June 17, 1899.]
Until, however, the additional clerks that have been shown to be necessary are provided the same cannot be done at this Office. Much trouble is almost daily given by requests that latters may be searched for to be registered, the coolie having omitted to do s
The Chinese coolie is not more unintelligent or dishonest than the average negro or Hindoo. In other places, however, either more trnst- worthy meɛ engers are sent or the public are not so prone to promptly accuse Post Office employes en masse of dishonesty.
In other places also the bulk of Europeans understand to some extent the language of their messengers, bere numberless mistakes are made from utter inability of masters and ser- vants to understand one another, and the men are sent off trusting to the Post Office official seeing that the right thing is done.
The reception of letters at windows gives much additional labour and is not a proper post- ing through the boxes supplied for the purpose. Of most of the seniors on the staff it gives me great pleasure to speak highly, the juniors lack sense of responsibility, and it is very doubtful if many of them intend to stick to the
service.
To insure prompt and satisfactory deliveries the postmen's districts should be much circum- scribed, which will necessitate a material in- crease of numbers as detailed last month; all the men should be quartered in the new pre-
mises when built,
During 1898, eighteen clerks: Messrs. J. 8. Remedios, Lam Shu Piu, Tse A Sit, Chung Yuk King, Wong Lim, C. T. Silva, Sirdar Khan, F. Figueiredo G. Silva, A. Remedios, P. Roza, J. V. Pereira, T. Perpetuo, F. Silva F. Jorge, F. M. Rangel, F. F. Soares, M. P. Remedios, joined.
One died and nine resigned, one who joined in 1894, one who joined in 1897; the others all joined in 1898 staying from one month to three, amongst the latter all the Chinese clerks (four).
The staff was increased by eight. Four for the Branch offices, one in the Registration De- partment, one in lieu of the Assistant Post master-General (absent), and two learners.
Of the 28 clerks employed on December 31st, 1898, but nine had eight years' service and upwards; one four year's service, the senior clerk; four under three years' service including the Superintendent of the Registration Branch; three under two years' service; eleven under one years' service.
Amongst the nine seniors were the then Ác- couutant, since pensioned, the three Marine Officers. the Superintendent of the Money Order Office, and one clerk also in the Money Order Office, the Storekeeper, one clerk in the Registration Brance, leaving only one of the older men for duty in the general office.
CIHNA OVERLAND TRADE REPORT.
AT KOWLOON.
495
foul and poisonous gases is possible, the bulk of EI ROADS AT THE PEAK AND the 3,000,000 gallons of water used daily in the City, still in the form of liquid, should pass through these pipe sewers, and in addition 32 flushing tanks are in existence at convenient points to give a further impetus to the flow in the pipes, and drive their contents completely and rapidly into the harbour.
There are still in existence, below many of the streets and below some of the houses, the old storm drains, varying in dimensions from over six feet in height to one foot square, but with little or no fall near the harbour front, into which in former times all sewage flowed, elongated cess-pools. The entrance of the tides into these drains banked up the sewerage of the City to poison the soil and about the
The Hon. R. D. Ormsby Director of Publio works, in his report for last year says
CHAMBERLAIN ROAD, The Chamberlain Road, Teading from the upper Tram Station at Victoria Gap to Mount Kellet Road, was completed in December, the cost being $25,149,45. The first section of this road as far as the entrance to " Treverbyn," is 23 feet wide, the second section on to "The Homestead," 15 feet wide. distance level, it then rises
uniform gradient
and which in many cases were little better than of 1 in 20 to the junction * *b.bug for some
Queen's Road level.
These great masonry drains were, and are still, necessary to carry off rain water without them during heavy rainfalls the streets would be flooded and cut up into watercourses, but it was intended that on the completion of the separate system, no foul or noxious matters should enter these drains, so ill suited to carry
them to the sea.
Now as to their misuse.
Mr. Drury, who has been in charge of the drainage and sewer- age of the City during the past year, writes :- I cannot report favourably on the condition of the storm drains, in which it appears to me between th and 4th of the city sewage still Hows. These drains. already coudemned for this purpose, are entirely unfit for the convey- ance of any foul waters."
Mount Kellet Road. Considering the extremely heavy re- taining walls required in the first section and the first class nature of the masonry surfacing hand- rails, &c., it cannot be considered an extravag- ant work. The total length is 2,340 feet.
BARKER ROAD, ̈*
!
The Barker Roading from Plautation Road to Magazine Gap was also completed in the year and opened for traffic, the total cost being $26,880.00. The length of this road is 5,660 feet and the ruling gradient, 1 in 40, while the steepest gradients being 1 in 20 make it avail. able for rickshaw traffic. For some months in the summer a threatened slip near the com- mencement of the road caused much anxiety. The cutting passed through some very treacher- ous soil, probably and old landship, and being immediately below, the Plantation Road and immediately above the Tram line, a slip, such as for some time seemed imminent, would pro- bably have carried away both. The position, moreover, rendered the use of blasting powder or dynamite impossible, and the overhanging and slipping mass had to be carried away in
He then goes on to speak of the escapa of gases through "storm gullies," causing the bad smells occasionally complained of, and describes how he has found it necessary to carry up ven- tilating shafts from these storm draits, which,pieces by coolie labour, the boulders being cut if not misused, would require nothing of the sort. Describing their misuse he says-
by wedging. To make the road perfectly safe a heavy retaining wall, built in cement, was considered necessary, which added fully Having reported on the state of the storm $3,000.00 to the cost of the road. Long before drains generally, I will trace the manner in completion, the road became a favourite even- which sewage enters them and suggest a remedying walk, and already three large building sites for the same. The Chinese throw much of their sullage water into the street channels, have been sold, and the erection of one Europe this flows to an intercepting gully, when it should go to the sewers, but in the cases of a blockage of this gully (a most common reuce) it overflows into the storm gully and thence into the storm drain, which it fonls."
occur-
One suggested remedy is that the mainten. ance of all sewers, storm drains, and gullies should be under one control, instead of as at pre- sent divded between the Public Works Depart- ment and the Sanitary Board. It is now to the Scavenging Contractor's interest to allow sew. age and rabbish to get into the storm drains and sewers, when the work and expense of re- moving it falls on the Public Works Depart-
ment.
Mr. Drury thinks that if this depart- ment was reponsible for the effective working of the whole of the separate system with a suit-
gults would ensue,
an residence is advanced.
GENERAL BLACK'S LINK.
An expenditure of less than $1,000 was incur. red in opening the footpath from Wanchai Gap- via Middle Gap to Wongneichong Gap since named "General Black's Link." This path is southern slopes af Mounts Cameron and Nichol- a little over 3 miles in length and traverses the
son, commanding charming views of Deep Water Bay and the south coast of the Island. It opens up numerons, attractive building sites, which will undoubtedly be sought after if a tramway to Magazine Gap is ever made.
HOK UN ROAD.
In British Kowloon the road from Hung Hom to Hok Un was completed and some cross roads on which the squatters evicted from the site now
THE DRAINAGE AND SEWERAGE able staff of everseers for supervision better re-occupied by the Green Island Cement Works,
OF HONGKONG.
The Hon. R. D. Ormsby, Director of Public Works, in his report for 1893 says:-
Sir William Robinson, G.C.M.G., in a speech made shortly before he left the colony, described Victoria as the best drained City east of Suez. but the best drained city in the world might suffer from bad smells and worse evils if the drains and sewers were misused, and without admitting that Hongkong, considering its densely packed population, suffers much in this respect, it is the fact that the Chinese do mis- use the drains, and this is usually the cause of such complaints as from time are made. This refers to well grounded complaints, not to those made by thoughtless and ignorant speakers or irresponsible writers, who seem to think it clever, or a sign of superior knowledge. to decry the Hongkong system of sewerage and drainage.
'
At present he can only hope that by prosecuting the scavenging contractor for permitting his coolies to allow garbage to block the intercepting gullies and pass into the sewers and storm drains, or still worse to dump rabbish direct into the storm drains at in the end the contractor will find it cheape. to have his work done properly. In one case, lately tried in the Police Couat a fine of $50 was im- posed on che Contractor.
It is clear, however, that the sewage system is not at fault, and that what occasionally leads to complaint is the improper use of the old storm drains.
Looking beyond minor details and to the general results of the great works carried out by Mr. Cooper under Mr. Chadwick's advice, Victoria is undoubtedly a well drained city, the proof of which is the low death rate from zymotic diseases and the almost total absence of diptheria-the disease of all others clearly trace- able to a bad system of sewerage.-
In Hongkong a perfect system of pipa sewers has been laid, of sufficient capacity to carry sul- lage water from the houses, and practically all houses are now connected with these sewers by On the 12th June Mr. G. J. W. King properly trapped honse connections of glazed offered for sale by auction, for a term of 75 earthenware pipes. The intention was, and the years, Inland Lot No. 1,543, which is located hope is, that all sewage from the houses would in MacDonnell Road, between Kennedy and rapidly find its way to these sewers, and by them Bowen Roads. The lot comprises 20,240 square to the outfalls in the harbour, and by the bene-feet and the annual rent is $140. The upset ficent action of the tides to the open sea. No price was $4,050, and Mr. Denison was the stopping beneath the houses or streets to breed purchaser for $4,075.
were established in permanent well built houses, This road was designed, constructed, and drained with a view to probable considerable extension of building for the large population connected with the Docks and the Cement Works, As stated in the half-yearly report the road should, as soon as practicable, be extended on to Kow- the opening up and development of the new ter- oon City, and from there, in connection with
titory, to Sai Kung on Shelter Bay, and even- rally over the Mirs Bay,
STATION STREET. KOWLOON.
On the other side of the peninsula the exten- sion of Station Street North through Mongkok tsui and on towards the boundary fence was taken in hand and well advanced.
There were 2,032 visitors to the City Hall Museum last week, of whom 187 were Europeans. The Government Gazette of June 10th announces:-"His Excellency the Governor has been pleased to appoint Francis Bulmer Lyon Bowley to be Acting Crown Solicitor with effect from the 3rd instant during the absence of H. L. Dennys, or until further notice.”
On the 12th June a bathing party from the Seamen's Home went out to Telegraph Bay in the Dayspring The party included a sea- man named Joyce who went into the water with the rest. He swam about for a while, and then he was seen to throw up his hands and disap- pear.
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