Sessional_Paper_1903 — Page 389

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83. Site for New Post Office, Treasury, &c.-The area of the Reclamation pertaining to Marine Lots Nos. 99 and 100, bounded by Connaught Road, Pedder Street and Des Voeux Road on the North, East and South sides, respectively, was acquired by Government for the site of the New Post Office. It is also intended to provide accommodation on the site, by erecting a three-storied building, for the Treasury and other departments. Competitive designs for the building were called for from Architects in the Colony and in Shanghai and Singapore. The area of the site is 25,414 square feet; the amount paid for it being $508,280, or at the rate of $20 per square foot.

84. Plague Account.-A sum of $16,231 was expended under this heading, principally for the erection of various matsheds for housing the Sanitary Staff, &c., ($4,765); the construction of a pier and pathway to the Plague Cemetery at Cheung Sha Wan ($2,944); and fixing wire rat-proof nettings over the gully gratings ($1,932).

85. Boundary Pillars, New Territory.--Three granite obelisks, bearing suitable inscriptions, were fixed-one near the shore of Mirs Bay and the others on the North and South sides of Lantao Island. respectively--to define where the East and West boundary lines of the New Territory intersect the land. The positions of the obelisks were determined by H. M. S. "Bramble."

86. Alterations of Roads.-As the result of negotiations with Messrs. BUTTER- FIELD & SWIRE, it was arranged that the diverted portion of the Shaukiwan Road being constructed by them past their shipyard should be widened from 30 feet to 75 feet. From the configuration of the ground, it would have been almost imprac- ticable to have effected any widening of the road after the construction and laying out of their shipyard had been completed.

A proposal was submitted to the Kowloon Wharf and Godown Company, for carrying out certain alterations and exchanges to enable the public traffic to be diverted from the Praya at Kowloon, which is so greatly obstructed by their tram- way lines and trucks and the conduct of their business generally. The Company submitted an alternative proposal, which the Government expressed itself prepared to accept on certain terms. The terms, however, were not acceptable to the Com- pany and, as a compromise agreeable to both parties could not be arranged, the matter dropped.

87. Surfacing Private Streets and Lanes.-A large amount of work was exe- cuted under this heading, the expenditure amounting to $32,531.69. The cost of the work was charged to the various owners whose property is affected by it in the case of each street or lane.

88. Jubilee Road.-The first half of this road, from Kennedy Town to its point of intersection with the path to Sassoon's Villa (Farm Lot 40), was completed in the early part of the year and work on the remaining portion to Aberdeen was well advanced by its close.

89. Jubilee Hospital. The buildings were roofed in and otherwise in an advanced state by the end of the year.

90. Harlech Road and Road between Wanchai and Wongneichong Gaps- Work on these roads was at a standstill during the year. As mentioned in last year's

's report, both of them are being constructed by the Military Authorities.

91. Electric Tramway.-An Ordinance authorizing the construction of an electric tramway from Kennedy Town to Shaukiwan, with a branch line to Happy Valley, was passed in April. Up to the end of the year, the work of laying the tramway had not been begun.

PRAYA RECLAMATION WORKS.

92. Expenditure. The expenditure for the year was $110,708, as compared with $91,772 in 1901, and $150,650 in 1900.

93. Area rendered available for Building.-The total building area to be pro- vided by the Reclamation is 33 acres. An area of 27 acres has been made available, and the whole of it, except about one acre, has been taken over by the several parties entitled to it.

94. Section No. 1 West.-The Concrete Block Staff, after levelling the rubble foundations and laying the concrete bed, on the line of the sea wall, set 680 lineal feet of two-course block work, containing 3,000 tons of concrete.

This completed the blocksetting on the Praya Reclamation.