Sessional_Paper_1904 — Page 300

194

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Another cause of delay was the period of severe depression and scarcity of money which was experienced in 1892, when doubts arose as to whether the Marine Lot-owners could fulfil their obligations in providing the funds necessary for the completion of the authorised works. The letting of new contracts was postponed until it was decided that the scheme was to be gone on with and carried to completion and, before this decision was arrived at, a season's low tides were lost, causing practically a year's delay.

According to the original programme, the Reclamation was to be commenced simultaneously at both ends, and the works were to be carried on until they met. in the middle; but owing to the refusal of the Lot-owners on Section No. 1w to come into the scheme, that portion of the Reclamation was not taken in hand until 1898. In carrying it out, the rubble foundations of the sea wall subsided repeatedly, and caused more trouble and delay than any other equal length of foundations.

Owing however to delays on the part of the Contractor for Section No. 6w, Mr. TSANG KENG, work on section No. 1w, was completed practically simultane- ously with it.

Much of the work performed on the Reclamation is invisible, the foundations- of the Praya Wall extending down through water and mud to the hard ground. This means that the depth of the wall and rubble mound, from the top of the coping to the bottom of the foundations, varies from 27 to 80 feet. In addition to being extended out to the new Praya Wall, the Storm-Water Drains had to be reconstructed from the old Praya Wall backwards, for distances varying from 100- to 1,450 feet. The aggregate of the areas of the Reclamations outside the old Praya Wall has already been given as 65 acres, but the whole surface of the old Praya had to be raised, and portions of the surfaces of the adjoining streets. Thus the total area dealt with was 80 acres, and the total weight of materials used in the works may be put at something like 3,500,000 tons.

When it is mentioned that the cost of the entire work per square foot of building land has amounted to about $2 to $3 and that portions of the land in the western and central districts have realized $8.78 and $20.00 per square foot, res-- pectively, there can be no question as to the success of the scheme from a financial point of view. The scheme has also been of great benefit in providing new, and wide thoroughfares throughout the principal portion of the City and in affording accommodation for the great development which has occurred in the trade and population of the Colony. In addition to the sum expended upon the Reclama- tion itself, a large sum, probably about $4,000,000, has been spent in the erection of buildings on it.

STAFF &C.

99. Leave granted, Appointments, Resignations, &c.

The following Officers were granted leave exceeding one week's duration :-

Mr. J. R. MUDIE, Executive Engineer,... 12 months.

C. H. GALE,

Do.,

12

97

哪单

D. WOOD, Supt. A/cs., Correspondence

and Stores,

12

"

"1

W. J. NEWLAND, Supt. New Territory

Survey,.

5 weeks.

27

B. W. GREY, Land Surveyor,....

1 month and 26 days.

R. H. MUGFORD, Overseer,

12 months.

**

M. TAYLOR, Overseer,

19

A. W. J. SIMMONS, Overseer,......

Miss A. DE Souza, Clerk,

Mr. J. M. CRUZ, Tracer,....

"J

WONG A FAT, Do.,

""

A SIN, Gardener, Cemetery,

19 days.

3 months.

2

11

1 month and 1 day.

1 month and 1 day.

1 mouth.

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