Sessional_Paper_1931 — Page 11

In 1921 a Contract for the whole of the works included in items I & III of Items of

Estimate :- the Estimate, except the adjustment of the Tramway Track, was awarded to Messrs. Sang Lee & Co., whose tender was the lowest at $2,397,323.00, being "Reclama-

Item (I) $1,939,371.00 for the works under item I and $457,952 for the works under item tion, &c."

III.

The actual cost of construction of the works under item I included in the Contract, excluding bonus pay- ments, amounted to

The actual cost of reconstructing the Tramway track

amounted to

Total cost excluding bonus payments of con- structing the works under item I of Es- timate

$1,992,878.13

77,580.53

$

$2,070,458.66

The Excess on the Contract value of the work in item (1) was brought about by the higher rates paid for filling materials when Morrison Hill had become exhausted.

•

As regards item III, when the Contract had been let for the provision made in the original Estimate for Storm Water Drainage, it was ascertained from observa- tions made of the run off during heavy rains that the contemplated provision was inadequate. It was found necessary to construct an additional storm water drain on the Eastern boundary of the reclamation, and to increase the capacity of the drainage for Happy Valley from 75% of a 3 inches per hour run off to 4 inches per hour run off. These extra works, together with the necessity for using longer piles for the foundations of the drains than specified in the Contract, brought the actual cost of the drainage works in Messrs. Sang Lee & Co.'s Contract to

Further, applications received for the development of the building sites on the reclamation indicated that the sewers considered sufficient in the original Scheme and constructed under Messrs. Sang Lee & Co.'s Contract were inadequate to provide sewer connec- tions to houses built in the manner which Lotholders proposed to develop. A fresh Contract for the necessary additional sewers was accordingly let, the successful tenderer being Fook Shing & Co. The cost of the additional Sewers amounted to

Total Cost (excluding bonus payments) of

drainage works on the Reclamation

$ 684,302.96

$ 111,286.90

$795,589.86

Item (III) "Drainage Works.'

Items I

When the Praya East Reclamation Scheme was under consideration, it was Bonus ascertained that the volume of material in Morrison Hill was ample for the require- Payment on ments of reclamation, and the late Sir Paul Chater, acting on behalf of Lotholders & III. interested in the Scheme, made strong representation to Government that the site was the most advantageous for which to obtain the filling materials. Government ac- cordingly resumed various leases to make Morrison Hill available for filling.

When the Contractor had been operating for about 1 years large crops of boulders appeared in the faces of the cuttings, the removal of these boulders not only added considerably to the expense of obtaing filling but slowed down the rate of progress to such an extent that to maintain progress consistent with completing the work within Contract time, it was necessary for the Contractor to operate late into the night. Conditions gradually became worse and the Contractor reported in March, 1924, that he was unable to carry through the work at his Contract rate of $0.23.