Sessional_Paper_1906 — Page 673

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38. Maintenance of Water-works, Aberdeen and Shaukiwan.-A satisfactory supply of water was maintained to Aberdeen and Shaukiwan during the year, the total consumption amounting to 5,743,000 and 9,532,000 gallons respectively, or 15,700 and 26,100 gallons per day. Details are given in Appendices K. and L. Repairs to the eastern intake at Shau- kiwan were undertaken but were not completed at the close of the year.

There were 3 meters in use at Aberdeen and 7 at Shaukiwan.

in most cases.

39. Lai Chi Kok Water-works-Water Boat Supply. The supply of waterto the shipp- ing has not hither to been on a satisfactory footing, many of the water boats having derived a supply from streams which were very liable to contamination. The arrangements for rendering the water available for filling the boats were also of a very primitive nature It was therefore decided to construct works at Lai Chi Kok to enable water- boats generally to obtain a supply of filtered water. A description of the works will be found under "Miscellaneous Water-works". They were first brought into operation on the 7th March, the quantity of water supplied from them up to the close of the year amounting to 39,844,000 gallons equivalent to an average of 132,800 gallons daily. During December, the consumption rose to an average of 306,450 gallons daily. Particulars of the quantity supplied will be found in Appendix M. There were 9 meters in use at the close of the year, all the large companies or firms having private meters whilst a common meter served the small consumers who were supplied on presentation of tickets purchased before- hand at the Treasury.

The establishment of the Lai Chi Kok Works enabled all the water-boat services connected with the City Water-works to be abolished.

As the expenditure for maintenance was very trifling, it was not considered necessary to take a special vote for it.

PUBLIC WORKS EXTRAORDINARY.

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40. Bacteriological Institute. The buildings comprised under this heading were designed by Messrs. LEIGH & ORANGE, who also supervised their construction. They occupy a sife, 20,776 square feet in extent, in the upper part of the Taipingshan Resumed Area and consist of a main block and two subsidiary blocks-one for servants' quarters and the other. for animal houses, &c. The main block contains a basement, ground floor and upper floor, and affords the following accommodation :-4 laboratories, each 28′0′′ x 18' 0", a library, a combined waiting-room and office, a photographic room and a spare room, each 20′ 0 × 12′0", a store-room, incubating room, heating chamber and refrigerating room, besides a

hall and staircase, small dark-roon, lavatories, &c. Balconies extend along the whole of the north front on the ground and upper floors and there are verandahs on the east, south and west fronts. One of the subsidiary blocks (a one-storied building) affords accommodation for 11 Chinese attendants, with kitchen, &c., whilst the other (a two-storied building) contains a stable (4 stalls and 2 loose boxes); houses for 5 cattle and 8 calves; 2 sheep-pens and suitable accommodation for monkeys, fowls, rats, mice, guinea pigs and rabbits. There is also a room for 4 Chinese attendants, a doctor's room, a corn store and a fodder store.

All the buildings are of red brick, built in lime mortar and pointed externally in cement mortar. The main building, except where lined with tiles, is plastered internally; the subsidiary buildings are pointed. The roofs are covered with double pan and roll tiling, on timber purlins and principals. The walls of the laboratories are lined for a height of 6 feet and those of the dark-room and lavatories for a height of 3 feet with white glazed tiles. The two laboratories and all other apartments on the ground floor, including verandahs, &c., and the 2 laboratories and verandahs on upper floor have floors of cement concrete, supported on rolled joists and covered with encaustic tiles; the remaining apartments on the upper floor have teak floors supported on China fir joists. The windows of the laboratories, which are placed in the north front, are fixed and glazed with plate glass, the balconies affording access for cleaning their outside surfaces. Double doors are provided to all openings into the laboratories, one door being glazed and the other filled in with mosquito-proof wire gauze. The walls of the incubating chamber are lined with asbestos and double doors are provided to this apartment. A hot-water service is laid on to all the laboratories from a vertical boiler in the heating chamber.