Sessional_Paper_1887-1888 — Page 358

No. 1799.

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(8.)

(Colonial Secretary to Mr. Chater.)

COLONIAL SECRetary's Office,

HONGKONG, 22nd November, 1887.

SIR,

In reply to your letter of this date on the subject of the street extensions on the proposed Praya reclamation, I have the honour, by direction of the Governor, to express His Excellency's regret that the explanation given in my letter No. 1781 of the 18th instant was not more lucid.

With the view of clearing up the doubt which has not unnaturally arisen, I am to refer you to the plan signed by the Acting Governor, wherein the directions of the streets are precisely indicated.

The Honourable C. P. CHATER.

I have, &c.,

FREDERICK STEWART, Colonial Secretury.

(9.)

(Mr. Chater to Colonial Secretary.)

HONGKONG, 29th November, 1887.

SIR,

I have the honour to inform you, for the information of His Excellency the Governor, that at a Meeting of the marine lot-holders held at the City Hall on Saturday, the 26th instant, for the purposes of taking into consideration the modi- fications in the Praya Reclamation Scheme embodied in your letters of the 18th and 22nd instant it was unanimously resolved to adjourn the further consideration of the matter until the detailed survey of the sea-bed, referred to in your letter of the 18th instant, had been made and until a complete set of plans could be prepared and lail before the Meeting with estimates of the total cost of the work and of each section, and it was further unanimously resolved that the cost of those surveys and estimates should be defrayed by the marine lot-holders each contributing in pro- portion to his frontage, and that an amount not exceeding $5,000 should be raised.

I have the honour therefore on behalf of the marine lot-holders to request that His Excellency the Governor will be pleased to take the promptest possible measures to have such detailed surveys and estimates made out, and as the present staff of the Surveyor General's department is hardly adequate numerically for the work, to telegraph if he should think fit to do so, to England for duly qualified persons to be sent out, for the purposes.

I do not think I need enter into the reasons which influence me in asking His Excellency to speed on this matter. It is obvious that the more quickly the work of Praya extension is taken in hand and completed, the more speedily and the more effective will be the relief to the congestion of population from which the city is suffering.

I have the honour to be,

The Honourable F. STEWART, LL.D.,

Sir,

Your most obedient Servant,

C. P. CHATER.

Colonial Secretary.