1955-1957 — Page 17

Central Reclamation). The successful tender for the site formation contract, in the sum of $783,236.00, was submitted by Messrs. Mei Hon & Co., and accepted in June 1956. The full cost of the site formation and ancillary works, originally estimated at $700,000 was to have been met by an outright grant from the Colonial Development & Welfare Fund which had been approved in April 1956. When it was seen the original estimate was going to be appreciably exceeded an applica- tion was submitted by the Authority for a supplementary grant of $140,000, to cover the excess cost, and this was subsequently approved by the Secretary of State, making a total of $840,000 in all. At the same time the amount of the loan was also increased by Government to $74m, to cover the cost of the approach road and other additional work, connected with site formation.

Although the site was handed over to the contractors on 27th June, 1956, various obstructions had to be removed before work could start, and the contract was deemed to have commenced on 15th July, 1956 (although not actually signed until 1st October, 1956), and six months allowed for completion. At first the work proceeded very smoothly, and by the end of 1956 over 46,000 cu. yds. of surplus excavation had been removed from the site. But as excavation to considerable depth was carried out, it was revealed that the nature of the earth was extremely varied, so far as the bearing value for foundations was con- cerned. Re-alignment of the Cadogan Street frontage, carried out at the request of the P.W.D., increased the required depth of the retaining walls between Blocks E and C, and soil tests showed that the required loading of 3 tons/sq. ft. could only be obtained at a greater depth than it was possible to excavate with any degree of safety (the steep slope above was already soft and waterlogged, and several serious slips had occurred).

The slope of the cutting therefore had to be cut back to about 30° and the foundations of retaining walls Nos. 9, 10 and 11 (which are of heavily reinforced concrete, with counterforts) had to be piled, at a cost of $44,080: with extra excavation the extra cost came to over $130,000. In the process of cutting behind these walls, so much excava- tion had to be carried out that it then became necessary to pile for the foundations of Block C, which will stand on the top of the bank behind Block E. The tempo of work was necessarily much reduced (by the end of March 1957, only 60,000 cu. yds. of excavation had been removed since work commenced), and as these difficulties could not be attributed to the contractors, it became necessary to approve an

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