that the gathering-ground shall be uninhabited and uncultivated. Two gathering-grounds have already been taken up for the purposes of the public water supply, and the waters of others have been granted to private individuals. It is therefore desirable that no more land be withdrawn from occupation than is absolutely necessary.\n\n57. The Tytam reservoir has a gathering-ground of 700 acres. The same stream, at a point lower down, where its bed is approximately 100 feet above the sea, has a total gathering-ground of 1,490 acres, of which 700 contribute to the existing Tytam reservoir. The flow from 790 acres, plus the overflow and leakage from Tytam reservoir, could be collected in a reservoir constructed at a level of 100 feet above the sea. If a reservoir of suitable size were constructed at this point, an additional supply at least equal to, and probably greater than, that which Tytam now affords could be obtained. The available quantity would depend mainly on the capacity of the reservoir, a point which can only be settled by survey.\n\n58. The water of this reservoir would have to be pumped by steam power into the Tytam tunnel. This is not a very serious matter, however. The Ordnance map of Hong Kong shows that no appreciable additional supply can be collected in the lower Tytam gathering-ground of 790 acres, at an elevation sufficient to flow by gravity into the Tytam tunnel. Nevertheless, the evidence before me tends to show that the Tytam valley is the best source from which extensions to the water supply of Victoria can be obtained. The tunnel and conduit are ready to hand, and no alteration to the distributary system need be made. It will not, I believe, be difficult to arrange matters so that the works may be carried out progressively as demand arises. I therefore recommend that the project for the construction of a new reservoir in the Tytam valley be carefully studied, and the necessary surveys should be put in hand at once.\n\n59. It is probable that a material increase to the water supply may be at once obtained from the Tytam valley, without the construction of a reservoir. Even in the dry season, there is a considerable flow of water in the lower reaches of the Tytam stream: how much I cannot say. The Director of Public Works informs me that he left instructions to gauge the flow during the last dry season. Even gaugings taken during October next would be valuable. If it appears that the flow of the Tytam river is about 1,000,000 gallons a day during October and November, then it will be worth while to put up pumping plant at once. If it were possible to pump some 30 or 40 millions of gallons into the reservoir after the beginning of October, the date at which overflow ceases, and the demand exceeds the supply, the reservoir might be kept full, say till January, and a valuable addition to the dry weather stock would be the result.\n\n60. It is premature to go into close calculations as to the power of the engines and size of main that will be required until the sufficiency of the supply which the Tytam stream affords has been determined by gauging. The following figures may be useful to give a general idea of the magnitude of this work. To raise one million gallons in twenty-four hours to the necessary height (310 feet nett), about 80 H.P. will be required, say three engines of 40 H.P., two to do the day work and one in reserve, in all—120 H.P. effective at $600 per H.P. \n| Item | Cost |\n| --- | --- |\n| 120 H.P. effective at $600 per H.P. | $72,000 |\n| 2,000 yards main laid, at $8 | $16,000 |\n| Weir contingencies, &c. | $12,000 |\n| Total | $100,000 |\n\nSuch a plant would furnish an extra perennial supply of 1,000,000 gallons a day, when the storage reservoir is constructed.\n\n61. The Director of Public Works informs me that a large new reservoir could be constructed just below the Pokfulam dam. Though the water from this new reservoir would not go into the Pokfulam conduit, it would be high enough to supply the lower districts by gravity. In this case, however, a new set of filter beds would be required. It would be better, probably, to pump the water into the conduit, as the lift would not exceed 30 to 40 feet. This project should also be studied.\n\n62. I understand that the recent epidemic of Plague has caused a great exodus, and that it is the intention of the Government to pull down and re-build the houses on the infected area. Consequently, a reduction in the population may be reasonably expected, which will continue for some years to come, and a proportional reduction in the consumption of water may be anticipated. Therefore, I do not consider that it is necessary to adopt hastily any plan for augmenting the water supply.\n\n## CONCLUSION\n\n63. My recommendations may be summed up as follows:\n- (a) The provisions of the Water Ordinance against waste should be strictly and vigorously enforced.\n- (b) The Tytam dam should at once be raised to the utmost extent that appears to be safe.", "txt_file_path": "txt/2diw2n4r2/CO129-264 - Governor Sir Robinson & Public Offices - 1894 [9-12].txt", "external_url": "", "rank": 0 }, { "id": 362955, "series_id": 27, "series_slug": "histsyn-co129-engine", "series_title": "CO129 Colonial Office Hong Kong Records 理藩院香港檔案", "series_use_hku_proxy": false, "document_key": "CO129-275 - Governor Sir Robinson - 1897 [1-5]", "page_number": 471, "title": "CO129-275 - Governor Sir Robinson - 1897 [1-5]", "content_text": "467\n\n7\n\n(2)\n\n(b.) The construction of a carriage road from the Village of Little Hongkong traversing comparatively level ground in a South Easterly direction to the Western shore of Deep Water Bay and from thence along the shore, connecting with the existing road at the North Western corner of the Bay.\n\n(c.) The improvement of the existing road from Taitam Tuk to Taitam Gap and\n\n(d) The improvement of the existing road from Chai Wan Gap to Shaukiwan.\n\nMr. GERSTON STEWART attended the meeting of the Sub-Committee on the 7th instant and explained that he considered that, if this project was carried out in the first instance, say to Deep Water Bay, he was of opinion that it would meet a much felt want by affording an opportunity to all persons of enjoying the Southwest monsoon in summer, and he anticipated that if the road was constructed it would be much used both by Europeans and Asiatics.\n\nHe advocated the completion of the project but, in view of the cost involved, he considered that the Government would have to do the bulk of the work. Looking, however, to the revenue derived by the municipality in Shanghai from a wheel tax, he thought it probable that the revenue derived from a similar tax in this Colony would be sufficient to pay the interest on any loan that it might be necessary to raise to meet the expenditure on this project.\n\nMr. STEWART mentioned, as instancing the popularity of his scheme, that in 2 or 3 days, with but little trouble to himself, he obtained nearly 200 signatures to his letter, which number he could easily have doubled since he forwarded his letter, as he has had further applications to sign from all classes of the community. The road Mr. STEWART proposed should be 20 feet in width, but, if found practicable, he advocated an increased width of 30 feet.\n\nMr. STEWART wished Mr. DENISON's letter of the 30th March and Report on the Proposed Road from Belcher's Bay to Taitam Tuk by Messrs. DENISON and KAM, which he handed into the Committee, to be considered in connection with this project and asked that any further details required as to route and cost of the road should be obtained from Mr. DENISON.\n\nMr. Denison's letter dated 30th March, 1897.\n\nIn this letter Mr. DENISON divides the road along the southern side of the island, connecting Kennedy Town with the existing road along the northern side of the island, into seven sections as follows:\n\nSec. 1. B-C from Kennedy Town to the Waterfall, Aberdeen Road.\n\nSec. 2. C-D from the Waterfall to Little Hongkong.\n\nSec. 3. D-E from Little Hongkong to Deep Water Bay.\n\nSec. 4. E-F from Deep Water Bay to Taitam Tuk.\n\nSec. 5. F-G from Taitam Tuk to Taitam Gap.\n\nSec. 6. G-H from Taitam Gap to Chai Wan Gap.\n\nSec. 7. H-A from Chai Wan Gap to Shaukiwan.\n\nIn their report, Messrs. DENISON and KAM advise an alteration in the route over a portion of Sec. 4, viz., from Repulse Bay to Stanley by leaving the present road on the eastern shore of Repulse Bay and contouring the southern and eastern slopes of the hills between Repulse and Stanley Bays.\n\n(3)\n\nMr. DENISON gives the following estimate of the cost of the several sections, the road being 20 feet in width and constructed at a level of from 15 to 20 feet above ordinary high water:\n\nSection 1, $60,000\n\nSection 3, $10,000\n\nSection 4, $5,000\n\nSections 5 and 6, $25,000\n\nSection 4 (amended route), $30,000\n\nTotal......... $130,000\n\nMr. DENISON attended the meeting of the Committee on the 9th instant and explained that he was of opinion that a fairly level road suitable for the passage of wheeled vehicles could be obtained from Kennedy Town to Shaukiwan, excepting from Taitam Tuk to Taitam Gap, round the southern shore of the Island, using such portions of the existing roads as are suitable, for the sum of $130,000.\n\nOver the section from Taitam Tuk to Taitam Gap Mr. DENISON considered the construction of a road suitable for wheeled vehicles to be impracticable.\n\nMr. DENISON had made no detailed survey and estimate and wished it to be understood that without such a detailed survey he did not consider it practicable to make a reliable estimate within 20 per cent.\n\nMr. DENISON concurred in the view expressed by Mr. STEWART that a road 30 feet wide would be better suited for carriage traffic than one 20 feet in width and that the construction of the road would open out building sites and render land in the vicinity of Stanley suitable for the erection of buildings for manufacturing purposes.\n\nMr. DENISON estimated that increasing the width of the road to 30 feet would involve an additional expenditure of $50,000.\n\nOn the 12th instant Mr. DANBY attended the meeting of the Committee and informed Members that he had considered the construction of a road as proposed by Mr. STEWART.\n\nMr. DANBY had, when in the Government Survey Department, been engaged on a similar project for the construction of a 20 foot road from Belcher's Bay to a point about one mile west of Aberdeen, but the project was abandoned as the cost was considered prohibitive.\n\nAs regards the present project Mr. DANBY considered that, speaking generally, the road should be at an elevation of from 75 to 100 feet above sea level so as to be well out of the reach of the sea during heavy south-westerly gales, and that in order that it should be suitable for carriage traffic the steepest gradient should not exceed 1 in 40.\n\nIt was difficult to see how, without the construction of a tunnel at a cost of $400,000, a road suitable for carriage traffic could be constructed from Taitam Tuk to Taitam Gap.\n\nMr. DANBY had considered the construction of this portion of the road on the slopes to the north of the present road and the best gradient obtainable would not be less than 1 in 15, so that carriages could not use it.\n\nMr. DANBY estimated the cost of the road from Kennedy Town to Shaukiwan including the portion from Taitam Tuk to Taitam Gap at a gradient of 1 in 15 at $225,050.", "txt_file_path": "txt/2diw2n4r2/CO129-275 - Governor Sir Robinson - 1897 [1-5].txt", "external_url": "", "rank": 0 }, { "id": 381188, "series_id": 27, "series_slug": "histsyn-co129-engine", "series_title": "CO129 Colonial Office Hong Kong Records 理藩院香港檔案", "series_use_hku_proxy": false, "document_key": "CO129-305 - Governor Sir Blake - 1901 [5-7]", "page_number": 716, "title": "CO129-305 - Governor Sir Blake - 1901 [5-7]", "content_text": "2 ..... tanks have been provided. The original scheme of having sewer outfalls at North Point and Kennedy Town and the pumping system in connection with those outfalls were abandoned owing to the making of the Praya Reclamation and the probability of a Reclamation in front of Praya East. The question of outfalls is fully discussed in Mr. Chadwick's reports of 1890 referred to below. In these reports the outfalls for the Central and Western parts of the City are mentioned, and it is stated that in the Eastern District \"it is proposed to discharge the sewage by means of numerous outfalls into the harbour in front of the district\" pending future developments as to reclamation or otherwise.\n\nMr. Chadwick concluded these reports with the statement that \"the most essential difference between the project now submitted and that prepared by Mr. Cooper is in the number and position of the outfalls but at the time of the preparation of Mr. Cooper's report the Praya Reclamation was not projected.\"\n\nIt is worth noting that Mr. R. K. Leigh, one of the signatories of the Petition, in a criticism he wrote on Mr. Cooper's proposed scheme of drainage actually condemned the proposed intercepting main drain and pumping stations, but now in common with the other Petitioners he complains that they have not been constructed.\n\nThe enclosures B. and C. also show that the statement made in paragraph 19 that among other works no Depôts for Cattle have been provided; that nothing has been done since 1893 to limit the height of buildings (paragraph 22); that Ordinance 34 of 1899 was enacted \"in an emasculated form, the more drastic remedies recommended by the Sanitary Board with a view to the betterment of the Sanitary condition of the Colony having been deleted therefrom\" (paragraph 23); and that nothing has been done since 1894 to improve the Sanitary condition of the Colony (paragraph 25), are without exception contrary to fact.\n\nAs regards Ordinance 34 of 1899 the only important modifications of the recommendations of the Sanitary Board were in respect of the open spaces required in rear of existing buildings and of the restriction of the height of buildings.\n\nThe Board's original recommendations on the first point went far beyond what Mr. Cooper and Dr. Clark himself had suggested to the Commissioners.\n\nDr. Clark, whose remarks are quoted and who has sat on the Sanitary Board, agreed to the alterations, by which the requirements for spaces in rear of existing buildings were modified and to the restriction as to height of buildings made to apply only to houses erected on land sold after the passing of the Ordinance.\n\nIt should be remembered that the difficulty which confronted the Government in these particular matters was the structural difficulty in providing large spaces except on re-construction of the houses and the question of compensation to owners of property if the law relating to the height of buildings were made retrospective.\n\n5. Having briefly dealt with the facts which the statements B. and C. serve to elucidate, we now propose to examine shortly those points in the Petition which we have not yet touched upon.\n\nIn paragraph 7 the Petitioners complain by implication of the want of public baths. We would point out that in comparatively few cities are public baths provided. In many, as in Shanghai for example, they are provided by private enterprise. It is true that Public Bath Houses have not been built here till the current year when they were undertaken on the Governor's own initiative.\n\nIt is not a matter of great surprise that among the larger and more pressing works carried out in the Colony this item did not find a place earlier.\n\n6. The statement quoted in paragraph 9 that Mr. Chadwick had recommended that the ground surfaces of all dwellings should be concreted and that such concreting was not required till 1894 is inaccurate. What Mr. Chadwick recommended was that earthen floors should be prohibited and this recommendation was given effect to by Section 62 of the Public Health Ordinance 1887 which provided that \"the floor of every area and of every basement storey shall be properly asphalted, paved or covered over with a layer of good concrete at least 9 inches thick.\"\n\nThe ground floors of a majority of houses were accordingly paved with tiles till the law of 1894 made an absolutely impervious material compulsory.\n\nEnclosure D. Ordinance 1 of 1886. Ordinance 2 of 1893.\n\nIn the same paragraph the Petitioners refer to the want of an Improvement Fund and complain that one has not been established. In this connection we would invite attention to the enclosed statement marked D. which shows the total revenue and expenditure and separately the expenditure on Public Works Extraordinary for each year from 1883 to 1900 inclusive, together with the expenditure of the second of the two loans raised by the Colony during that period.\n\nIt should also be borne in mind that in 1894 the financial condition of the Colony appeared to the Unofficial Members of Council to be in such an unsatisfactory state that they asked for and obtained the appointment of a Retrenchment Committee with a view to effecting retrenchments in the public expenditure.\n\nThe financial returns in enclosure D. show that the ordinary revenue of the Colony was not sufficient to meet the expenditure on account of public works extraordinary, without having recourse to two loans amounting in all to £400,000. It is difficult therefore to see how an Improvement Fund could have been created except by a further loan or by increased taxation. It would have been undesirable for many reasons to increase the public debt of the Colony and any rise in taxation would most certainly have been unacceptable.\n\n7. With regard to paragraph 10 it may be noted that there was no necessity to offer a premium for the best design of Chinese house, because several designs have been gratuitously offered. A recommendation was made that a block of model Chinese houses should be built in Taipingshan but the enterprise did not commend itself to the Government who had spent over $800,000 of Public Funds in resuming and laying out the property.\n\n8. In paragraph 13 the Petitioners touch on the question of hawking in the public streets. By means of hawkers the poorer classes can obtain food cheaper than they can in the markets. One of the predisposing causes of Plague is want of nutrition, and various Committees which have examined this subject have advocated the retention of the system under a certain control. This control is exercised by the Police, and officers are especially told off to prevent nuisances being created by the hawkers.\n\nThe complaints referred to were made by an individual member of the Sanitary Board, and on investigation were found as far as any actual nuisance was concerned to be exaggerated.\n\n9. In paragraph 15 an extract is quoted from a letter of the Chamber of Commerce in 1894 in which the Chamber stated that there existed a widespread belief that Mr. Chadwick's scheme of drainage had not been carried out on the original lines, and that the separate system had been more generally applied than was intended.\n\nIt will be remembered that in 1889 questions having arisen as to the system of sewerage to be adopted, Mr. Chadwick re-visited the Colony to initiate upon his own responsibility a scheme of drainage. Mr. Chadwick made three reports dated the 1st of July, 1890, and published in the Government Gazette of the 27th September, 1890. To the extract from the report on the sewerage of the High Level district quoted in the enclosure B. we would add the following extract from the report on the drainage of the Lower, Western and Central Districts of Victoria:\n\n\"In the report on the sewerage of the high level district the objections to the use of storm-water channels for the conveyance of sewage were fully set forth. These objections apply with even greater force in the case of the low level district, where, in many places, the storm-water channels are nearly level and accumulate not only sewer-tainted air but also sewage deposit.\n\nThe methods for the improvement of the drainage of this, and other districts, suggested in my report of 1882 have not been tried. This is fortunate, for my subsequent experience leads to the conclusion that they would not have remedied completely the evils which existed then and which still exist. It will now be necessary to re-sewer the whole district with earthenware pipes; and to divert the sewage proper, or dry-weather-flow of the sewers from the storm-water channels, which are not and cannot be made suitable for its reception. The existing stone channels therefore should revert to their legitimate use, the conveyance of storm-water from the surface of the district and from the hills above it.\"\n\nIn his report on the drainage of the Eastern District Mr. Chadwick wrote \"The principles as to self-cleansing sewers, admission of rain-fall and ventilation which have been laid down in previous reports apply to this district with equal force.\"\n\nHe concluded this series of exhaustive reports with the following remarks \"In conclusion I beg to record my obligation to Mr. Cooper...", "txt_file_path": "txt/2diw2n4r2/CO129-305 - Governor Sir Blake - 1901 [5-7].txt", "external_url": "", "rank": 0 }, { "id": 386138, "series_id": 27, "series_slug": "histsyn-co129-engine", "series_title": "CO129 Colonial Office Hong Kong Records 理藩院香港檔案", "series_use_hku_proxy": false, "document_key": "CO129-313 - Governor Sir Blake - 1902 [10-12]", "page_number": 218, "title": "CO129-313 - Governor Sir Blake - 1902 [10-12]", "content_text": "of a much easier and less costly character than that connected with the reclamation.\n\nNow in progress. If my calculations are correct, this project, if carried out, will do for the Eastern portion of the Colony all and more than all that the Sanitary Board hoped to be able to accomplish, if their proposals for a Sanitary Trust had met with the approval of the Government.\n\n## Reclamation\n\nI propose that the reclamation of the foreshore of the Wanchai district from Arsenal Street to the East Point Refinery should be undertaken and carried out at the expense of the Marine Lot Holders on the same terms as those on which the present reclamation is being carried out, and under a similar, but slightly amended, Ordinance. This reclamation will involve the construction of a sea-wall 5,180 feet in length, starting from the Eastern extremity of the proposed extension of the Naval Yard and Arsenal, and continuous with the outer face of such extension, following on an easy curve the line of the Eastern Praya at a distance from it of about 145 feet and terminating at the Western extremity of the East Point Sugar Refinery premises, and in line with its northern face. It is calculated that the seawall will give an average depth of 16 feet at low water spring tides along its entire face. The land to be reclaimed within the new sea-wall will be laid out as follows:\n\nThe present Praya will be widened to 65 feet; a strip of building land 120 feet in width, specially designed to take two rows of Chinese houses, four stories in height, not exceeding 60 feet in extreme depth and having 15 feet backyards, will be laid out next to the old Praya along the entire length of the reclamation. Outside of that will come a thoroughfare 75 feet wide, beyond that another strip of building land 150 feet wide to allow of the construction of godowns, and then the New Praya, 75 feet wide. Ten streets, 50 feet in width, will traverse the reclamation from the Old to the New Praya. Plan herewith.\n\nFor the purpose of filling in the land to be reclaimed from the sea, the hills on which the Royal Naval Hospital and Morrison Hill houses stand—Inland Lots 84 and 86—will have to be acquired from their owners (acquisitions which can, I believe, be easily obtained on favourable terms hereinafter detailed), and cut down to the level of Queen's Road by the Eastern Market. This cutting down will not only supply all the stone and earth required for the sea-wall and reclamation, but will give the Colony an additional area of level ground of 1,562,100 square feet, or 35.85 acres, and will open out the whole of the Wanchai district, now shut in on the east, to the easterly and south-easterly winds; a further benefit will be conferred on the Colony by the leveling of the roads leading from the City to the Happy Valley.\n\nThe plan sent herewith shows clearly the area proposed to be leveled both north and south of the Queen's Road and also the method in which the new ground is proposed to be laid out. The project includes the widening of the Queen's Road to a breadth of 75 feet from the Eastern Market to the Race Course and Causeway Bay (an immense benefit in itself) and the piercing of the district by 6 other streets, each 50 feet wide, and running parallel to the Queen's Road and 3 at right angles to it, dividing the land into blocks of such size and shape that only the approved style of Chinese houses can be built on them.\n\nThe land to be dealt with by this portion of my scheme covers, as already stated, 1,562,100 square feet, or 35.85 acres. Of this, Inland Lot 84, Morrison Hill, the property of Messrs. Jardine, Matheson & Co., includes 790,614 square feet, or 18.15 acres. Inland Lot 86, the property of the Admiralty, covers 203,014 square feet, or 4.66 acres, and the balance 568,472 square feet, or 13.04 acres is still undisposed of, and is the property of the Government, but is, in its present state, unsaleable.\n\n| Description | Square Feet | Acres |\n|----------------------|-------------|-------|\n| Inland Lot 84 | 790,614 | 18.15 |\n| Inland Lot 86 | 203,014 | 4.66 |\n| Balance | 568,472 | 13.04 |\n\nI believe that I will have no difficulty in arranging, if authorized to do so, with Messrs. Jardine, Matheson & Co. for the surrender by them of the whole of their land on condition that they receive back on the same terms, and at the same rent as at present, about 521,800 square feet of building land, or 11.98 acres, out of the improved area.\n\nAs to the Royal Naval Hospital ground, the acquisition of this involves rather more difficulty and entails a considerable expenditure by the Colonial Government in the first instance—an expenditure, however, to be fully recouped in the end, without interfering with the estimated profit to the Government already referred to.\n\nThe Naval Authorities want a new and improved hospital with more accommodation. They would prefer a site more directly accessible from the water, and farther removed from the Chinese quarter of the City. Flagstaff Hill at Kowloon, now the property of the War Department, would afford ample space for a hospital double the size of the present building, with extensive grounds, the purest air, the freshest breezes at all seasons, and easy accessibility. I estimate that a suitable hospital could be constructed on Flagstaff Hill with every possible convenience for $200,000. This money the Colonial Treasury would have to provide in the first instance, but it could easily be procured locally at 5 per cent. if the Government so wished. As for the ground, the Military have no use for it, and they would gladly exchange it for an equal area more towards the centre of Kowloon. This would entail the resumption of certain lands there which there would be no difficulty in acquiring as the power of the Crown to resume is clear, and the cost would, I think, not exceed $200,000 if resumption was effected at once.\n\nThe total cost of the improvements proposed to be effected is estimated (not including the cost of the new Naval Hospital) at $1,100,000, which is made up as follows:\n\n| Item | Cost |\n|---------------------------------------|------------|\n| Pierre Perdu Sea-wall | $83,650 |\n| Filling in, including Cutting down, Leveling and Laying out of Morrison Hill and Naval Hospital hill | $247,000 |\n| Sewers | $441,200 |\n| Carrying out Channelling of Streets, etc. | $149,000 |\n| Contingencies 5% | $49,500 |\n| | **$1,047,880** |\n| Say | $1,100,000 |\n\nAll these items are worked out at the present high rates of labour and material.\n\nThe whole of this will be borne by the existing Marine Lot holders in the Wanchai district, who will receive an augmentation to their holdings of 1,492,080 square feet divided rateably among them in proportion to their frontages, the Government, in respect of No. 2 Police Station, being numbered amongst the Marine Lot holders and receiving 71,400 square feet of the above. The cost works out at about 70 cents per square foot of available building land reclaimed.\n\nIn addition to the building land added to the Colony by the reclamation, which is calculated to afford accommodation for 1,331 four-storied houses, there will, by the cutting down of Morrison and Naval Hospital Hills and the hills adjoining on the south, as shown in the plan, be added to the available building land in the Colony, leveled and ready for building 994,700 square feet, or 22.83 acres, affording accommodation for 1,082 three-storied houses. Of this, 521,000 square feet, or 11.98 acres, will go to Messrs. Jardine, Matheson & Co. in compensation for the land surrendered by them; 472,900 square feet, or 10.85 acres, will be handed over to the Government free of all cost.\n\nThe Colony will, in addition to the building land thus added to its resources, have acquired, if the scheme is carried out, new streets, etc. covering an area of 1,740,600 square feet, or 39.95 acres, of which two-thirds, or 26.93 acres, will be included in the reclamation.\n\nThe value of the land thus placed at the disposal of the Government is estimated at $1,137,050, namely:\n\n| Lot Description | Square Feet | Rate | Value |\n|----------------------------------------|-------------|--------|---------|\n| Front Lot opposite No. 2 Police Station | 23,500 | $2.00 | $47,000 |\n| Back Lot opposite No. 2 Police Station | 69,000 | $2.00 | $138,000 |\n| Naval Hill Lot | 45,000 | $2.50 | $112,500 |\n| Begal Naval Hill Lot | 472,000 | $2.00 | $944,000 |\n| | | Total | $1,241,500 |\n\nFrom which must be deducted cost:\n\n| Item | Cost |\n|-----------------------------------------|----------|\n| New Royal Naval Hospital | $200,000 |\n| New Site for Military | $200,000 |\n| Compensation to Leaseholders for Resumption | $100,000 |\n| | $500,000 |\n\nBalance in favour of Government $687,050 ($1,187,000 - $500,000).\n\nThe Annual Crown Rents for the new building areas are estimated as follows:\n\n| Area Description | Acres | Rate per Acre | Annual Rent |\n|-------------------|-------|---------------|-------------|\n| Praya East | 54.35 | $350 | $19,022.50 |\n| Royal Naval | 11.10 | $600 | $6,660 |\n| | | | **$25,682.50** |\n\nThe annual rateable value of the houses when built is estimated at $1,158,240, and is made up as follows:\n\n2,413 Houses at $40 per House—a Gross Annual Rental of $96,520; Rateable Value @ 13% = $12,547.60 (for 1,082 houses) and for 1,331 houses $159,571.\n\nThe Government would, therefore, not only have ground to dispose of, of the value of $687,050, but would have an annual revenue of $184,481, which, capitalized at 5%, would amount to $3,689,620.\n\nI respectfully submit this scheme for the approval of the Government and of the Secretary of State.\n\nThe proposals have been carefully thought out, and the calculations are fairly accurate. Our experience with the Praya Reclamation Scheme now in process of execution enables me to judge with certainty as to the character of the work to be done, the cost to be incurred, and the time to be taken, and also as to the benefits to the Colony from the works proposed.\n\nThe Wanchai district will be laid open to ventilation and improvement in a way in which it could not possibly be dealt with before. The removal of the two hills to the Eastward will add immensely to the area of the district, and to the easy accessibility of the districts to the east of it. The reclamation will add further to its area. The proposed new roads and Praya will facilitate the erection of healthful buildings and the improved sanitation of the neighbourhood. The erection of all new houses will be brought under the strictest sanitary rules. This will compel landlords to improve and rebuild in the area now under occupation. An immense addition will be made to the area of the district, and to the income to be derived from it by the Colony at a minimum of expense, and with a minimum of disturbance of existing interests.\n\nBut—and I beg most respectfully to call attention to it—if the benefits indicated are to be derived from this project, it must be proceeded with at once, and vigorously. It must be finished within five years, and with proper measures, it can be done easily in that time.\n\nIt is a much simpler undertaking than the Western Reclamation, but if it is to draw the population from the central part of the City, and ease the pressure of population there, it must be accompanied by some intelligent scheme of tramway communication between the heart and the extremities of the City, which will be cheap and attractive.\n\nOf all things, speed is the most important; otherwise, the steady increase in the population of the Colony will overtake the provision to be made for their accommodation.\n\nPage 214", "txt_file_path": "txt/2diw2n4r2/CO129-313 - Governor Sir Blake - 1902 [10-12].txt", "external_url": "", "rank": 0 }, { "id": 390458, "series_id": 27, "series_slug": "histsyn-co129-engine", "series_title": "CO129 Colonial Office Hong Kong Records 理藩院香港檔案", "series_use_hku_proxy": false, "document_key": "CO129-320 - Governor Sir Blake Acting Governor May - 1903 [11-12]", "page_number": 11, "title": "CO129-320 - Governor Sir Blake Acting Governor May - 1903 [11-12]", "content_text": "# \npectinct from daily Press of 19th October 1907\n\n## \n\nbe lost in bringing the scheme to perfection by erecting this adjunct. Having reached this stage, it was hoped that the fulfilment of the scheme for the Hospital would proceed without impediment. The plans and estimates had been prepared by Messrs. Palmer and Turner, whose original design was considered first in order of merit in the competition which had been held for a building in the Civil Hospital Grounds; but when tenders were invited they proved so far in excess of the estimates that it seemed impossible to proceed further. After much trouble, a tender was finally obtained at a rate within the funds at the disposal of the Committee, and the work has now, as you see, been successfully completed. The total expenditure upon the Hospital and quarters has been $11,891.05, and with the interest which has accrued on the principal, we have been enabled practically to meet this sum. There have, however, been some extras incurred—as is the case in every large building—which you, Sir, have kindly undertaken, on the part of the Government, to defray, our funds being absolutely exhausted.\n\nTurning now to the Road, as I have already stated, one-half of the Fund, amounting to $92,190.69, was allotted for its construction. A considerable period was spent in the making of surveys and preparation of estimates, which were carried out by the Public Works Department, under the guidance of the late Director, Mr. R. D. Ormsby, the work extending from Kennedy Town via Aberdeen, Stanley, and Tytam Tuk to Shaukiwan. When this preliminary work had been completed, Mr. Ormsby reported very unfavourably upon the section of the road which it was proposed to make out of the Fund, namely that from Kennedy Town to Aberdeen, whilst Major-General Black, then General Officer Commanding, raised serious objection to its construction on military grounds. Several ineffectual attempts were made locally to overcome the opposition to the scheme, and finally an appeal to Downing Street on the subject became necessary. This appeal was successful, but the sanction for the construction of the road was hampered in its being laid on a higher level than was originally intended. The carrying out of this scheme was entrusted to Messrs. Denison, Ram, and Gibbs, who devised a suitable route for the road, and tenders were received which came within the means apportioned to it, and the work has been satisfactorily concluded.\n\nHaving thus contributed this section of the Jubilee Road, we now look to the Government to take in hand the completion of the project for a high road that will practically encircle the island, opening up all its many beauties to lovers of scenery and of nature. The total cost of these two works has been $231,163.32, and I may here point out that the delays entailed by the various difficulties encountered have not been without some compensating advantages, inasmuch as the interest accumulated on the Fund materially augmented our resources and has permitted of the original proposals being carried out in a substantial and workmanlike manner.\n\nHaving now stated in outline the history of these two Memorial works, it only remains for me to ask your Excellency to be good enough to declare the Hospital open, to effect which purpose I beg to hand you this silver key. (Applause.)\n\n## \n\nHIS EXCELLENCY, having accepted the key, said—Sir Paul Chater, ladies and gentlemen, I have listened with great interest to your account of the Road and the Hospital that were rightly decided upon as a fitting memorial of that beloved Queen whose memory will always remain green in our hearts and whose name will go down the ages as the greatest amongst the great Queens of history. The difficulties about the Jubilee Road I remember very well. When I came here first, the foundation-stone had just been laid by my predecessor in the presence of a considerable crowd, among them, no doubt, the General Officer Commanding, who instead of opposing the Governor's trowel with his sword—slaying the masons, and carrying away the bottle with the newspapers—placed there for the enlightenment of future archæologists, returned to his quarters, took up the mightier weapon, and wrote that the road was a military danger and must not be. Then I remember the time when the controversy arose whether the road should go by Shaukiwan or by Kennedy Town. The Government, who, as we know, subscribed half the funds, were rather inclined to favour the Shaukiwan Road, which would have given a driving road for about 20 miles. But the Committee were very firm and absolutely declined to have that road from Shaukiwan.\n\nOf course, I need hardly tell you that with their pertinacity they succeeded in dominating the Government on that point. The argument on the one side was that you would have a driving road round the island. On the other side, it was said you would have a road round Mount Davis on which the Chinese would come out in the afternoons and would be seen there in crowds enjoying the lazy south-western breezes laden with the odours of Cheung Chow. (Laughter.) The real secret of the Committee's determination was never openly stated. I do not know how it got about. It may have been that one of the Committee was, like Cassius, lean of soul, and in his sleep did mutter his affairs. (Laughter.) The real secret, I believe, was that the Committee said the Government have undertaken to finish this road and it will take up all the money we have to make this small bit round Mount Davis, and if we do not spend it on that difficult piece of road, we will never see it done.\n\nNow we have a very good 16-feet road there at present. So far as we can see, it appears to be principally for the purpose of affording an opportunity to the Dairy Farm of sending their milk by the higher and lower levels. It has been completed in part at such a level as would probably shorten the wind of any assailant who attempted to take the island that side and leave him an easy victim of the Volunteers or other defenders of that section. (Laughter.) It is true that with the persevering determination that characterises everything in Hongkong, portions of the road after the heavy rains attempted bodily to convey themselves to the sea level, but they were coaxed back into position by Messrs. Denison and Ram, and now it is a good road, and I hope it will be availed of by a large number of people and ultimately will be completed round the island, when I hope it will satisfy all the conditions that were intended.\n\nAnd now, Sir Paul Chater, and ladies and gentlemen, as regards the Hospital: this is a work, I think, against which no caviller could say one word, and I look forward with great pleasure to the unique opportunity of turning the key in the entrance-door of a building 1,000 feet above the foundation stone which was laid, I believe, originally near the Government Civil Hospital. (Laughter.) This building, with its 41 beds, and situated as it is above the vitiated atmosphere of the crowded city, must be, I am sure, a blessing in the future to the poor people who will be accommodated here. It is a fitting memorial to our late beloved Queen, and I am sure we will all join in wishing it God-speed. I have great pleasure in declaring that it is well and duly opened. (Applause.)\n\nThe company entered the Hospital and His Excellency then turned the key in the entrance-door and inspected it.\n\nRefreshments were afterwards served.\n\nPage 12\nPage 20", "txt_file_path": "txt/2diw2n4r2/CO129-320 - Governor Sir Blake Acting Governor May - 1903 [11-12].txt", "external_url": "", "rank": 0 }, { "id": 395240, "series_id": 27, "series_slug": "histsyn-co129-engine", "series_title": "CO129 Colonial Office Hong Kong Records 理藩院香港檔案", "series_use_hku_proxy": false, "document_key": "CO129-326 - Foreign Office - 1904", "page_number": 577, "title": "CO129-326 - Foreign Office - 1904", "content_text": "574\n\n12\n\nthe \"pagode\" were so little advanced, and my bedroom was empty of furniture but full of chinks.\n\nTo the south and west of Chitien is a long ridge with a really fine plantation of tall firs. The railway runs along the level at the foot of this ridge, and part of the embankment is complete. Thence it crosses into a small desolate valley through a very low pass of solid rock, now being cut. From this pass, across the valley, can be seen the Yunnan Plain and Lake—for this (28th May) is the last stage. There are no signs yet of the passage of the line into the plain, though it should not be very difficult; but in the plain itself, here full of pear orchards, work is in preparation for a stone viaduct of 10 metres span. It is in connection with this viaduct that the story went abroad of a demand for Chinese babies—as cement—but these legends are, if only for the moment, happily discredited. Beyond the viaduct I met with no sign of the railway until I crossed the broken hill some 10 miles from Yunnan city. On the western slope a stone quarry has been appropriated, and the fact is announced by an unguarded triangular flag lettered in black on a white ground.\n\nWhat is being done, or contemplated, in the immediate neighbourhood of the city itself I have elsewhere described. What I have, I find, forgotten to mention is that the line is a single line, and once made could not be doubled except at an expenditure far in excess of its excessive original cost.\n\nThe impression most deeply made upon me by my journey was that the \"trace\" selected by the French for their railway is certainly not less difficult than the line of the road between Têngyüeh and Hsiakuan, condemned by Baber's epigram; but that nevertheless they mean to succeed with it, and will succeed. A route from Kunlong Ferry via Yün Chou, Yünnan-i, and Ch'uhsiung to Yünnan-fu would, I feel convinced, meet with far fewer obstacles, except perhaps between Yün Chou and Mitu. The half of this route that I have traversed (from Hung-ai, 10 miles north of Mitu, to Yunnan-fu) seems to my unprofessional eye not only feasible but, except in some half-dozen places, comparatively easy. That this has not escaped the notice of the French, and that they have no intention of allowing Yunnan-fu to long remain their terminus, is evident if only from the railway chart of \"Yunnan-sen\" (my inclosure No. 5).* Here will be seen a dotted line sweeping round to the east and north of the city and labelled \"Embranchement vers Tali.\"\n\nSubordinates, and others who have no need to weigh their words, speak openly of French rights to the reversion of Yunnan—of the whole province at least as far west as Tali.\n\nOne enthusiastic writer some four years ago declared that Yünnan was destined to make up to French colonists for the loss of Canada. In any case it is the undisguised intention of the Tonquin authorities to establish somewhere, on the line of the railway through \"the Plateau,\" a sanatorium for their employés, civil and military. This may possibly be at the highest point of the line, above the Yang-tsung Lake, not far from the sulphur springs; or it may be in the neighbourhood of Yünnan-fu itself, in our western or northern hills. Whatever may arrive, it is certain that all this money—some have reckoned the probable total cost as high as 330,000,000 fr.—is not being spent in order to facilitate the sale in Yunnan Province of Manchester cottons or of Indian yarn.\n\nAs a commercial undertaking the railway cannot pay if it stops short at Yunnan-fu. I do not altogether hold with Mr. Litton that it is \"for a strategic line from Laokai to Yunnan city and nothing else.\" It will in any case tap the plains of Mengtse, A-mi, Posi, and I-liang, besides that of Yunnan-fu; and of these Mongtse and I-liang are not to be contemned. It will, moreover, even without the construction of actual \"embranchements,\" drain all the trade of Eastern Yünnan, and will, unless the Indian Government relaxes its prohibitions, secure the entire carriage of opium destined for Canton. At the same time it is impossible to believe that its projectors did not contemplate its extension beyond Yünnan-fu. Violent Anglophobes, such as Fontenoy's \"in the 'Courrier d'Haiphong,'\" exult in the thought that this French line will ultimately meet in Szechuan a branch of the Russian railway to Hsi-an, and so shut off India from the Yang-tsze Valley.\n\nThese are vapourings, no doubt, but we cannot afford to treat them altogether with contempt. As long as it seemed uncertain whether the project of a French line from Laokai to Yunnan-fu would not be smothered through internal dissensions or Chinese chicanery, an attitude of indifference was permissible to us. We now see and know that the project is being actually carried through, and that Tonquin will, unless something unforeseen prevents, be in railway communication with this city in at most six years—possibly in three. We should not, I submit, continue to sit still, but should without further delay demand a concession from China of the line from Kunlong Ferry to Tali and Yunnan-fu—or, better still, right on to Hankow. I do not think that the Provincial Government here would oppose. They are perturbed at the French advance, before which they know that they are helpless; and the less ignorant among them see that Yunnan Province would have a better chance of preserving its independence, both in fact and in name, if British interests could be played off against French claims.\n\n(Signed) W. H. WILKINSON.\n\nYünnan-fu, May 29, 1904.\n\n13", "txt_file_path": "txt/2diw2n4r2/CO129-326 - Foreign Office - 1904.txt", "external_url": "", "rank": 0 }, { "id": 397776, "series_id": 27, "series_slug": "histsyn-co129-engine", "series_title": "CO129 Colonial Office Hong Kong Records 理藩院香港檔案", "series_use_hku_proxy": false, "document_key": "CO129-330 - Public Offices - 1905", "page_number": 266, "title": "CO129-330 - Public Offices - 1905", "content_text": "## Inclosure 4 in No. 1.\n\n**Correction for altered setting**\n\n1898 \n1903 \n: \n8 \n\n| Mean of recorded-- | Range. | High Water. | Low Water. |\n| --- | --- | --- | --- |\n| | Ft. in. | Ft. in. | Feet, |\n| | 12 6.6 | 8 0·7 | 6 0·0 |\n| | 6 0.0 | 6 06 | 2 0.7 |\n| | 6-55 | 2-00 | 4.49 |\n| | Feet. | Fect. | |\n| | 7.14 | 2.48 | 0:37 |\n| | 0.37 | 6-77 | 2.11 |\n| | 4:06 | | |\n\nCollecting these together we get the following:-\n\n| Year | Mean of Daily-- | Mean Range. | High Water. | Low Water- |\n| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |\n| 1882 | | 6-80 | 2:08 | 4-72 |\n| 1888 | 0-80 | 2.48 | 4:32 | |\n| 1893 | 6:48 | 2-26 | 4.22 | |\n| 1898 | 6-55 | 2-06 | 4.40 | |\n| 1903 | 6-77 | 201 | 4.66 | |\n\nIt is plain from these that there is nothing significant either of a lessened range or of a heightened low-water level.\n\nCoast Inspector's Office, Canton, November 2, 1904.\n\n(Signed) \nW. FERD. TAYLOR, \nCoast Inspector\n\n## Inclosure 5 in No. 1.\n\nChina Association to Acting Consul-General Campbell.\n\nSir,\n\nAs the Imperial Maritime Customs have undertaken the work of removing the barriers from the Canton River, and as it has been reported that their project does not embrace the entire clearance of all these obstructions, this Committee would like to know to what extent it is proposed to carry out the provisions of Article V of the Mackay Treaty.\n\nAccording to the advertisement inserted in the local papers calling for tenders for the work, it would seem that it is only intended to remove the central section of the Iron (`Sha Lo Tib`) Barrier.\n\nThe Committee would therefore be glad if you will kindly apply to the Imperial Maritime Customs for details of the scheme, in order that they may be placed in a position to judge of the effectiveness of the proposed clearance, so far as the unobstructed navigation of the river is concerned,\n\nSir, \nI have, &c.\n\n(Signed) R. CHATTERTON WILCOX, Chairman.\n\nHong Kong, October 11, 1904.\n\n## Inclosure 6 in No. 1.\n\nActing Consul-General Campbell to Mr. Wilcox.\n\nCanton, November 5, 1904.\n\nWITH reference to your letter of the 11th October, I beg to inclose, for the information of the China Association, a copy of a letter which has been sent to me by the Commissioner of Customs, forwarding a Memorandum drawn up by Mr. W. F. Tyler, Coast Inspector of the Chinese Imperial Maritime Customs, with regard to the work at present in progress for the removal of the barriers in the Canton River.\n\nThe contents of Mr. Tyler's Memorandum will be considered by the British authorities concerned. In the meantime I should mention that it is not intended by Mr. Tyler that the works mentioned in his Memorandum are necessarily to be looked upon as a final treatment of the barrier question.\n\nThe nine plans accompanying Mr. Tyler's Memorandum have been sent to the Colonial Secretary in Hong Kong, and I would suggest an application to him as your most convenient course for obtaining information in regard to them.\n\n259\n\nSir, \nI have, &c.\n\n(Signed) \nC. W. CAMPBELL.\n\nActing Consul-General Campbell to Colonial Secretary, Hong Kong.\n\nCanton, November 5, 1904. WITH reference to my despatch of the 20th August, I have the honour to inclose a copy of a letter received from the Commissioner of Customs at Canton, transmitting Memorandum drawn up by Mr. W. F. Tyler, Coast Inspector of the Imperial Maritime Customs, who is superintending the works at present in progress for the removal of the barriers in the Canton River,\n\nThe scope of these works, which are not necessarily to be considered in any way final, is indicated in the Memorandum and accompanying plans. It is important that technical opinions on the works now undertaken should be obtained from qualified persons, and the removal of the barriers being a matter of immediate consequence to the Colony of Hong Kong, it occurs to me that you may be able to submit Mr. Tyler's Memorandum and plans to an official expert forthwith.\n\nI understand that the opinion of Mr. J. L. Houston, the engineer who is superintending the extension of the Naval Yard at Hong Kong, would be valuable, and, unless you see objection, I would suggest that the Memorandum and plans might be submitted to him as well as to the Colony's expert.\n\nI have, &c. \n(Signed) C. W. CAMPBELL. \nI have, &c. \n(Signed) \nC. W. CAMPBELL.", "txt_file_path": "txt/2diw2n4r2/CO129-330 - Public Offices - 1905.txt", "external_url": "", "rank": 0 }, { "id": 415914, "series_id": 27, "series_slug": "histsyn-co129-engine", "series_title": "CO129 Colonial Office Hong Kong Records 理藩院香港檔案", "series_use_hku_proxy": false, "document_key": "CO129-351 - Public Offices - 1908", "page_number": 79, "title": "CO129-351 - Public Offices - 1908", "content_text": "4\n\nin the junk channel, and at the same time diminishing the water in the ship channel, It is highly probable that the time will come when the ship channel is no longer navigable, and the junk channel not yet open. It may be assumed that Shanghai may will be cut off from the sea for about a year. On the other hand, what is to become of the river if, in spite of the proposed dams or sink-works in the ship channel, the ebb current should not be deflected towards the junk channel, but should circumvent the dams or sink-work laterally, only still more tearing down its bank? We all know how easily the alluvial soil in those parts is moved and dissolved. If a harder obstacle is placed in the river, the latter will circumvent it, as it has done with the defence works, and will turn against its banks. In case that should happen, we should for a very long time have a disturbed navigable course, for to get the \"zinkstuks\" heavily loaded with stones out of the water again will certainly not be an easy task.\n\nIn the article of the \"North China Daily News\" of the 27th August, 1906, it is said, under \"Restraining Works\"; \"The ship channel is, of course, far deeper than the bars, and the restraining works for the purpose of turning the stream gradually into the junk channel will not in any way impede navigation.\" That is to say, the ship channel is first to be filled up to the height of the bar. We should then have a bar of the length of the ship channel. It is quite possible for steamers to pass a short bar at a favourable time, but it is impossible to pass so long a stretch of river; with so little water underneath, a ship would no longer obey the helm, and injuries to ships would be unavoidable. But what of the whole question, after it has been found that the inner bar has disappeared or is in course of disappearing? To-day, therefore, there would no longer be any question of filling up to the height of the bar, but only of creating an entirely new and long bar. If to-day the outer bar is removed, then the way as far as Shanghai will be free for large vessels until the completion of this work,\n\nFrom what has been said it appears necessary that M. de Rijke should give a more detailed explanation, so that it may be possible to see what shape his project has taken on at present, and whether the assumptions on which the foregoing remarks have been based, and which take into consideration the information hitherto available, will hold good also in future. If that is the case, or if the answer does not show that a fundamental alteration of the original project removing the doubts advanced above has taken place, or if it is not possible to obtain an answer without delay, it appears best, in view of the doubtful success, the exceedingly high expenditure, and the steadily improving navigable course (of the ship channel) for the present only to remove the outer bar, and to cease working on Gough Island until all apprehensions shall have been cleared away. By this temporary stopping of the work on Gough Island the result of the whole undertaking will, technically, in no way be jeopardized or prejudiced.\n\nBut if these things are allowed to go on, a good navigable course will, without the least immediate gain, be unnecessarily exposed to the greatest danger—a navigable course the perfecting of which would be feasible within the limits of an expenditure by no means unreasonable.\n\n(Signed)\n\nInclosure 2 in No. 1.\n\nH. SCHNELLHOSS,\n\nMemorandum by German Shipping Firms at Shanghai.\n\nWE, the Undersigned, representing the largest German shipping interest in Shanghai, respectfully beg to submit to the Imperial German Consulate-General the following:\n\nThe chart of the Whangpoo River, published of late by the Whangpoo River Conservancy Board, and the Quarterly Reports of this Board, as well as recent soundings, show that the Whangpoo River during the last few years has continually improved, and this, indeed, to such an extent that the so-called \"Inner Bar\" has almost disappeared, and that there is to-day from the arsenal to the mouth of the river a uniform depth of at least 18 feet at lowest water level; in other words, the result which the work now commenced by the River Conservancy tries to achieve is already almost in existence.\n\nM. de Rijke's scheme, as far as we know, intends to close up the present fairway—the so-called \"Ship Channel\"—and to open in place of it the \"Junk Channel,\" which is at present entirely silted up. If we now compare the opinion and inferences given by M. de Rijke in his earlier Report with the findings given in the Quarterly Reports about the present state of the river, there is, no doubt, reason for grave misgivings, viz., that by the execution of the present scheme the shipping on the Whangpoo might possibly be endangered most seriously.\n\nWe beg to give some extracts from M. de Rijke's Report and the Quarterly Reports referring also to the new chart:—\n\nExtracts from the Report to the Shanghai General Chamber of Commerce on the Water Approaches to Shanghai, by J. de Rijke. Dated, Tokio, the 10th January, 1898.\n\nShip Channel Decreasing.\n\n§ XXXV.\n\nPage 12. \"The Ship Channel, through which every sea vessel has still to pass, is decreasing very perceptibly, as can be seen from the cross sections.\"\n\n§ XXXVI\n\n\"It is plain that the Ship Channel at its upper end has everything in its favour for the ebb current to enter it, but by the increasing deposits in its lower end the ebb cannot make its way through...\n\nPage 13. \"The greater quantity of ebb water flows down along the much wider and more capacious Junk Channel.\n\n\"The passage (over the inner bar) might still be kept open for another period, but it should be borne in mind that all the while the general deterioration of the river is going on at an increased rate, and that the Ship Channel is steadily losing in depth and width and in power to maintain itself.\n\n\"So much is now perfectly clear that in case this section of the river has to be improved by regulating works, by which to form one uniform channel instead of the two, that channel must be the Junk Channel, and not the other, the Ship Channel.\"\n\nPage 43. To regulate properly the barrier reach between Kajow and Pheasant Point to one uniform channel, i.e., without interfering too much with the present navigation, and what is of still greater importance, without causing further obstructions to the tide, is not at all an easy work, nor can this be done in a hurry; there is, however, one thing that promises to facilitate this greatly, viz., the natural tendency, already existing, of the main currents to follow the Junk Channel.”\n\nExtracts from the Quarterly Reports of the Whangpoo Conservancy Board, showing the present state of the Whangpoo.\n\nThe Depth all along Ship Channel has much increased, Junk Channel is blocked by increased silting.\n\n(See Quarterly Reports of the Whangpoo Conservancy Board.)\n\nNovember 9, 1906.\n\n\"The extraordinary ebb from flooded lagoons and long-continued high water in the Yang-tsze, beating back the flood tide, has had a bad effect on the Junk Channel—the proposed future fairway, causing it to silt up, while the Ship Channel, which will later on be gradually shoaled, has deepened; this, it is feared, means increased expenditure at a future date.\"\n\nJanuary 26, 1907.\n\n\"The depth of water in the river generally has greatly increased owing to the heavy rains, remarked on last quarter, washing out the channel (Ship Channel), and consequently defence work has proved more difficult. Gough Island reach, where some of the largest works have to be made, has grown much deeper, and the shallowing of the Ship Channel will be much more expensive than at first estimated.\"\n\nApril 20, 1907.\n\nEarly in January, when the flood tides entering the river were regaining strength and finding Junk Channel blocked by increased silting.\n\nsome increase of depth on the inner bar are very satisfactory,\n\n\"A resounding of Gough Island reach shows that the depth all along Ship Channel has increased, while Junk Channel has shallowed.\n\nCompared with previous surveys, the general conditions of the river's mouth and the outer bar is much better than before.\"", "txt_file_path": "txt/2diw2n4r2/CO129-351 - Public Offices - 1908.txt", "external_url": "", "rank": 0 }, { "id": 492282, "series_id": 27, "series_slug": "histsyn-co129-engine", "series_title": "CO129 Colonial Office Hong Kong Records 理藩院香港檔案", "series_use_hku_proxy": false, "document_key": "CO129-475 - Governor Sir Stubbs & Acting Governor Claud Severn - 1922 [5-7]", "page_number": 212, "title": "CO129-475 - Governor Sir Stubbs & Acting Governor Claud Severn - 1922 [5-7]", "content_text": "September 3rd, 1921.\n\nST. JOSEPH'S COLLEGE.\n\nIMPORTANT EDUCATIONAL EXTENSION.\n\nThe new class-room of St. Joseph's College form a striking addition to the architectural features of the Peak's lower slopes.\n\nWith 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 supplies 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 Government 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.\n\nIt had been hoped to provide laboratories 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 constructed, so as to join the old school buildings to the new, the whole forming three sides of a square.\n\nBut enough, for the nonce, of what might have been.\" It must not be supposed, 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.\n\nOn the top 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 all 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.\n\nIt 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 building, masters' rooms, luncheon rooms for pupils and cloak rooms and lavatories, provided with the water carriage system.\n\nAN EARLY EDUCATIONALIST.\n\nThe exterior of the building is imposing. 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.\n\nThe 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 beginning of the eighteenth century, was the founder of popular education in France. He founded the Society of the Christian Brothers—devoted entirely to the furtherance of education—which has now extended over a great part of the world.\n\nThe original design of the building provided 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 probably be tempted to sadly contrast the real with the ideal.\n\nBANK OF EAST ASIA.\n\nNEW PREMISES COMPLETED.\n\nThe Bank of East Asia moves to its new offices, No. 10, Des Voeux Road Central, on Sept. 5th.\n\nThe term \"new offices\" seems permissible, in the circumstances, for, although the shell of the old building remains, the place has undergone such a complete transformation, under the direction of Messrs. Little, Adams & Wood, architects, that recent arrivals in the Colony might very reasonably suppose the building to be an entirely new one.\n\nWhat 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, but this is because the granite has been \"punched.\" The roof, has been extensively re-laid; walls have been strengthened and new stanchions have been put in, so that the building, if not new, in the full sense of the word, is as good as new.\n\nThe building has, now, teak-covered concrete floors. The ground floor is 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 counter fittings and much of the other metal work is locally made.\n\nThe two offices floors above are fitted as offices. All woodwork is of teak and is fitted with swinging, wall blackboards of American construction. All woodwork is of stained teak; the floors are of concrete, covered with teak, but, on the top floor, mosaic tiling in the public space is supplied by Messrs. Malkin, of London. Modern sanitary arrangements are installed throughout the building.\n\nTHE BANK OF CHINA.\n\nHONGKONG SKY-SCRAPER COMPLETED.\n\nAn 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.\n\nMessrs. 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.\n\nThe building is a six-storeyed one, reinforced concrete framed. It is 90 feet high, and when the next-door building is completed, in the same style, the whole block will measure a hundred feet square. To all intents and purposes, the two buildings will form a monster cube, within a few feet of being 100 feet wide, by 100 feet deep, by 100 feet high. The adjoining premises are being rebuilt, to the same height, for the Shanghai Commercial and Savings Bank.\n\nThe 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.\n\nThe 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 concerned. All the floors and roof are of concrete, and the whole of the woodwork is of teak.\n\nThere 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.\n\nACCOMMODATION FOR 600 PUPILS.\n\nThe new class-rooms, erected at the northern end of the school playground, parallel with the existing buildings, provide upwards of 20 rooms and will comfortably accommodate 600 pupils, or 750 with only a little squeezing. The building is a four-storey one, of reinforced concrete, with five class-rooms on each floor, and verandahs giving, at one and the same time, access to the class-rooms and protection from sun and rain. The verandahs and corridors are paved with 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 downstairs, treading close on one another's heels.\n\nThe class-rooms are of an ideal size from an educational point of view, neither too large nor too small. Each room is fitted with ...\n\nSHENSI BRIGAND SHOT.\n\nReuter'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 recently imprisoned Mr. Stevens, the English 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 relations with Kuangtung for many years.\n\nWhen 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.\n\nMeanwhile, however, Generals Yen and Feng had made close inquiries into the records of Kuo and other suspected characters.\n\nConvincing evidence of many crimes carried out by Kuo was secured, and he was summarily shot by order of the Tuchun.", "txt_file_path": "txt/2diw2n4r2/CO129-475 - Governor Sir Stubbs & Acting Governor Claud Severn - 1922 [5-7].txt", "external_url": "", "rank": 0 }, { "id": 523803, "series_id": 27, "series_slug": "histsyn-co129-engine", "series_title": "CO129 Colonial Office Hong Kong Records 理藩院香港檔案", "series_use_hku_proxy": false, "document_key": "CO129-523-12 Currency situation 17-2-1930 - 9-7-1930", "page_number": 57, "title": "CO129-523-12 Currency situation 17-2-1930 - 9-7-1930", "content_text": "57\n\n[-0.\n\nI-D.\n\n- 2\n\nIt was, of course, postulated that success required the co-operation of all the Colony's banks and that it might be necessary to withdraw temporarily from circulation the one dollar bank note until the public grew accustomed to handling silver again. Of the total note issue of $64,000,000 the one dollar note accounts for $3,000,000 only.\n\n6. The subsequent course of events culminating in the subsidence of the premium early in October is recorded by the Colonial Treasurer, in a supplementary memorandum (No. IC) prefaced by some additional observations on the causes and the effects of the premium suggested by further experience of its workings.\n\n7. The premium continued to climb in September and the Colonial Treasurer after a series of interviews with individual bankers invited representatives of all the Chinese banks of the Colony to meet at the Treasury and place before him any concrete proposal they wished to put forward to relieve the situation. At the close of the meeting, the proceedings of which are recorded in document No. II), the Treasurer took the opportunity to assure the bankers that the Government was giving the most careful consideration to the problem and would, if necessary, call in expert advice with a view to finding out what action, if any, could be taken to control the situation.\n\n8. The immediate sequel was a sudden demand for Gold currency in anticipation of the disappearance of the premium and so insistent was this demand that the premium melted away in about three days (October 3rd to 5th) and has so far (i.e. November 4th, 1929) shown no indication of recurring.\n\n4th November, 1929.\n\nI-A.\n\n(ed.)\n\nM. J. BREEN,\n\nActing Colonial Treasurer.\n\nPremium on Bank Notes.\n\nThe Metallic units of the Hong Kong Currency are the British silver dollar and the Mexican dollar both of which are legal tender to any amount and can be exported or imported without restriction. The former contains 374.4 grains of silver, and the latter 375.62. Three Banks, the Hong Kong and Shanghai, The Chartered and The Mercantile, are permitted to issue notes which are likewise unlimited customary tender in ordinary commercial usage.\n\nThe British dollar was minted in London and Bombay originally for British places in Asia. As separate local currencies were instituted in the Straits and Malaya, its legal circulation was progressively restricted and is now in effect confined to Hong Kong alone. It circulates with other dollars to a limited extent in China, but not to any great extent. A small number of Hong Kong dollars were minted at the Hong Kong Mint years ago but they are now obsolete and hardly ever met with. The number of British dollars in circulation is about 200,000,000. The number of Mexican dollars is unknown. They are no longer minted.\n\nThe extent of the note issue current is as follows:-\n\n \n Hong Kong & Shanghai Bank\n $47,198,193\n \n \n Chartered Bank\n $15,205,761\n \n \n Mercantile Bank\n $1,699,455\n \n \n or a total of $64,103,409 being $85 per head of the Colony's population. The corresponding figures for The Straits and Malaya and for Ceylon are $47 and Rs.14 per head respectively.\n \n\n3\n\nPeriodic discrepancies in value between silver dollars and notes have always been a feature of Hong Kong's currency system as they had been of the Straits system prior to the institution of a Government note issue in that colony in 1899. The records show a comparatively narrow range of movement compared to the present record figure of 15% but the inconvenience was so resented by the Straits mercantile community that the Colonial Government took over the note issue in 1899. (They did not however put their currency on a fixed gold basis until some years later).\n\nThe Hong Kong Government was pressed to follow suit the same year but the then Governor Sir W. Robinson was in favour of awaiting the result of a few years' working of the note issue of the Straits Government. Consequently the question was shelved indefinitely, though the Secretary of State had originally suggested it.\n\nIn 1908 the premium reached as high as 33% and the problem became acute once more, and an agitation sprang up to force the Government to improve the \"mobility\" of the currency. About the same time the Mercantile Bank demanded the privilege of a note issue, a concession that could only be withheld if the Government note issue was to be instituted. Consequently the issue had to be faced. It was assumed that any further extension of the banks' note issue would only prove a stop gap as it would necessarily be limited and also assumed a little precipitately that a Government issue being unlimited would alone solve the problem permanently and legislation based on the Straits Ordinance was proceeded with. It was hoped to commence with an issue of $8,000,000 placing half as cover and investing the remaining half in gold securities, as there were no suitable silver securities.\n\nIt was estimated that the interest on the securities would suffice to build up a security depreciation fund to provide against an appreciation of silver, meet recurrent expenditure, replace the stamp duty hitherto paid by the banks of issue and yield a profit. The bill was approved by Executive Council printed and sent to the Secretary of State. In the meantime it was ascertained that the Straits Treasury after 10 years working of the note issue had brought nothing to revenue and serious misgivings about the Colony's ability to finance the note issue arose as the problem came to be studied more closely. The benefit to the public in reducing the premium became more dubious and the possibility of a rise in silver causing a depreciation of gold securities became more threatening. The Secretary of State, however, relieved the Government of responsibility by advising that the scheme be abandoned in July, 1910, on the ground that \"it was not an undertaking it would be prudent for the Colony to embark on\". He advised alternatively that the note premium problem could be met temporarily though not permanently by extending the note issue privilege to the Mercantile Bank. He also advised that the premium situation might be alleviated by exempting the various banks' excess issues from the incidence of the 1% stamp tax. The project went into abeyance consequently. The remission of the stamp tax was not effected. The problem of the premium did not of course disappear.\n\nsubmerged during the war, but after the return of silver to post-war price levels it reappeared in cycles and in a progressively aggravated scale after each cycle. It is now at 15% or 11% over the importation point of silver, a limit considered insuperable before the war.\n\nIt was\n\nNow that the discussion of the premium has had to be reopened it is a necessary preliminary to investigate it from three aspects :—\n\n(a) To what extent is the premium beneficial or detrimental to the general trade interests of the Colony?\n\n(b) What causes bring it about and what measure of responsibility if any attaches to the banks of issue?\n\n(c) What measures could the Government take to remove it?\n\nAs regards the effect of the premium on trade opinions differ. The bank note as will be explained later has become the recognised currency of the Colony and the effect of the premium is simply that exchange has been kept at a higher level than silver parity justified. This benefits the imports and depresses the exports of the Colony proper.\n\nIt has no ultimate effect on the transit trade through Hong Kong to South China, as the Hong Kong currency is then only a medium of exchange between South China's silver and the various foreign currencies. The premium, there-\n\n58", "txt_file_path": "txt/2diw2n4r2/CO129-523-12 Currency situation 17-2-1930 - 9-7-1930.txt", "external_url": "", "rank": 0 }, { "id": 525992, "series_id": 27, "series_slug": "histsyn-co129-engine", "series_title": "CO129 Colonial Office Hong Kong Records 理藩院香港檔案", "series_use_hku_proxy": false, "document_key": "CO129-526-14 United States interests in Hong Kong- alleged discrimination against commercial motor vehicles 1-6-1930 - 30-6-1930", "page_number": 17, "title": "CO129-526-14 United States interests in Hong Kong- alleged discrimination against commercial motor vehicles 1-6-1930 - 30-6-1930", "content_text": "# THE HONG KONG GOVERNMENT GAZETTE, MAY 30, 1930.\n\n## Regulations for Public Vehicles\n\n30. Seats at wheel arch.--Where seats are placed over the wheel arch, they must be placed in such a position as not to cause discomfort to passengers using them.\n\n31. Seat backs.--The backs of all seats must be so closed or otherwise constructed as to prevent, as far as possible, the pockets of passengers being picked.\n\n32. Access to Seats.--Note.--(a) Any form of seating accommodation across or in the gangways is prohibited, except in the case of those vehicles not fitted with a permanent top. The width of the gangway must not be less than 12 ins. up to seat level. Above seat level, the width of the gangway must not be less than 14 ins.\n\n33. Steps. (a) The lowest step for entrance upon the vehicle when empty must not be more than 15 ins. or less than 10 ins. above the ground. (b) Non-slip treads must be fitted to each step of each doorway, and the treads should be level.\n\n34. Wing Guards.--Suitable wings must be provided above each wheel to prevent mud splashing as far as practicable.\n\n35. Gas Containers.--Where acetylene or other gas is used for lighting purposes, the cylinders or vessels which contain the gas, or in which the gas is generated, must be fixed outside the body and in such a position as to be as far removed from the danger of accidental ignition or damage by impact.\n\n36. Insulation.--All electric leads must be adequately insulated.\n\n37. Fire Extinguishers.--Suitable and approved appliances for extinguishing fire must be carried in such a position as to be readily available for use.\n\n38. Ventilation.--There must be adequate ventilation without the necessity for opening the main windows.\n\n39. Signal Apparatus.--Efficient means must be provided to enable passengers, both inside and outside, to signal to the driver or conductor when required.\n\n40. Mirrors.--A mirror must be provided to enable the driver to observe the overtaking traffic.\n\n41. Grease Dropping.--The chassis must be so constructed as to prevent oil or grease from the bearings or other parts dropping onto the roadway.\n\n## (A) Additional Requirements for Double Deck Vehicles\n\n42. Distribution of Seats.--The ratio of the passenger seating capacity of the top deck to that of the lower deck must not exceed 8 to 7.\n\n43. Guard Rails.--The top of the side guard rails must be at least 3 ft. from the top of the roof battens at the side, and 18 ins. above the highest part of the seat. The front and back rails must follow the camber of the roof and be at least 3 ft. 3 ins. high when measured from the top of the roof battens.\n\n44. Step Risers.--The risers of all steps leading from the lower to the upper deck must be closed, and the treads of all steps fitted with a non-slip form of tread.\n\n45. Aperture at Landing Board.--No aperture must be left at the top landing board through which a passenger might inadvertently step.\n\n46. Height.--From the ground to the highest point of the roof of the lower deck, the height must not be greater than 9 ft. 3 ins.\n\n47. Platforms.--The length of the platform, if at the rear, must in no case be less than 36 ins. If the platform is not at the rear, then the length must in no case be less than 30 ins.\n\n48. Staircase Screen.--The outer stringer of the staircase should be so constructed, or a band should be so placed, as to act as a screen to persons ascending or descending.\n\n## (B) Additional Requirements for Vehicles without Permanent Tops\n\n49. Height.--The height of the body sides from the floor must not be less than 2 ft. 4 ins.\n\n50. Hood (other than permanent). (a) When extended or raised, the height of the hood from the floor must not be less than 5 ft. at the centre line of the vehicle, except over the driver's seat. (b) Hoods must be provided with an adequate back light made of a transparent mica or similar transparent substance not liable to breakage. (c) Hoods must be efficiently stayed and easily adjustable. (d) When side storm curtains are provided, they must have mica or similar lights. (e) The hood crutches, wing nuts, runners, etc., are to be included in measuring the length or width of the vehicle.\n\n## (C) Additional Requirements for Vehicles with Entrances for Passengers on Both Sides or with More than Two Doors on One Side\n\n51. Entrances and Exits.--Where a doorway is placed above the back wheel, a step or bar must be provided to facilitate boarding or alighting.\n\n52. Steps.--Fixed steps must not be less than 9 ins. wide, but in no case shall the steps project beyond the front wings.\n\n## Royal Observatory\n\n### Sunrise and Sunset in Hong Kong for June, 1930\n\n(STANDARD TIME of the 120th MERIDIAN, East of GREENWICH.)\n\n| DATE | SUNRISE | SUNSET |\n| --- | --- | --- |\n| June 1 | 5.38 a.m. | 7.04 p.m. |\n| June 2 | 5.38 a.m. | 7.04 p.m. |\n| June 3 | 5.38 a.m. | 7.04 p.m. |\n| ... | ... | ... |\n| June 13 | 5.38 a.m. | 7.08 p.m. |\n| June 14 | 5.38 a.m. | 7.08 p.m. |\n| June 15 | 5.38 a.m. | 7.08 p.m. |\n| June 16 | 5.38 a.m. | 7.08 p.m. |\n| June 17 | 5.38 a.m. | 7.09 p.m. |\n| June 18 | 5.38 a.m. | 7.09 p.m. |\n| June 19 | 5.39 a.m. | 7.09 p.m. |\n| June 20 | 5.39 a.m. | 7.10 p.m. |\n| June 21 | 5.39 a.m. | 7.10 p.m. |\n| June 22 | 5.39 a.m. | 7.10 p.m. |\n| June 23 | 5.40 a.m. | 7.10 p.m. |\n| June 24 | 5.40 a.m. | 7.10 p.m. |\n| June 25 | 5.40 a.m. | 7.11 p.m. |\n| June 26 | 5.40 a.m. | 7.11 p.m. |\n| June 27 | 5.41 a.m. | 7.11 p.m. |\n| June 28 | 5.41 a.m. | 7.11 p.m. |\n| June 29 | 5.41 a.m. | 7.11 p.m. |\n| June 30 | 5.41 a.m. | 7.11 p.m. |\n\nT. F. CLAXTON,\nDirector.\n\n29th May, 1930.", "txt_file_path": "txt/2diw2n4r2/CO129-526-14 United States interests in Hong Kong- alleged discrimination against commercial motor vehicles 1-6-1930 - 30-6-1930.txt", "external_url": "", "rank": 0 }, { "id": 529462, "series_id": 27, "series_slug": "histsyn-co129-engine", "series_title": "CO129 Colonial Office Hong Kong Records 理藩院香港檔案", "series_use_hku_proxy": false, "document_key": "CO129-532-8 Proposed transfer of Government Wireless services in Hong Kong to Imperial and International Communications- Ltd.... 19-12-1930 - 19-4-1932", "page_number": 187, "title": "CO129-532-8 Proposed transfer of Government Wireless services in Hong Kong to Imperial and International Communications- Ltd.... 19-12-1930 - 19-4-1932", "content_text": "## Page 191\n\nCommunication Company's hands. I emphasise this point because authorities are apt to visualise colonial communications as something in the form of a monopoly. As far as Hong Kong is concerned this cannot be, because the Chinese have their own landlines and telegraph office for the reception and distribution of messages, established in Hong Kong. The only reason why this office does not obtain all the traffic is because of the conditions beyond Canton, but the Chinese Government are being well advised by the Chinese Electric Company, which is closely related to the International Telegraph and Telephone Company who can soon put the communications beyond Canton in order, therefore it is useless to regard the service in the light of a monopoly.\n\nEven so, the service as it is pays Hong Kong not only as regards its actual revenue but as a trade facility, and politically, for this reason it can only lead to the greatest disappointment to all signatories to the agreement if any variation to Clause 8 is attempted, and especially as regards telegraph and telephone service with Shanghai.\n\nI have outlined Clause 8 as I can appreciate that a commercial undertaking such as I.C.& C. will naturally not wish to duplicate their channels, for example when they take over Hong Kong, they will be operating no less than three communication channels between Hong Kong and Shanghai, viz: high tension cable, Great Northern and Radio, yet radio must continue, unless affront is offered to the Chinese.\n\nAnother difficulty I anticipate is to reconcile local requirements with Imperial desires, as regards telephony, the Imperial project covers communication between Hong Kong and Singapore and Singapore and England, such a service is necessary to keep level with the American service.", "txt_file_path": "txt/2diw2n4r2/CO129-532-8 Proposed transfer of Government Wireless services in Hong Kong to Imperial and International Communications- Ltd.... 19-12-1930 - 19-4-1932.txt", "external_url": "", "rank": 0 }, { "id": 557533, "series_id": 27, "series_slug": "histsyn-co129-engine", "series_title": "CO129 Colonial Office Hong Kong Records 理藩院香港檔案", "series_use_hku_proxy": false, "document_key": "CO129-567-10 Companies Amendment Ordinance- draft bill 15-9-1938 - 28-9-1938", "page_number": 280, "title": "CO129-567-10 Companies Amendment Ordinance- draft bill 15-9-1938 - 28-9-1938", "content_text": "353\n\nInterpretation.\n\nHeight and spaces, etc.\n\nabout apartment houses.\n\nSituation and depth of apart-\n\nment house\n\nblocks.\n\nCourtyards.\n\nProjections.\n\nBasements,\n\n64\n\n2. An apartment house means a building constructed or adapted to be used as a multiple dwelling containing more than two habitable floors, and not being a building used for dwelling purposes in a commercial zone.\n\n3. Apartment houses shall be used for domestic dwellings only and no shop, trade, industry or storage use shall be permitted therein.\n\n4. (i) The maximum height of an apartment house building shall be fifteen metres, with not more than four habitable floors.\n\n(ii) The minimum distance between fronts of buildings shall be fifteen metres and a minimum front setback of five metres,\n\n(iii) The minimum distance from the rear of the building to the boundary of the site shall be ten metres.\n\n(iv) The side setback shall not be less than five metres and the distance between sides of blocks not less than ten metres.\n\n(v) The maximum length of a block of apartment houses shall be sixty metres.\n\n(vi) The area of a plot which may be built upon shall not exceed twenty-five per cent thereof.\n\n(vii) No apartment house shall be allowed to front on a road less than ten metres wide.\n\n5. Blocks of apartment houses shall be orientated where possible at right angles to the prevailing wind and parallel to roads. In cases where apartment houses are placed at right angles to the road, the depth of any one block shall not exceed forty metres.\n\n6. Courtyards shall be open at least on one side and the depth of any such courtyard must not exceed the width.\n\n7. Projecting balconies shall be subject to special architectural control of the City Engineer. No open terraces shall be permitted in the ground floor. Recessed terraces may be constructed behind the building line above the ground floor. Cornices and window canopies may project one metre beyond the building line.\n\n8. No basements shall be allowed in apartment houses except such rooms as are required for central heating chambers, wash-houses or fuel stores.\n\n9. Roof towers for staircases only shall be permitted.\n\n65\n\n10. Each apartment above the ground floor must communicate directly with a staircase and shall have two alternative means giving direct access to ground level as a precautionary measure in case of fire.\n\n11. No ventilating shafts shall be allowed.\n\n12. All apartment house buildings shall be subject to architectural control of the City Engineer by whom the design of each building must be approved. The Local Commission may lay down any conditions appertaining to materials used or the design of any elevation.\n\n13. The erection of an apartment house building on any site and the lay-out of such buildings on the site shall be subject to the special consent of the Local Commission.\n\n14. The provisions contained in section (1) of the Zoning Regulations of the Jerusalem Outline Town Planning Regulations shall not apply to apartment house buildings.\n\n15. The building by-laws prescribed under the Jerusalem Outline Town Planning Scheme where not superseded by the terms of these rules shall be applicable to apartment house buildings.\n\nG. W. HERON Chairman, Central Town Planning Commission.\n\nApproved.\n\n30th January, 1936.\n\n(Z/9/86.)\n\nJ. HATHORN HALL Officer Administering the Government.\n\nTOWN PLANNING ORDINANCES, 1921-1929.\n\nNOTICE OF APPROVAL OF A TOWN PLANNING SCHEME BY THE HIGH COMMISSIONER.\n\nWHEREAS a scheme within the Town Planning Area of Jerusalem, known as Scheme No. 363 - Parcellation of Nahleh Kattan's Land, Jaffa Road, was provisionally approved by the Central Town Planning Commission and notice of the deposit of the scheme at the Municipal Offices, Jerusalem, was published in the Palestine Gazette No. 532 dated the 22nd August, 1935;\n\n354\n\nPage 280\n\nPage 281", "txt_file_path": "txt/2diw2n4r2/CO129-567-10 Companies Amendment Ordinance- draft bill 15-9-1938 - 28-9-1938.txt", "external_url": "", "rank": 0 }, { "id": 572361, "series_id": 27, "series_slug": "histsyn-co129-engine", "series_title": "CO129 Colonial Office Hong Kong Records 理藩院香港檔案", "series_use_hku_proxy": false, "document_key": "CO129-588-16 Water Supply- report on the Tai Lam Chung Valley Scheme 3-1-1941 - 3-1-1941", "page_number": 3, "title": "CO129-588-16 Water Supply- report on the Tai Lam Chung Valley Scheme 3-1-1941 - 3-1-1941", "content_text": "# CROWN AGENTS FOR THE COLONIES\n\n**ALL COMMUNICATIONS TO BE ADDRESSED TO THE CROWN AGENTS FOR THE COLONIES.**\n\nTHE FOLLOWING REFERENCE AND THE DATE OF THIS LETTER BEING QUOTED.\n\n4, MILLBANK, LONDON, S.W.I.\n\nTELEGRAMS: INLAND: \"CROWN SOWEST LONDON:\" OVERSEAS: \"CROWN LONDON.\" \nTELEPHONE: ABBEY 7730.\n\n4 Jan 1941 C.O. REG\n\n3rd January, 1941.\n\nSir,\n\n4/-/40\n\nI have the honour to refer to your letter No.53687/40 of the 23rd February regarding the proposed construction of a storage reservoir in the Tai Lam Chung valley, Hong Kong. Your letter requested us to arrange for a representative of Messrs. Binnie, Deacon & Gourley to visit Hong Kong to inspect and select the most suitable dam site, and report and advise on the general scheme, and upon any further surveys etc., which might be required.\n\n2.\n\nMr. W.J.E. Binnie, the senior partner of the firm, visited Hong Kong in May last and spent three weeks in investigating conditions at the site and discussing the project with local officers. During the visit Mr. Binnie was asked to report on the problem as a whole, i.e., not only with regard to the dam but also as to the best way in which the water could be distributed. We enclose two copies of the Consulting Engineers' report dated 27th December, 1940, which covers the layout of the complete scheme.\n\n3.\n\nTwo sites had been suggested for a dam to impound water in the Tai Lam Chung Valley, and these two sites are referred to in the report as the \"Upper\" site and \"Lower\" site. The Upper site has the advantage that the water level of the reservoir would be at a higher elevation, and this would reduce the amount of pumping required. The Consulting Engineers have, however, reached the conclusion from the topographical features and the boreholes that the Upper dam site would be situated over a major geological fault which would make the dam very costly to construct, even assuming that its construction was practicable. The Consulting Engineers have no hesitation, therefore, in recommending that the dam should be built at the Lower site even though pumping costs will be greater.\n\n4.\n\nBorings at the Lower site did not disclose the objections which were found at the Upper site, and a gravity masonry dam is proposed which, with high water level at 190 ft., will permit the storage of 6,400 million gallons. The main dam would have a maximum height of about 190 ft., above the valley bottom, and its length at road level would be about 940 ft. Small subsidiary dams would also be necessary at three depressions in the ridge which form part of the western boundary of the reservoir.\n\n5.\n\nHaving regard to the minimum rainfall that may be expected in periods of drought, the anticipated run off from the ground, loss by evaporation, etc., it is estimated that the natural catchment area of 4,200 acres will permit an average supply of 15 million gallons per day, which can be increased to 30 million gallons per day when the run off from 8,000 acres is brought into the reservoir by catchwaters. The quantity of water supplied to Hong Kong in 1939 was 26.9 million gallons, but restrictions were in force during the year.\n\nThe Under Secretary of State, \nCOLONIAL OFFICE, \nS.W.1.\n\n6./ \n`W/E.. 254/17.` \n`RECEIVED` \nPage ...", "txt_file_path": "txt/2diw2n4r2/CO129-588-16 Water Supply- report on the Tai Lam Chung Valley Scheme 3-1-1941 - 3-1-1941.txt", "external_url": "", "rank": 0 }, { "id": 576710, "series_id": 27, "series_slug": "histsyn-co129-engine", "series_title": "CO129 Colonial Office Hong Kong Records 理藩院香港檔案", "series_use_hku_proxy": false, "document_key": "CO129-591-11 Emergency unit 1-1-1945 - 31-12-1945", "page_number": 50, "title": "CO129-591-11 Emergency unit 1-1-1945 - 31-12-1945", "content_text": "7. All country is of course controlled by the Chinese and Americans have a hand in it too. Without agreement with both it will probably be impossible for even bare minimum personnel to move into Hong Kong under any circumstances. A few might conceivably get themselves smuggled through but even this is a forlorn hope. A better bet in my opinion would be to despatch an advanced party of civil affairs unit to the colony from outside China by sea or air, the necessary facilities for its arrival being given by a high-grade agent, previously planted there for the purpose.\n\nTo sum up, our military position in China is now so difficult and precarious, that in our opinion, it is essential that any project of this nature, if it is to have any hope of success, must (repeat must) be previously cleared with both Chinese and Americans and at the highest level. It would be useless to approach Wedemeyer on the subject initially, since he sticks rigidly to his directives and would merely refer the matter to Washington.\n\n8. Neither will it be sufficient to project with Americans alone since Wedemeyer when approached will certainly feel it necessary in his capacity as C.O.S. to Generalissimo to tell the latter.\n\n9. The bigger question of Allied strategy in the Far East is doubtless under consideration now and ...\n\n-3-\n\nPage 50\n\nPage 51", "txt_file_path": "txt/2diw2n4r2/CO129-591-11 Emergency unit 1-1-1945 - 31-12-1945.txt", "external_url": "", "rank": 0 }, { "id": 576713, "series_id": 27, "series_slug": "histsyn-co129-engine", "series_title": "CO129 Colonial Office Hong Kong Records 理藩院香港檔案", "series_use_hku_proxy": false, "document_key": "CO129-591-11 Emergency unit 1-1-1945 - 31-12-1945", "page_number": 53, "title": "CO129-591-11 Emergency unit 1-1-1945 - 31-12-1945", "content_text": "53\n\nthrough but even this is a forlorn hope. A better bet in my opinion would be to despatch an advanced party of civil affairs unit to the colony from outside China by sea or air, the necessary facilities for its arrival being given by a high-grade agent, previously planted there for the purpose.\n\n8.\n\nTo sum up, our military position in China is now so difficult and precarious, that in our opinion, it is essential that any project of this nature, if it is to have any hope of success, must (repeat must) be previously cleared with both Chinese and Americans and at the highest level. It would be useless to approach Wedemeyer on the subject initially since he sticks rigidly to his directives and would merely refer the matter to Washington. Neither will it be sufficient to project with Americans alone since Wedemeyer when approached will certainly feel it necessary in his capacity as C.O.S. to Generalissimo to tell the latter.\n\n9.\n\nThe bigger question of Allied strategy in the Far East is doubtless under consideration now and I feel sure it is unnecessary for me to stress the importance, from the point of view of our prestige and future relations with China, that we should recapture Hong Kong Island and if possible the whole colony. And our plans, I suggest, should include some measures, however slight, to save our remaining prisoners from possible massacre at the last moment.\n\nC.6.Tels.\n\nNote by C6 Tels. Message delayed through being received corrupt.", "txt_file_path": "txt/2diw2n4r2/CO129-591-11 Emergency unit 1-1-1945 - 31-12-1945.txt", "external_url": "", "rank": 0 }, { "id": 576715, "series_id": 27, "series_slug": "histsyn-co129-engine", "series_title": "CO129 Colonial Office Hong Kong Records 理藩院香港檔案", "series_use_hku_proxy": false, "document_key": "CO129-591-11 Emergency unit 1-1-1945 - 31-12-1945", "page_number": 55, "title": "CO129-591-11 Emergency unit 1-1-1945 - 31-12-1945", "content_text": "55\n\nthrough but even this is forlorn hope. A better bet in my opinion would be to despatch an advanced party of civil affairs unit to the colony from outside China by sea or air, the necessary facilities for its arrival being given by a high-grade agent, previously planted there for the purpose.\n\n8.\n\nTo sum up, our military position in China is now so difficult and precarious, yet in our opinion, it is essential that any project of this nature, if it is to have any hope of success, must (repeat must) be previously cleared with both Chinese and Americans and at the highest level. It would be useless to approach Wedemeyer on the subject initially since he sticks rigidly to his directives and would merely refer the matter to Washington. Neither will it be sufficient to concert with Americans alone since Wedemeyer when approached will certainly feel it necessary in his capacity as C.O.3. to Generalissimo to tell the latter.\n\n9.\n\nThe bigger question of Allied strategy in the Far East is doubtless under consideration now and I feel sure it is unnecessary for me to stress the importance from the point of view of our prestige and future relations with China that we should recapture Hong Kong Island and if possible the whole colony. And our plans I suggest should include some measures however slight to save our remaining prisoners from possible massacre at the last moment.\n\nC.6.Tels.\n\nRate by O.D.Tels.\n\nMessage delayed through being received corrupt.\n\n1\n\n \nPage 55\n\nPage 1", "txt_file_path": "txt/2diw2n4r2/CO129-591-11 Emergency unit 1-1-1945 - 31-12-1945.txt", "external_url": "", "rank": 0 }, { "id": 576768, "series_id": 27, "series_slug": "histsyn-co129-engine", "series_title": "CO129 Colonial Office Hong Kong Records 理藩院香港檔案", "series_use_hku_proxy": false, "document_key": "CO129-591-11 Emergency unit 1-1-1945 - 31-12-1945", "page_number": 108, "title": "CO129-591-11 Emergency unit 1-1-1945 - 31-12-1945", "content_text": "From:- Lieut. Colonel B.F. Montgomery M.B.E.\n\n6.\n\nNATIONAL\n\nCHEME\n\nMEN\n\nThe War Office,\n\nTOP SECRET\n\nWhitehall,\n\n108\n\nS.W.1.\n\n10)\n\nDISABLED\n\nDO/J/2/M.1.2\n\nDear Gent,\n\n14th January 1945\n\nAs agreed at our meeting on Thursday last, I attach herewith the third draft of the Hongkong directive signal. This has now been agreed in the War Office by the M.O., M.I. and Civil Affairs Directorates.\n\nAs you know the Civil Affairs Dte is of opinion that this telegram should be agreed at a high or even a ministerial level before dispatch. I understand you will now arrange for the Secretary of State for the Colonies formally to approach the Secretary of State for War on the matter. I hope when he does do so the background of the case will be explained to our S of S as set out in the record by M.I.9 of the first meeting on the project held in your office, of which you have a copy. I suggest also that the communication to our S of S should enclose the attached draft with an endorsement to the effect that it has been prepared as a result of consultation between the branches concerned in the two ministries. In the War Office those branches are the M.O. Dte, the C.A. Dte, and the M.I. Dte, the latter acting as sponsor in the matter solely because they have the necessary military contacts in China.\n\nAt the time when the matter was first raised by the Colonial Office the D's of I India and S.E.A.C. and the ... Chungking were in London and opportunity was therefore taken to acquaint them of the proposal in advance.\n\nYours sincerely,\n\nB.F. Montgomery\n\nG.E.J. Gent Esq., O.B.E., D.S.O., M.C.\n\nColonial Office\n\nDowning St. S.W.1\n\nREC'D\n\n26 JAN 1945", "txt_file_path": "txt/2diw2n4r2/CO129-591-11 Emergency unit 1-1-1945 - 31-12-1945.txt", "external_url": "", "rank": 0 }, { "id": 576965, "series_id": 27, "series_slug": "histsyn-co129-engine", "series_title": "CO129 Colonial Office Hong Kong Records 理藩院香港檔案", "series_use_hku_proxy": false, "document_key": "CO129-591-13 Military Administration- proposed civil Affairs Agreement with China 20-7-1945 - 11-8-1945", "page_number": 40, "title": "CO129-591-13 Military Administration- proposed civil Affairs Agreement with China 20-7-1945 - 11-8-1945", "content_text": "through but even this is a forlorn hope. A better bet in my opinion would be to despatch an advanced party of civil affairs unit to the colony from outside China by sea or air, the necessary facilities for its arrival being given by a high-grade agent, previously planted there for the purpose.\n\n8.\n\nTo sum up, our military position in China is now so difficult and precarious, that in our opinion, it is essential that any project of this nature, if it is to have any hope of success, must (repeat must) be previously cleared with both Chinese and Americans and at the highest level. It would be useless to approach Wedemeyer on the subject initially since he sticks rigidly to his directives and would merely refer the matter to Washington. Neither will it be sufficient to project with Americans alone since Wedemeyer when approached will certainly feel it necessary in his capacity as C.O.S. to Generalissimo to tell the latter.\n\n9.\n\nThe bigger question of Allied strategy in the Far East is doubtless under consideration now and I feel sure it is unnecessary for me to stress the importance from the point of view of our prestige and future relations with China that we should recapture Hong Kong Island and if possible the whole colony. And our plans I suggest should include some measures, however slight, to save our remaining prisoners from possible massacre at the last moment.\n\nC.6.Tels.\n\nNote by C6 Tels. Message delayed through being received corrupt.\n\nPage 40\n\nPage 41", "txt_file_path": "txt/2diw2n4r2/CO129-591-13 Military Administration- proposed civil Affairs Agreement with China 20-7-1945 - 11-8-1945.txt", "external_url": "", "rank": 0 }, { "id": 577067, "series_id": 27, "series_slug": "histsyn-co129-engine", "series_title": "CO129 Colonial Office Hong Kong Records 理藩院香港檔案", "series_use_hku_proxy": false, "document_key": "CO129-591-14 Military Administration- liaison with Chinese and American forces 11-4-1945 - 25-7-1945", "page_number": 101, "title": "CO129-591-14 Military Administration- liaison with Chinese and American forces 11-4-1945 - 25-7-1945", "content_text": "Page 102\n\nJ.C. STERNDALE-BENNETT,\n\nC.M.G., M.C.,\n\nFOREIGN OFFICE.\n\n(2)\n\nMy dear Sterndale-Bennett,\n\nApril, 1945.\n\nWe have read with much interest the proposals put forward by the Ambassador in Chung King after discussion with Generals Carton de Wiart and Hayes, which are contained in his telegram No. 379 of the 17th April. The establishment of a British Liaison Mission with the advanced H.Q. of both Chinese and American Forces would, from our point of view, have everything to commend it. We should be particularly glad to see arrangements for British liaison with the forces destined to carry out seaborne invasion of Hong Kong.\n\nAs you know, there is a proposal that a secret Emergency Civil Affairs Unit should be formed from British personnel at present in free China, with the object of forestalling a possible seizure of Hong Kong by irregular Chinese Forces.\n\nThis project has been discussed at a high level between the War Office and ourselves, but instructions to General Hayes have not yet been despatched pending clarification of the position of the various British clandestine and para-military organisations in China.\n\nFURTHER ACTION.\n\nCopy to Lt. Col. B.F. Montgomery, M.B.E, M.I.2, War Office.\n\n...\n\nPage 103", "txt_file_path": "txt/2diw2n4r2/CO129-591-14 Military Administration- liaison with Chinese and American forces 11-4-1945 - 25-7-1945.txt", "external_url": "", "rank": 0 }, { "id": 580571, "series_id": 27, "series_slug": "histsyn-co129-engine", "series_title": "CO129 Colonial Office Hong Kong Records 理藩院香港檔案", "series_use_hku_proxy": false, "document_key": "CO129-593-4 Rehabilitation of Hong Kong University. For extracted photographs see CN 3-45 27-10-1946 - 30-1-1947", "page_number": 11, "title": "CO129-593-4 Rehabilitation of Hong Kong University. For extracted photographs see CN 3-45 27-10-1946 - 30-1-1947", "content_text": "11\n\n103.\n\nin a P.Q. which has been set down for the 29th by Mr. Rees-Williams. I have suggested an answer on the P.Q. file attached but the last sentence would have to be concurred with the Foreign Office and I have therefore marked this file as urgent.\n\nThe Secretary of State stated last Friday that Hong Kong University had been mentioned in the course of conversation between himself and Mr. Bevin and that the latter was very favourably disposed towards our proposals. There seemed to be grounds therefore for suggesting to the Foreign Office that their reply at 101 should be reconsidered and that they should agree to give unqualified support in our joint approach to the Treasury.\n\nIn order not to hold up the file I am sending it on without the revised memorandum at 82 referred to in Sir T. Lloyd's minute of 14/11 as I had not been able to do it previously. The revised memorandum is now in preparation and I will send it forward separately as soon as possible.\n\nWhen the reply to the Foreign Office has issued the file should be recirculated urgently re 94 and the points raised at X in my minute of 11th December.\n\nI submit for coson a draft letter for the Secretary of State's signature.\n\nwelon\n\n21.1.47.\n\nI agree generally with Miss Ruston, except that I think we must press for the Hong Kong project to be considered independently of the proposed Peking centre and the proposed extension of British Council activities in China. If we merely ask for equal consideration for the three projects, we cannot very well expect the Foreign Office or the Treasury to agree to the Hong Kong project being considered in advance of the other two, and we must now press for a decision on Hong Kong without delay.\n\nI attach a revised draft seeking agreement to immediate and independent consideration of the Hong Kong project, in which I have endeavoured to put our case as high as possible.\n\nMiss Ruston has now produced a memorandum on the detailed financial proposals which I have attached to this file. If the letter to Mr. Bevin is agreed, I would propose to concert with the China Department of the Foreign Office a comprehensive memorandum, setting out the case for the Hong Kong project, and dealing, inter alia, with the Scarborough Report and the financial proposals, to serve as a basis for the joint approach to the Treasury which I take it will be on Ministerial level.\n\nI am sending the Parliamentary Question referred to in Miss Ruston's minute on separately.\n\n22.1.47.", "txt_file_path": "txt/2diw2n4r2/CO129-593-4 Rehabilitation of Hong Kong University. For extracted photographs see CN 3-45 27-10-1946 - 30-1-1947.txt", "external_url": "", "rank": 0 }, { "id": 583500, "series_id": 27, "series_slug": "histsyn-co129-engine", "series_title": "CO129 Colonial Office Hong Kong Records 理藩院香港檔案", "series_use_hku_proxy": false, "document_key": "CO129-597-2 Estimates 1949 1-3-1948 - 14-7-1949", "page_number": 196, "title": "CO129-597-2 Estimates 1949 1-3-1948 - 14-7-1949", "content_text": "## Recommendation No.1.\n\nParagraph 5 of Mong Kong despatch.\n\n## Recommendation No.2.\n\nFIERS\n\n## Recommendation No.3.\n\nFERTILISER ENTRY\n\nParagraph 7 of Hong Kong despatch.\n\n## Recommendation No.4.\n\nIRRIGATION\n\nParagraph 8 of Hong Kong despatch.\n\n## MEMORANDUM.\n\nThe cost of construction of 24 miles of feeder roads at £100,000 appears to be excessive, but feeder roads are clearly essential to development. In the circumstances, it is suggested that £50,000 might be allocated to feeder roads for the time being, to be spread over the next two years, and that the position should then be reviewed.\n\nHere again, the costs appear to be on the high side, and it is suggested that £50,000 should be allocated for this purpose, to be spread over the next two years, and that the position should then be reviewed.\n\nThe fertiliser factory should be run as far as possible on commercial lines. The project appears, however, somewhat experimental, and in these circumstances, it is suggested that it should be financed on the basis of 50% grant and 50% loan from other sources.\n\nThe estimates for this desirable project are far too low. An irrigation engineer, if he can be obtained at the age level contemplated, will cost, with passages, superannuation, etc., not less than £1,200 - £1,500 per annum. His subordinate staff will involve an expenditure of an equal amount, and for expenditure on works, a sum equal to at least double the total cost of salaries should be allowed if technical skill is not to be wasted. For a five-year scheme, an estimate of £45,000 should be the minimum budgeted for.\n\n## Recommendation...", "txt_file_path": "txt/2diw2n4r2/CO129-597-2 Estimates 1949 1-3-1948 - 14-7-1949.txt", "external_url": "", "rank": 0 }, { "id": 594390, "series_id": 27, "series_slug": "histsyn-co129-engine", "series_title": "CO129 Colonial Office Hong Kong Records 理藩院香港檔案", "series_use_hku_proxy": false, "document_key": "CO129-617-6 Development- recommendations of Hong Kong Colonial Development and Welfare Committee 18-7-1947 - 23-12-1947", "page_number": 8, "title": "CO129-617-6 Development- recommendations of Hong Kong Colonial Development and Welfare Committee 18-7-1947 - 23-12-1947", "content_text": "## \n\n(3) \n\nreduced at the moment, a part at least of this project should I suggest be deferred until the inflationary situation in Hong Kong is less bad. \n\nFertiliser factory. This factory should, I think, be financed by loan and run as a commercial profit-making enterprise. \n\n(4) Extension of Irrigation. Irrigation engineers are extremely difficult to obtain and unless more funds can be put at the disposal of an Engineer in Hong Kong than is proposed, I doubt whether the appointment would be of sufficient value to justify it. \n\n(5) Village Depots. It is difficult to appreciate exactly what is proposed in the absence of more information about the Fisheries Syndicate. The scheme does, however, look like a subsidy of £27,000 to establish co-operative societies, and I suggest that the proper cost attributable to facilities placed at the disposal of such societies should be financed by loan and only that part devoted to the demonstration of improved agricultural methods financed by free grant. \n\n(6) Market Transport. I agree with Mr. Clay that if this is to be financed from public funds it should be on a profit-making basis. \n\n(7) Agricultural Stations. Further consideration of this should await the appointment of Senior Agricultural staff. \n\n(11) Mechanisation of Fishing Fleet. I cannot understand the financial implications of the proposal that a revolving capital grant should be made to the Fisheries Department in view of the statement that the junks in which the engines will be fitted will be the property of the Fisheries Co-operative. It appears that this service should be financed by loan to the Fisheries Co-operative.\n\nH.Alawi's \n\n31/12/47 \n\nPage 7\n\nThe territorial allocation to Hong Kong is £1,000,000. As Mr. Harding indicates in his minute, it is possible that the Treasury may wish to transfer items at present in the reconstruction programme to C.D. & W. These may amount to two million Hong Kong dollars or, approximately, £235,000. There is also bound to be expenditure for C.D. & W. monies on projects in the colony and it would be as well to allow another £250,000 for these. Taking the above considerations into account it would be reasonable to plan for grants from C.D. & W. of up to £500,000 in the New Territories. It is satisfactory to find that fishing and agriculture are being given a high priority in the post-war plans and that the proposals now submitted relate to developments for these industries. I, however, agree with Mr. Harding that certain of the projects should be considered as commercial and that they should, when possible, be financed by loan money. It would, however, not be wise to try to drive too hard a bargain where the projects are experimental in character and in such instances I am suggesting in the notes below that the finance required should be made available on the basis of 50% grant and 50% loan. This policy is suggested in order to get the schemes started and to give them a chance of proving during the first stages whether they can later on be continued on a purely commercial basis. It is a pity that Dr. Herklots will not be in Hong Kong to see these schemes started and it can only be hoped that a suitable successor to him will be found. \n\nMy comments on the various recommendations are given below as well as my proposals in connection with them:- \n\n## Recommendation (i). \nFeeder roads are clearly an essential to development but the estimates of costs are high. Allow £50,000 to be spread over the next two years and then review the position. \n\n## Recommendation (ii). \nPiers. Undoubtedly desirable but costs again appear to be high, viz, £8,000 per pier. Allow £50,000 to be spread over the next two years and then review the position. \n\n## Recommendation (iii). \nThe fertiliser factory should be run, as far as possible, on commercial lines. The project is, however, somewhat experimental and in these circumstances I would propose that it be financed on the basis of 50% grant and 50% loan. \n\n## Recommendation (iv). \nThis is certainly a desirable project but the estimates are far too low. An irrigation engineer, if he can be obtained at the age level contemplated will cost with passages, superannuation, etc. not less than £1,200-£1,500 per annum. His subordinate staff will involve an expenditure of an equal amount and for expenditure on works a sum equal to at least double the total cost of salaries should be allowed if technical skill is not to be wasted. For a five-year scheme an estimate of £45,000 should be the minimum budgeted for. \n\n## Recommendation (v) \nAs this is purely experimental I think it should be agreed that the first three depots should be financed by grant. If these are successful any subsequent developments should be financed only by loans. It might have been desirable that these depots should have followed the agricultural station but such delay would not be desirable and the risk must, I feel, be taken. \n\n## Recommendation (vi). \nThe vegetable marketing scheme should be run on commercial lines and the finance required for capital equipment should be by loan. \n\n## Recommendation ...", "txt_file_path": "txt/2diw2n4r2/CO129-617-6 Development- recommendations of Hong Kong Colonial Development and Welfare Committee 18-7-1947 - 23-12-1947.txt", "external_url": "", "rank": 0 }, { "id": 594393, "series_id": 27, "series_slug": "histsyn-co129-engine", "series_title": "CO129 Colonial Office Hong Kong Records 理藩院香港檔案", "series_use_hku_proxy": false, "document_key": "CO129-617-6 Development- recommendations of Hong Kong Colonial Development and Welfare Committee 18-7-1947 - 23-12-1947", "page_number": 12, "title": "CO129-617-6 Development- recommendations of Hong Kong Colonial Development and Welfare Committee 18-7-1947 - 23-12-1947", "content_text": "# DEVELOPMENT OF HONGKONG AT VICTORIA\n\nFrom Our Hongkong Correspondent\nThe expansion of the business centre of the city of Victoria on Hongkong island has for long been frustrated by the location, in the heart of that district, of some 98 acres of property leased to the Army Council and the Admiralty, and utilized as barracks, parade grounds, official residences, and a Royal Naval Yard.\n\nThe Army and Navy also occupy good-sized plots in the heart of the ceded area of Kowloon, including Whitfield Camp and barracks (41 acres), and the naval camber (15 acres). The camp and barracks are the only undeveloped area suited for housing schemes within easy reach of the cross-harbour ferries; the Naval camber occupies a frontage urgently required for wharf and warehouse accommodation.\n\nThe loan by the home Government to Hongkong of the services of Sir Patrick Abercrombie, the town-planning expert, who has recently spent several weeks on the island, suggests that the future development of Hong Kong is to form the subject of careful study and planning. It is expected that the question of giving up the naval and military lands in the congested Victoria and Kowloon areas will receive serious consideration.\n\n## THE NAVAL YARD\n\nSome years must necessarily elapse before any comprehensive project for providing suitable alternative accommodation for the Navy and Army could be carried through, but a start might well be made with the little-used Murray parade ground, the evacuation of which by the Army would enable the widening of the congested Garden Road and the extension of the Perak tramway to the lower level, and provide a new office building site approximately twice as large as that occupied by the Hongkong and Shanghai Bank.\n\nThe four roads running approximately from west to east, parallel to the Praya or harbour front, are short-circuited by the naval dockyard, which has an area of 35 acres, and all eastward traffic (including trams and buses) has to converge on Queen's Road East, and pass between the military and naval lands to reach the Wanchai district. Expansion of the business sector therefore stops short at the massive office building of the Hongkong and Shanghai Bank.\n\nThe military lands not only occupy a locality which would be ideal for the construction of the urgently needed new office buildings; their location prevents the Peak (cable) tramway station from being moved down to the main level, and necessitates a 10-minute walk, mostly up-hill, from the centre of the town to the lower terminus.\n\n## HIGH VALUE OF LAND\n\nWhen the British first occupied Hongkong island, and even up to 50 or 60 years ago when motor-vehicles were unknown, there might have been good reasons for maintaining the chief naval and military establishments in the centre of Victoria. Now, however, in an emergency troops could reach Victoria from any part of the island by motor transport within half an hour. In its present position between the business section and the densely populated Wanchai area the dockyard and its workshops cannot provide housing for its Chinese labour force. Moreover the land to-day is far too valuable to remain undeveloped as an office centre.\n\nA few months ago the site of the old City Hall, adjoining the Hongkong and Shanghai Bank, realized over $258 (£16) a square foot at public auction. It is just across the road from the Murray parade ground. At two-fifths of this figure the naval and military lands would be worth over 125m. Provision would, of course, have to be made—in the event of a sale—for the surrender of much land for new roads and piers. But there is no reason to doubt that new and up-to-date barracks, and a modern naval dockyard could be constructed elsewhere on the island out of the proceeds of a sale.\n\nAs long ago as 1923, Sir John H. Oakley was sent out to Hongkong to value the military lands, which the local Government was desirous of purchasing. But for various political crises that engulfed South China from 1924 onwards, and the outbreak of war in 1939—the purchase was deferred.\n\n| | |\n| --- | --- |\n| COALING CAMBER: | |\n| BARRACKS: | |\n| KOWLOON: | |\n\n(7737) \n`GR1178/1922/32(III)` \nMe Mayes. 11/534 \nM2 Wallace H/535. \nMe Be Damond 5. \nSir 5. Cacine \nMe Rushwood. \nas dive hom MR Butter's", "txt_file_path": "txt/2diw2n4r2/CO129-617-6 Development- recommendations of Hong Kong Colonial Development and Welfare Committee 18-7-1947 - 23-12-1947.txt", "external_url": "", "rank": 0 }, { "id": 594456, "series_id": 27, "series_slug": "histsyn-co129-engine", "series_title": "CO129 Colonial Office Hong Kong Records 理藩院香港檔案", "series_use_hku_proxy": false, "document_key": "CO129-617-7 Development- possible implementation of CD and W Committee recommendations 18-2-1948 - 12-10-1948", "page_number": 36, "title": "CO129-617-7 Development- possible implementation of CD and W Committee recommendations 18-2-1948 - 12-10-1948", "content_text": "# Recommendation No.1.\n## ROAD\nParagraph 5 of Ho Kong despatch.\n\n# Recommendation No.2.\n## PIERS\nParagraph 6 of Hong Kong despatch\n\n# Recommendation No.3.\n## FERTILISER FACTORY\nParagraph 7 of Hong Kong despatch\n\n# Recommendation No.4.\n## IRRIGATION\nParagraph 8 of Hong Kong despatch\n\n# Recommendation No.5.\n## VILLAGE AGRICULTURAL DEPOTS.\nParagraph 9 of Hong Kong despatch\n\n# Recommendation No.6.\n## VEGETABLE MARKETING LORRIES\nParagraph 10 of Hong Kong despatch\n\n# Recommendation No.7.\n## AGRICULTURAL STATION (KAM TIN)\nParagraph 12 of Hong Kong despatch\n\n## MEMORANDUM\n\nThe cost of construction of 24 miles of feeder roads at £100,000 appears to be excessive, but feeder roads are clearly essential to development. In the circumstances, it is suggested that £50,000 might be allocated to feeder roads for the time being, to be spread over the next two years, and that the position should then be reviewed.\n\nHere again, the costs appear to be on the high side, and it is suggested that £50,000 should be allocated for this purpose, to be spread over the next two years, and that the position should then be reviewed.\n\nThe fertiliser factory should be run as far as possible on commercial lines. The project appears, however, somewhat experimental, and in these circumstances, it is suggested that it should be financed on the basis of 50% C.D. & W. grant and 50% loan from other sources.\n\nThe estimates for this desirable project seem to be far too low. An irrigation engineer, if he can be obtained at the age level contemplated, will cost, with passages, superannuation, etc., not less than £1,200-£1,500 per annum. His subordinate staff will involve an expenditure of an equal amount, and for expenditure on works, a sum equal to at least double the total cost of salaries should be allowed if technical skill is not to be wasted. For a five-year scheme, an estimate of £45,000 should be the minimum budgeted for.\n\nSee my telegram No.698 of the 22nd June.\n\nThe vegetable marketing scheme should be run on commercial lines, and finance required for capital expenditure obtained by loan.\n\nThis proposal is acceptable in principle, but full consideration must await the appointment of the senior Agricultural staff, when detailed estimates can be worked out.", "txt_file_path": "txt/2diw2n4r2/CO129-617-7 Development- possible implementation of CD and W Committee recommendations 18-2-1948 - 12-10-1948.txt", "external_url": "", "rank": 0 }, { "id": 594463, "series_id": 27, "series_slug": "histsyn-co129-engine", "series_title": "CO129 Colonial Office Hong Kong Records 理藩院香港檔案", "series_use_hku_proxy": false, "document_key": "CO129-617-7 Development- possible implementation of CD and W Committee recommendations 18-2-1948 - 12-10-1948", "page_number": 43, "title": "CO129-617-7 Development- possible implementation of CD and W Committee recommendations 18-2-1948 - 12-10-1948", "content_text": "# Recommendation No.1.\nRC S \nParagraph 5 of \nHong Kong despatch.\n\n## Recommendation No.2.\nPIERS \nParagraph 6 of Hong Kong despatch.\n\n### Recommendation No.3.\nFERTILISER FACTORY \nParagraph 7 of Hong Kong Despatch.\n\n#### Recommendation No.4.\nIRRIGATION \nParagraph 8 of Hong Kong despatch.\n\n**MEMORANDUM.**\n\nThe cost of construction of 24 miles of \nfeeder roads at £100,000 appears to be excessive, \nbut feeder roads are clearly an essential to \ndevelopment. In the circumstances it is \nsuggested that £50,000 might be allocated to \nfeeder roads for the time being, to be spread \nover the next two years, and that the position \nshould then be reviewed.\n\nHere again the costs appear to be on the \nhigh side, and it is suggested that £50,000 \nshould be allocated for this purpose, to be \nspread over the next two years, and that the \nposition should then be reviewed.\n\nThe fertiliser factory should be run as far \nas possible on commercial lines. The project \nappears, however, somewhat experimental and \nin these circumstances, it is suggested that it \nshould be financed on the basis of 50% C.D. & W. \ngrant and 50% loan from other sources.\n\nThe estimates for this desirable project \nseem to be far too low. An irrigation \nengineer, if he can be obtained at the age \nlevel contemplated, will cost with passages, \nsuperannuation, etc., not less than £1,200 - \n£1,500 per annum. His subordinate staff will \ninvolve an expenditure of an equal amount and \nfor expenditure on works a sum equal to at \nleast double the total cost of salaries should \nbe allowed if technical skill is not to be \nwasted. For a five-year scheme, an \nestimate of £45,000 should be the minimum \nbudgeted for.\n\nRecommendation", "txt_file_path": "txt/2diw2n4r2/CO129-617-7 Development- possible implementation of CD and W Committee recommendations 18-2-1948 - 12-10-1948.txt", "external_url": "", "rank": 0 }, { "id": 594469, "series_id": 27, "series_slug": "histsyn-co129-engine", "series_title": "CO129 Colonial Office Hong Kong Records 理藩院香港檔案", "series_use_hku_proxy": false, "document_key": "CO129-617-7 Development- possible implementation of CD and W Committee recommendations 18-2-1948 - 12-10-1948", "page_number": 49, "title": "CO129-617-7 Development- possible implementation of CD and W Committee recommendations 18-2-1948 - 12-10-1948", "content_text": "# MEMORANDUM\n\n49\n\n## Remmendation No.1\n### ROADS\nParagraph 5 of Hong Kong despatch.\n\n## Recommendation No. 2\n### PIERS\nParagraph 6 of Hong Kong despatch.\n\n## Recommendation No. 3\n### FERTILISER FACTORY\nParagraph 7 of Hong Kong Despatch.\n\n## Recommendation No. 4\n### IRRIGATION\nParagraph 8 of Hong Kong despatch.\n\nThe cost of construction of 24 miles of feeder roads at £100,000 appears to be excessive, but feeder roads are clearly an essential to development. In the circumstances it is suggested that £50,000 might be allocated to feeder roads for the time being, to be spread over the next two years, and that the position should then be reviewed.\n\nHere again the costs appear to be on the high side, and it is suggested that £50,000 should be allocated for this purpose, to be spread over the next two years, and that the position should then be reviewed.\n\nThe fertiliser factory should be run as far as possible on commercial lines. The project appears, however, somewhat experimental and in these circumstances, it is suggested that it should be financed on the basis of 50% grant and 50% loan from other sources.\n\nThe estimates for this desirable project seem to be far too low. An irrigation engineer, if he can be obtained at the age level contemplated, will cost, with passages, superannuation, etc., not less than £1,200 - £1,500 per annum. His subordinate staff will involve an expenditure of an equal amount and for expenditure on works a sum equal to at least double the total cost of salaries should be allowed if technical skill is not to be wasted. For a five-year scheme, an estimate of £45,000 should be the minimum budgeted for.\n\n/Recommendation", "txt_file_path": "txt/2diw2n4r2/CO129-617-7 Development- possible implementation of CD and W Committee recommendations 18-2-1948 - 12-10-1948.txt", "external_url": "", "rank": 0 }, { "id": 594485, "series_id": 27, "series_slug": "histsyn-co129-engine", "series_title": "CO129 Colonial Office Hong Kong Records 理藩院香港檔案", "series_use_hku_proxy": false, "document_key": "CO129-617-7 Development- possible implementation of CD and W Committee recommendations 18-2-1948 - 12-10-1948", "page_number": 65, "title": "CO129-617-7 Development- possible implementation of CD and W Committee recommendations 18-2-1948 - 12-10-1948", "content_text": "# DBAMA MORANDU\n\n## Memorandum\n\n65\n\n### Recommendation No.1.\n\n**ROADS**\n\nParagraph 5 of Hong Kong despatch. Cat 2\n\nThe construction of 24 miles of feeder roads at a cost of £100,000 appears to be excessive, but feeder roads are clearly an essential to development. In the circumstances it is suggested that £50,000 might be allocated to feeder roads for the time being, to be spread over the next two years, and that the position should then be reviewed.\n\n### Recommendation No.2.\n\n**PIERS**\n\nParagraph 6 of Hong Kong despatch.\n\nHere again the costs appear to be on the high side, and it is suggested that £50,000 should be allocated for this purpose, to be spread over the next two years, and that the position should then be reviewed.\n\n### Recommendation No.3.\n\n**FERTILISER FACTORY**\n\nParagraph 7 of Hong Kong despatch.\n\nThe fertiliser factory should be run as far as possible on commercial lines. The project is, however, somewhat experimental and in these circumstances, it is suggested that it should be financed on the basis of 50% grant and 50% loan.\n\n### Recommendation No.4.\n\n**IRRIGATION**\n\nParagraph 8 of Hong Kong despatch.\n\nThe estimates for this desirable project seem to be far too low. An irrigation engineer, if he can be obtained at the age level contemplated, will cost with passages, superannuation, etc., not less than £1,200-£1,500 per annum. His subordinate staff will involve an expenditure of an equal amount and for expenditure on works a sum equal to at least double the total cost of salaries should...", "txt_file_path": "txt/2diw2n4r2/CO129-617-7 Development- possible implementation of CD and W Committee recommendations 18-2-1948 - 12-10-1948.txt", "external_url": "", "rank": 0 }, { "id": 596659, "series_id": 27, "series_slug": "histsyn-co129-engine", "series_title": "CO129 Colonial Office Hong Kong Records 理藩院香港檔案", "series_use_hku_proxy": false, "document_key": "CO129-623-6 Education Department- annual report 1-5-1950 - 31-12-1950", "page_number": 49, "title": "CO129-623-6 Education Department- annual report 1-5-1950 - 31-12-1950", "content_text": "55.\n\nTONGA\n\n-2-\n\nfeature of the school was the very high standard of English and great tribute is due to the New Zealand headmistress who has established and set up the fine tradition for this pioneer project in girls' education.\n\n(2) Schemes of Cooperation. The education system of Fiji is dependent on the very generous Scheme of Cooperation with the New Zealand Government whereby men and women from the New Zealand teaching service can spend any number of years working in Fiji but at the same time retain their pension rights in New Zealand. As the inspiration of educational policy in Fiji comes from expatriate staff from England, i.e., the Director of Education, the Deputy Director of Education, the Principal of the Training College and Headmaster of the Secondary School, and as the practitioners on the whole are from New Zealand, it seems desirable that as many opportunities as possible should be given to the New Zealanders who are prepared to spend a number of years in Fiji to get firsthand acquaintance with the practice of English education in this country.\n\n(3) Fiji is a community development paradise. For this same closely knit society which regulates its community activities can also produce the most entertaining community development schemes, as for example when one community sold firewood to the Americans, made a considerable amount of profit, and devoted it to community projects, even though some of these came to a sticky end. A more successful example was the Chief who happened to be an ex-service man who produced for his village a development scheme which provided in this order: (a) a wooden house for the Chief, (b) a milking herd, (c) a school, (d) a church, (e) another new house for the Chief. The Director of Education has been quick to see the possibilities here and launched in January 1950 a project in Moturoki, a small island with 3 schools, 10 villages, good soil, near a pineapple canning factory on a neighbouring island, and with a good sprinkling of ex-servicemen. It will be particularly interesting to see how this project works out as the team consists entirely of Fijian men and women.\n\n(4) The Teacher Training College at Nasinu is a government one which is replacing all other government and denominational institutions. It trains teachers of all races and both sexes and is guided by a Principal who is prepared to try anything once and will, I am sure, learn as much from the ventures that fail as from those that succeed. I am not convinced, however, that the time is yet really ripe for co-education at this level among Indian men and women.\n\n(5) There is provision for the education of Indians both by Government and by the Indian communities themselves. However, the Indians, unlike the Fijians, are individualists and do not easily develop a system that helps in the provision of community services. There is need for particular help to be given to Indian girls.\n\nTonga has a population of about 45,000, of whom over 10,000 are in school, as there is compulsory education for children from 6 to 14 years of age. This delightful little island paradise, which seems to have no external worries so that it can concentrate with great seriousness upon its internal ones, has a very pleasant patriarchal, or should I say matriarchal, yet parliamentary system.", "txt_file_path": "txt/2diw2n4r2/CO129-623-6 Education Department- annual report 1-5-1950 - 31-12-1950.txt", "external_url": "", "rank": 0 }, { "id": 597029, "series_id": 27, "series_slug": "histsyn-co129-engine", "series_title": "CO129 Colonial Office Hong Kong Records 理藩院香港檔案", "series_use_hku_proxy": false, "document_key": "CO129-623-9 Estimates of Expenditure- includes a report for the year ending March 1952 1-2-1951 - 30-11-1951", "page_number": 60, "title": "CO129-623-9 Estimates of Expenditure- includes a report for the year ending March 1952 1-2-1951 - 30-11-1951", "content_text": "59\n\n53687 on whelpp\n\n3.0-\n\ncontinued to engage the attention of Government. The objection to the scheme has always been the high cost which, with the increased cost of materials, would now very considerably exceed $100 million, but more particularly the fact that no supply of water on any scale would become available during the first six or seven years. My aim has been to work out some modified scheme which, while yielding a rather smaller supply, will do so quickly. No progress was made in this direction until the arrival of the new Director of Public Works, Mr. T.L. Bowring, who at once re-examined the whole project. He has come to the conclusion that it should be possible to construct a reservoir which would provide for a storage capacity of 2,500 million gallons, as against the 6,000 million gallons contemplated under the original scheme. 2,500 million gallons represents a restricted supply for a period of eighty days and thus provides sufficient margin to ensure that the reserves of water in the Colony should never be exhausted except under completely freak conditions which are unlikely to occur. The water would, in the first place, be delivered to the filter beds by pipe line instead of elaborate aqueducts, and would become available within two years. This first stage is only estimated to cost $25 million. The second stage consists of the replacement of the pipe line by permanent aqueducts and the construction of new filters and service reservoirs. This would take three years and is estimated to cost a further $15 million. This appears to be an eminently practical scheme of the type for which we have been searching, and as you are aware, a consulting engineer is to visit the Colony in June to advise upon it. No expenditure other than in connection with his visit will be incurred during the current financial year, and the expenditure in 1952/53 and 1953/54 could, I suggest, suitably be met from the Development Fund.\n\n34.\n\nIn accordance with the approval contained in paragraph 4 of your telegram No. 313 of the 2nd March, the Financial Secretary in the course of his budget speech, announced that it was proposed to appropriate a sum of $30 million from the surplus, as at 31st March, 1950, on the trading operations of the Supplies and Distribution Department, with which to establish an Essential Commodities Equalisation Fund, and that the remaining balance together with the trading surplus for the year ended 31st March, 1951, and the net commissions in respect of the financing by Government of Japanese trade, would be earmarked for the establishment of a Development Fund. As has been explained in earlier correspondence, an Equalisation Fund is considered necessary to meet possible losses from deterioration and other causes which may be unavoidable, having regard to the abnormally high level at which it is necessary, for security reasons, to maintain the stocks of essential foodstuffs and fuel under Government control. Formal resolutions authorising the establishment of these funds will be submitted to Legislative Council in due course, and it is hoped that the Development Fund will start off with a sum of about $55 million. The intention is that the Fund should be maintained by the transfer of future trading profits and commissions, less interest charges, and when the situation becomes sufficiently normal for the Equalisation Fund no longer to be required, any remaining balance in that fund can also be transferred to the Development Fund if at that time it still seems to be the best use to which the balance can be put. It is considered\n\nPage 60\n\nPage 61", "txt_file_path": "txt/2diw2n4r2/CO129-623-9 Estimates of Expenditure- includes a report for the year ending March 1952 1-2-1951 - 30-11-1951.txt", "external_url": "", "rank": 0 }, { "id": 597157, "series_id": 27, "series_slug": "histsyn-co129-engine", "series_title": "CO129 Colonial Office Hong Kong Records 理藩院香港檔案", "series_use_hku_proxy": false, "document_key": "CO129-623-9 Estimates of Expenditure- includes a report for the year ending March 1952 1-2-1951 - 30-11-1951", "page_number": 188, "title": "CO129-623-9 Estimates of Expenditure- includes a report for the year ending March 1952 1-2-1951 - 30-11-1951", "content_text": "248\n\nplan to provide education for the 30,000 children who were not attending school at present. Mr. Fisher considered that his plan could be put into operation within the existing financial resources of the Colony and that the Colony could afford to spend more on education.\n\nMr. Hall drew attention to the fact that in 1945 the number of children in school was 4,000 whereas by 1950 it had risen to 150,000 and entailed the rehabilitation and construction of a large number of schools.\n\nMr. Cook said that both the Secretary of State and he had discussed Social problems with Sir A. Grantham last summer and were satisfied that the Governor was fully alive to the problem and that Hong Kong's efforts had been considerable. Mr. Cook mentioned the difficulty about controlling immigration and the problem of preventing Hong Kong's social services from being swamped by Chinese coming into Hong Kong to make use of them. He thought that in the difficult circumstances Hong Kong were doing as much as could be reasonably expected of them and the various Advisory Committees here seemed satisfied. There were numerous political difficulties against over-ruling the unofficial members in an attempt to increase taxation.\n\nMr. Sidebotham then dealt with the recent request for access to the London Loan market to finance the Tai Lam Chung reservoir project and said that Hong Kong had been informed that a London loan was out of the question until Hong Kong had been able to demonstrate that it was unable to provide the necessary finance itself by utilizing local resources, including increased taxation, to the greatest extent reasonably possible. It had therefore been made clear to Hong Kong that it could not expect further help from H.M.G. until it was prepared to help itself.\n\nMr. Sidebotham then went on to discuss the \"American Embargo\" and said that despite Mr. Clarke's visit to Washington, no relaxation had been achieved. After discussion with Sir T. Lloyd and Mr. Paskin and other Departments (Foreign Office, Ministry of Defence, etc.) a \"high level\" approach to Mr. Atcheson was contemplated and the Chiefs of Staff were taking parallel action through their own channels. We did not know, however, how successful this approach would be but meanwhile we did know that imports from the U.S.A. had already gone down by 40% and unless alternative sources of raw materials were found, and this would be difficult, some Hong Kong industries would have to close down and this would affect\n\n/Hong", "txt_file_path": "txt/2diw2n4r2/CO129-623-9 Estimates of Expenditure- includes a report for the year ending March 1952 1-2-1951 - 30-11-1951.txt", "external_url": "", "rank": 0 } ]