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REPORT. OF THE PROCEEDINGS OF THE PUBLIC WORKS COMMITTEE, AT A MEET- ING HELD ON THE 13TH JANUARY, 1898. Present: The Hon. The Director of Public Works (Chairman), Hon. The Colonial Trea- surer (T. Sercombe Smith), Hon. C. P. Chater, C.M.G., Hon. T. H. Whitehead, Hop. E, R. Belilios, C.M.G.
Subject for consideration:
The Scheme of the Director of Public Works for New Government Offices."
The Chairman reminded the Committee that at a previous meeting no resolution had been proposed, but the subject had merely been discussed and its consideration postponed. Since then a different scheme for the new Go. vernment Offices had been prepared by an Honourable Member of the Committee and circulated, and he left it for the Committee to decide whether they could discuss that scheme as well seeing that it had not yet been before His Excellency and referred to them for report.
The Committee decided that both schemes should be considered.
After discussion, it was proposed by the Honourable the Treasurer and seconded by the Honourable Mr. Belilies that the scheme of the Director of Public Works be approved by this Committee, and its adoption recommended to His Excellency the Governor.
The Committee divided with the following result-
Ayes.
The Hon. the Treasurer.
The Hon. E. R. Belilios, C.M.G. The Chairman.
Noes.
The Hon. C. P. Chater, C.M.G. The Hon. T. H. Whitehead. The Chairman declared the resolution carried. The following protest was handed in by the Honourable T. H. Whitehead.
Mr. Whitehead desired that his protest should be recorded against the Honourable F. R. Belilios, C.M.G, being permitted to second and vote, the honourable member being directly and pecuniarily interested in the ques- tion under consideration, the question being that the Government should purchase Beacons field," à property owned by the said Mr. Belilios, and Mr. Whitehead further desired to refer, in support of this protest, to May's "Parlia mentary Practice," 9th Edition, page 420, where the rule as to Members of Parliament is laid down in the plainest language. It reads
"In the Commons it is a distinct rule that no member who has a direct pecuniary in- -terest in a question shall be allowed to vote upon it, but in order to operate as à dis- qualification this interest must be in. mediate and personal and not merely of a general or remote character. On the 17th July, 1811, the rule was thus explained by Mr. Speaker Abbott: this interest must be a direct pecuniary interest and separately belonging to the persons whose votes were questioned and not in common with the rest of His Majesty's subjects or on a måtter of State policy."
Mr. Whitehead alsa desired to refer, if fur- ther authority is necessary, to Buckley's Com- panies Acts; 7th Edition, page 542, where it is laid down that although no director shall vacute his office by reason of his being a member of ady firm having contracts with the company of which he is a direntor, nevertheless he shall not vote in respect. of such contract or work, and if he does so vote his vote shall not be counted."
64
R. D. ORMSBY, Chairman.
Hongkong, 14th January, 1898.
MR. CHATER'S PROPOSAL.
The scheme I now beg to propose for the fatare accommodation of the Government Offices is as follows:-
GENERAL SCHEME,
1. To adopt the recommendation of Messrs. Aston Webb and Ingress Bell and to build the Law Courts and accessories, including Land Office, on plot No. 2, .e., the back (and larger block in front of the City Hall.
2. To build on plot No. 1, ie., the front lot on the Praya Reclamation, a block of Offices, this ground floor being for Post Office, first floor
[January 27, 1898.
timated by the Director of Public Works capitalized 80,000
Total... $551,184
THE HONGKONG WEEKLY PRESS AND for Treasury, Assessor, and Sanitary Board, and second floor for Public Works Department. 3. The existing Government Offices, St. John's Place, to be occupied on first floor by the Colonial Secretary, Auditor, Council Chamber, Net cost of proposed new offices &c., as.at present, and the ground floor, now occupied by the Public Works Department, to be given to the Registrar General's and Educa. tion Department.
4. A new Harbour Office to be built on the Praya Reclamation in front of the present Harbour Office, as recommended by the Director of Public Works.
5. My reasons for proposing a scheme differ. ing somewhat from that recommended by the Director of Public Works are as follows:-
ADVANTAGES OF BCHEME.
6. The Post Office would be on the new Praya facing the barbour and in the natural site for same; mails can be expeditiously and safely landed and despatched at a wharf op. posite the site, which is not usually used by launches and ferry boats, these going to the
Ice House Street and Pedder Street Wharves.
7. The proposed site, and not the present position, of the Post Office will, in the course of a short time, be in the very centre of all the Banks, Insurance Offices, and principal Euro. pean and Indian merchants of the colony, and these are by far the principal users of the Post and not the Chinese, who will in a few years entirely surround the present Post Office and Law Courts. The proposed site would be con- venient for the Military and Navy, and also those frequenting the Law Courts and Land Office, who constantly require various descrip. tions of stamps.
to Government
any $199,000 13. The net cost shewn above of $199,000, is ⠀ against the net cost shown by the Director of Public Works of $162,000 for his scheme, and I venture to think that the convenience to public and accommodation gained would justify a far larger expenditure.
"
. 14-I have taken the value of the site of the present Land Office and Crosby Store, 16,078 square feet at $10 per foot as given by the Director of Public Works, but for the sito of the present Post Office, I am confident that $2 per foot more would be obtained, owing to the superior position and frontage.
f
15. As for the value of plot No. 1 on the new Praya Reclamation, put down at 810 per foot by the Director of Public Works, I fear that it will be a considerable time before so large a piece of ground can be sold at such a price.
16.-I wish to point out that no allowance appears to have been made for the sale of the ground at present occupied by the Harbour Office, which land is in a most valuable part of the city and is worth about $15 per foot; the area is about 8,000 square feet and therefore the net cost to the colony of the new buildings should be reduced by $120,000.
+
17—I wish to record my opinion that the plans for the new Public Offices should be made. by local architects of standing who, I think, by their experience of local requirements and con- struction, are far more likely to produce a 8-By placing the Treasury, Assessor, San- satisfactory and economical building than any itary Board, and Public Works Department in firm of architects in England. The work the same building, communication, which is already executed in this city seems to me quite frequent between these Departments, is render-proof enough of the ability of the local archi- ed easy and the transaction of public business greatly facilitated.
The Public Works Department will also have: in the proposed new offices ample light, which 18 very deficient in the present rooms,
9. It is very desirable, that & building on the front block, facing the harbour, should be as least three stories high or the building will be dwarfed by the adjoining blocks on either side which are four stories.
10. By utilizing the ground floor of the Government Offices, St. John's Place, the Education and Registrar-General's Depart ments are brought to the same building as the Colonial Secretary's, which would be very con- venient, as the latter offices are held by the
same officer.
FINANCIAL.`
··11.—As_regards the financial part of the question, I will take, as far as possible, the figures given by the Director of Public Works, and it will be found that my proposed scheme is at, practically, the same cost as that of the Director of Public Works, while it centralizes all the Government Offices and provides new buildings in a good position in place of detached offices and old buildings.
12.-Cost of new Law Courts,' &c., on plot No. 2 as estimated by the Director of Public Works... $400,000 Cost of new Post Office and Treasury as estimated by the Director of
Public Works ...
..150,000
In proportion to the above costs, allow for additional storey to Post Office say
W
More handsome elevation on New Prays and more expensive founda- tions, say Cost of new Harbour Office as estim
ated by the Director of Public Works ...
Total
On the other side:- Sale of land occupied by Land Office and Crosby's Store, as estimated by the Director of Public Works, 16,078 square feet at $10 Sale of land occupied by Post Office and Law Courts, 25,867 square feet at $12, Rents now paid or to be paid
next year for offices as es-]
40,000
50,000
...110,000 $750,000
$160,780
310,404
tects to undertake the proposed buildings which, I may mention, are not so large as the blocks now being built on the Reclamation.
P. CHATER,
PRIZE DISTRIBUTION AT ST.
JOSEPH'S COLLEGE.
St. Joseph's College on 20th Jan. There was
The annual prize distribution took place at
a large attendance, Sir J. W. Carrington, LI.D., C.M.G., presiding. The Papal Delegate. to India visited the College for the first time. Amongst others present were Bishop Piazoli, Father Martinet, Father Torres, Mr. J. J. Francis, &c.
Before the distribution of prizes took place the College Choir sang two choruses and then four of the upper class boys debated on the question of "Can Arbitration be made a sub- stitute for War." The affirmative was taken by E, A, Pugh and E. J. Noronha and the negative by L. E. Guterres and J. C. Logan.. The following report for 1897 was then read by the Principal of the College -
In reviewing the scholastic year of 1897, I find that 228 pupils were received during the year, and that there was an average monthly attendance of 185. We presented 132 pupils for the Government Grant-in-Aid Examination, and the results, though not up to those of former years, was on the whole satisfactory. | In the lower Standards, where the examinations have always been conducted by the Inspector himself, the results were very good; in the upper. Standards, where the examinations are entirely written, the percentage was somewhat. lower than those of formers years, but we hope this little severity will cause the larger pupils to set a higher value on the Government exam- ination; and study better to prepare themselves for it.
We are particularly pleased with the results obtained in the Oxford University Local Examinations. There were only seven boys in the colony who passed the Senior examination, and five of these belong to St. Joseph's College; and of the fifteen Juniors who passed six belong to St. Joseph's. Though the Prelimin ary boys were not so successful as the others, yet we had a fair proportion, as two out of the five who passed in the colony belong to St. Joseph's. We may attribute this success, in some measure, to the stimulus which His Honour the Chief Justice, gave to the pupils by
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