512
14. Maintenance of Roads and Bridges in Victoria.-During the period under review the following roads have been re-macadamized and the side channels and kerbs straightened and improved, viz.: Queen's Road West to New Street, Wing Lok Street, Jervois Street, Queen's Street, Bonham Strand West, Mercer Street and Cross Street. Minor repairs have been effected in various parts of the city.
15. Maintenance of Roads out of Victoria.--The surfaces of Mount Kellet Road from the Aberdeen Road to Des Vœux Villas and the Peak Road from Mount Austin Hotel to Rural Building Lot No. 59, the lower portion of the Bowen Road and a portion of the Aberdeen New Road have been concreted with lime and cement concrete.
The Main Street of Aberdeen has been macadamized, kerbs and channels fixed where required, and surface drainage improved. Minor repairs have been effected in various parts throughout the island,
16. Maintenance of Roads and Bridges, Kowloon.-Bulkeley Street Hung Hom has been macada- mized, kerbed and channelled as has also a portion of Station Street Yau Ma Ti. Minor repairs have been effected in various parts of the Peninsula.
17. Maintenance of Water Works.-The water works have been maintained in a satisfactory manner without any extraordinary expenditure.
18. The scarcity of water that again prevailed during the months of March and April however necessitated the introduction of the intermittent system of supply.
There is not the slightest doubt that the scarcity experienced during that period and during the months of February, March, April and May, 1891, was mainly due to the waste and misuse of water by the inhabitants of the City of Victoria and Hill District generally, though at the same time the rainfall during these periods was considerably below the average.
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19. Under section 5 of the Water Works Ordinance, "It shall be lawful for all persons occupying or owning any tenement to construct services for the supply of water from the Water Works....... and on the completion of the service to the satisfaction of the Water Authority it shall be connected "by the Water Authority to the water works."
The owners of 4,431 tenements have availed themselves of this privilege, and the consumption of water for domestic purposes averaged during 1892 for the whole population of the City and Hill Districts the high figure of 19 gallons a head per diem, clearly shewing that the privilege has been grossly abused.
20. In framing the above quoted section of the Ordinance the convenience of the public generally was evidently the first consideration, and it is with regret that I have to record that after 18 months experience the facilities for obtaining an ample supply of water thus offered have only resulted in its wholesale waste and misuse. The occupants of premises are the persons who clearly have it in their power to reduce this waste and misuse and they have failed to do so. Consequently it has been found necessary to enforce the provisions of Sections 10, 11, 12 and 13 of the Water Works Ordinance.
21. The City has been divided into 45 districts, and meters are being fixed for the purpose of ascertaining the consumption in every tenement or block of tenements in these districts, and the "Pres- cribed domestic quantity" is also being fixed in respect of such tenements. Owners and tenants of property will doubtless experience some inconvenience from the adoption of this course, but it must not be lost sight of that the Government have given them every opportunity to reduce the waste and misuse of water by ordinary means, they have failed to do so, and the Government have been forced to adopt exceptional measures for the protection of the Public Water Supply.
22. The following tabular statement respecting the consumption of water under the constant and intermittent system may be of interest.
Month.
Date.
Hours of Supply.
Total Consumption.
Gallons.
Consumption
per head per diem.
March,
1st to 8th
Constant
2,881,350
19
March,
9th to 13th
5 A.M. to 9 P.M.
2,460,360
16
6 A.M. to 9 A.M.
March,
14th to 16th
6 P.M. to 8 P.M.
1,537,725
10
March,
17th to 23rd
6 A.M. to 10 A.M.
1,466,464
91
April,
April,
24th to 30th
7 A.M. to 10 a.m.
1,431,048
91
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