Old Hong Kong-3 — Page 262

POST OFFICE

(Contd.)

the present Post Office building, which took place in 1911, when the structure had been completed on the Central Praya reclamation. Originally it was intended to have a clock tower in the centre of the premises, but though the base of this tower was constructed, up to the roof level, the idea was abandoned.

In January 1902 the Officer Administering the Government (Major-General Gascoigne) sent a despatch to the Secretary of State for the Colonies, outlining the proposals for a new General Post Office, and I take a few extracts therefrom, showing that at one time it was proposed to rebuild the P.O. on the site of the adjoining Supreme Court (which stood on the site now occupied by the Queen's Theatre) on Queen's Road;

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"For some time past, this Government has had under its consideration a new scheme in connection with the proposed new Post Office, and as the scheme has now been fully matured, I have to submit it for your consideration. The proposal which has hitherto been kept in view is that the new Post Office should be built on the site of the present Law Courts. The new proposal, which appears to me to have many advantages over old is to erect the Post Office on the reclamation in front of the office of Messrs Jardine, Matheson and Company. will necessitate the purchase of an expensive site, but on the other hand, the Government will have as an asset the valuable site upon which the present Post Office and Law Courts now stand.

This

"The matter was first dealt with by the Committee appointed by Sir William Robinson in 1849, which recommended in its report dated November, 1896, that the Post Office should be erected on a site on the Reclamation

the Public Works Committee

(however) decided that the existing site was more central and suitable for the purpose and would afford the desired accommodation if the area at present occupied by the Courts were added to it. The Committee's proposal, though good in many respects, is open to serious objections, the principal being that excessive delay and inconvenience would be caused in the carrying out of the work. To explain this, I must emphasize the fact that the new Post Office was to embrace the sites of the present Post Office and Supreme Court, and that, at the present time practically half the ground floor of the Supreme Court is occupied by the Post Office. It will, therefore, be seen that before the construction of a new Post Office can be begun on the existing site, both the Courts and the Post Office must be removed.

The only other important objection to the proposal is that all Mails arrive or are despatched by steamer and consequently the disadvantages of a Post Office which does not front on the Harbour are very great.

Referring to the site opposite Jardines the despatch continues:

"I have ascertained from Messrs Jardine, Matheson & Co. that Sir Robert Jardine is prepared to sell the area, which comprises 25,414 square feet, at $20 per square foot, or at a total cost of $508,280."

But the old site at Queen's Road would be for sale, and: "After providing for the construction of a public street in order to develop the land, for the purpose of which a certain area of private property must be acquired, there will remain an area of 38,942 square feet for sale, the value of which is estimated at $629,328. From this must be deducted the cost of resuming the area just mentioned, which is estimated at $80,000 leaving the net return from the sale of the land $549,323. With regard to the extra cost of the foundations, this may be taken