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Assuming that the loads were of half a ton each, the quantity dealt with by this destructor was 50 tons per day. Comparing this with the information given by Mr. CROOK with regard to the Horsfall system, it was found that the 4 cells under that system were estimated to deal with only 24 tons per day or half the quantity under the Garlick system. The cost of working a Horsfall destructor of that capacity was estimated to be $8.65 per day, or $3,157 per annum, and the cost per ton was therefore practically the same as under the Garlick system. That is to say that the annual outlay for dealing with the whole of the City refuse, which amounts to about 130 tons daily, would be about $18,000. The capital outlay on plant in the case of the Garlick destructor would be $180,000, based on the information received from Singapore, but for the Horsfall system it would be somewhere about double that amount. It must be noted that the figures given are for dealing with the rubbish from the City only. Kowloon would still remain to be dealt with under the old system, unless they were prepared to go in for further expenditure in order to provide a destructor there.
The Sanitary Board had estimated that a saving of $4,000 would be effected on the scavenging contract by the adoption of the 4-cell destructor recommended by Mr. CROOK. Personally he had grave doubts as to any saving being effected, because the cost of conveying the whole of the refuse in carts, for a long distance, to the destructor would balance any saving in removing it under the present system by junks. Mr. CROOK had proposed to construct the destructor at Kennedy Town, but it transpired that this would not be a suitable site for it on account of its proximity to the Slaughter- house. Trouble would be occasioned by the fine dust from the destructor settling on the meat when it was hung up in the cooling-house which would probably render it unfit for consumption.
The Medical Officer of Health now proposed that the destructor should be erected at Happy Valley. This overcame the trouble so far as the meat was concerned, but it would not get rid of the dust.
They were met to consider the question of providing a Refuse Destractor, but he presumed that in dealing with the subject it was open to them to consider whether some equally efficient and less expensive scheme might not be devised.
Hongkong was exceptionally favourably situated for the disposal of its refuse by conveying it to sea and he would therefore suggest that steam hopper barges should be utilised in order to do away with the objections to the present system. One barge would be capable of dealing with the whole refuse from the City and Kowloon, but, to provide against accidents and admit of repairs, it would be necessary to have two barges. He estimated that these barges would cost about $40,000 each, or $80,000 for the two, and the cost of working them would be about $6.000 each per annum. latter figure was based upon the cost of running the steam tug Praya, including all repairs, &c., and was therefore to be relied upon.
The
He proposed that three piers be erected at different points along the Praya, conveniently situated for the different districts, where the refuse could be taken early in the morning and loaded directly into the barges. He estimated that the cost of these piers would be about $40,000 each, or $120,000 for the three which, added to the cost of the barges, would bring the total capital cost up to $200,000. There would however be a considerable saving effected in the present scavenging contract, which amounted to $44,000 per annum, as the contractor would be entirely relieved of the barging of the refuse in junks. The piers could be made a source of income by letting out a portion of them to ferry companies. Dozens of applications reached him for permission to erect piers for steam ferry services, and a good income could be obtained by letting out a portion of the piers to these people. There might be times when, on account of typhoons, the barges could not go to sea.
To provide for this he proposed that, at the end of each pier there should be erected a shed where the rubbish could be received and stored away from public gaze and public interference, until it could be removed.
Dr. CLARK, Medical Officer of Health, referring to the Chairman's criticism of the estimate given by Mr. CROOK, said that that estimate included the preparation of the site, and the approach road, the erection of a chimney 100 feet high and the erection of quarters for the attendants, and it would not be correct therefore to assume that a twelve-cell destructor would cost three times the estimate for a four-cell destructor. He understood moreover that the Garlick Destructor, now recommended, was considerably cheaper than the Horsfall Destructor recommended by Mr. CROOK. The Chairman had quoted from comments of the patentees of one destructor as against the patentees of another. Well, the one would say as much as they could to deprecate the other, so he did not think that much weight attached to these quotations. One reason which actuated the Board in pressing this matter was to secure the absolute destruction of plague refuse. During a plague epidemic refuse was removed from the houses and had to be burned in any open space of Crown land which might be available in the neighbourhood. These spaces were becoming year by year more limited. Complaints were frequent from people living in their neighbourhood as to the muisance not only from smoke but also from the street coolies picking over this stuff, and taking away what was worth their while, and it had been found that this could not be prevented unless there was a European Constable on duty at every heap. A second reason was the constant complaints as to the silting up caused by the refuse thrown or spilled from the boats that were engaged to take the rubbish away. Hundreds of tous of the rub- bish found its way overboard, abolishing the deep water frontage, and if this went on year after year, they would eventually have no deep water frontage at all along the New Praya. At low water, this
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