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to it the craft get the more pretection they would receive from the surrounding land, the fact of it being a mile further on would not, in the opinion of my Committee, be a serious objec- tion, especially as the distance to Cheung Sha Wan from the Central Fairway is little, if any, more than to the present shelter at Causeway Bay.

8. The Committee have no means of estimating the arca of the available site at Cheung Sha Wan, but, from a glance at the hart, it would appear to offer greater possibilities in that direction than Mong Kok Tsui and might be large enough to allow enough room to shelter the junks which in bad weather now invariably run for shelter into Chin Wan Bay.

9. I am to mention that a further advantage possessed by the Cheung Sha Wan shelter would be the alternate route afforded to craft finding it necessary to sail round the West shore of Stonecutters' Island to reach the typhoon harbour under the shelter of the Kowloon hills, though it is only fair to say that this advantage would apply in a minor degree to the Mong Kok Tsni site.

10. Another point which was brought to the notice of the Government in the corre- spondence regarding Storm Warnings bears on this question somewhat. At prescut the inadequacy of the Causeway Bay shelter obliges native craft to run under cover as soon as the red storm symbols are hoisted in order to obviate the possibility of not finding room behind the breakwater at a later stage. This coustitutes a serious inconvenience to the shipping in the harbour, and the construction of a larger and more accessible refuge will undoubtedly remove this to a great extent. A typhoon does not usually progress at a rapid rate, and the fact of its centre being over 300 miles distant from the Colony should not necessitate sinall craft taking shelter, but, for the reason above stated, the owners cannot be blamed for not taking any risk, though they do not fail to take advantage of this to deman i higher pay for working whilst the red signals are hoisted. My Committee therefore trust that on completion of the larger harbour the Government will abolish the red symbols and regard the hoisting of the black symbols only as a sufficient warning to small craft of the proximity of a typhoon.

Hon. A. M. THOMSON,

Colonial Secretary.

I have, &c.,

A. R. LOWE. Secretary.

COLONIAL SECRETARY'S OFFICE,

HONGKONG, 26th July, 1901.

SIR,-I am directed to acknowledge with thanks the receipt of your letter of the 16th July in connection with the proposal for an additional shelter for sampans, etc., during the typhoon season and to state that your suggestions will receive the consideration of the Gov-

ernment.

I have, &c.,

The Secretary, HONGKONG GENERAL CHAMBER OF COMMERCE.

F. H. MAY, Colonial Secretary.

COLONIAL SECRETAY'S OFFICE,

HONGKONG, 9th August, 1904.

and

SIR-With reference to my letter of 26th July and to the previous correspondence in connection with the proposal to construct an additional harbour of refuge for sampaus junks, I am directed to inform you that the Government realising that it would be useless to incur expenditure on a small refuge, has with regret come to the conclusion that the amount required to construct a suitable typhoon anchorage is too heavy to admit of the work being carried out in the immediate future.

I have, &c.,

The Secretary, HONGKONG GENERAL CHAMBER OF COMMERCE.

F. H. MAY, Colonial Secretary.