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Burma Infantry, Capt. C. Stewart Richards, Miss Renwick, Commodore and Mrs. Robin son, Mr. C.. H. Ross, Mr. R. E. N. Padfield, Mr. and Mrs. Rennie, Mr. Ahmet Rumjhn, Mr. and Mrs. M. J. D. Stephens, Mr. and Mrs Douglas Storey, Mr. H.A. Siebs, Mr S. W. Tao, Mr. and Mrs. Ha Schubart, Mr. and Mrs. Grant Smith, Mr. Sin Tak Fan, the Ret. and Mrs. Southam, Major and Mrs. Strickland, Mr. and Mrs. Sayer, Capt. and Mrs. Simpson, the Rev.G. H. Spada, Mr. and Mrs, Saundry, Mr. and Mrs. Seston, Mr. and Mrs. H. W. Slade, Mrs. Leslie Stuart, Capt. Stopford and the officers of HM.S. Blenheim, Mr. Murray Stewart, Dr. and Mrs. Stedman, Mr. C. R. Scott, Mr., Mr and Miss Arathoon Seth, Mr. and Mrs. Marcus Slade, Mr. T. Sercombe Smith, MH W. R. Seymour. Mr. and Mrs. Saunders. Dr. and Mrs. Swan, Mr. N. J. Stabb, Mr. J. Stodart. Mr., Mrs, and Miss Sieps, Miss Stollard, Mr. J. R. M. Smith, Mr. Philip W. Bergeant, Miss Schafer, Mr. Tander, Mr. C. B. Thomas, Mr. and Mrs. Tooker, Mr. and Mrs. Town- shend, Mr. and Mrs. Hutcher, Mr. and Mrs. Tomes, Mr. and Mrs. Basil Taylor, Mr. H. A. Tozer, Capt. and Mrs. Talloch, Mr. and Mrs. A. Turner, Mr. Un La Chuen, Mr. and Mrs. Ho Tung, Mr. and Mrs. Ho Kom Tong, Mr. Veitch, Consul-General and Mrs Volpicelli, Mr. and Mrs. Vernon, M. J. Y. V. Vernon, Mr. P. P. J. Wodehouse, Mr. and Mrs. J. A. Woodcock, Mr. and Mrs. Gordon Wright, Mr. and Mrs. Walker, Mr Wolfe, Mr. Arthur J. Williams, Mr. W. B. Walker, Col. Webb and Officers of the Royal Army Medical Corps, Mr. J. W. White, Mr. and Mrs. James Woods, Mr. A. E. Wright, Mr. James Whittan, Mr. H. C. Wilbox, Mr. and Mrs. Wright, Mr. Wenborn. Mr. F. W. Ware, Col., Mr. and Miss Wylly, Lieut. Col. Wylly and the Officers of the 1st Sherwood Foresters, Col. and Mrs. Webb, Mr. A. G. Wood, His Hondur A. G. Wise. Dr. and Mrs. Bateson Wright, the Rev. T. Wright, Mr. Young Piu Chi, Hon. Wei Yuk, Mr. and Mrs. Eung Shin Wa, Mr. Wei On, and Mr. and Mrs. Ho Yow.
VICTORIA MEMORIAL HOSPITAL AND JUBILEE ROAD.
THE HONGKONG WEEKLY PRESS AND
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their wishes into effect, and now, in the closing months of 1903, having brought their labours to a satisfactory conclusion, they ask to be relieved of their responsibilities After much discussion it was agreed to have two memor als, one, in deference to the late Queen's well-known predilection for works of mercy, to take the form of a Hospital, and the other, to meet a widely-expressed wish, to ba a carriage road to encircle the island. Those works were to commemorate, in lasting manner, the sixtieth anniversary of her late revered Majesty's glorious_reiga. As the scheme for this commemoration originated during the administration of your Excellency's predecessor, Sir William. Robinson, I think it will be both interesting and appropriate to briefly recapitu. | late the circumstances attending the inception of the plan and subsequent creation of these public memorials of the gracious lady who may be justly described as the greatest Quen in history. I will go back to the commencement, when it had beu resolved to worthily celebrate, in an enduring manner. this great occasion. Sub. soriptions were invited from the community in 1897 on the understanding that a Hesp tal for Women and Children and a Nursing Inst.tute should be erected, and that the first section of a road to encircle the main portion of the island of Hongkong should be constructed These works, I am glad to say, have now been completed, so far as the Hospital and the section of the road are concern d. Many diffi. culties, which could not have been foreseen by the Committee, have been encountered, necessarily delaying the work, but, as will be seen, they were overc me at length, and we now have the pleasure of recording their completion. The amount available from the sum subscribed, after defraying the cost of the local celebrations of the event, was $182,424,00, and this was divided equally between the two projects, giving
eachi $91,212. 1 propose
for
for the sake of convenience to deal separ- ately with them, and will refer first to the Hospital. The scheme originally providel for the erection of a buil ing in the grounds of the Government Civil Hospital and included a Nursing Institute, which was to form an | ndjunct of the staff quarters of that institution. Competitive desigus were invited, and were in due course sent in by the local architects, but before any decision had been arrived at OTENING CEREMONY.
regarding these, a letter was rec-ived from the On the 7th inst. the Victoria Memorial Principal Civil Medical Officer urging that the Hospital was formally opened by His Excellency proposed Hospital should be erected at the the Governor, Sir Henry A. Blake, G.C.M.G., Peak and suggesting that 'Craigieburn' and the Jubilee Road handed over to the might be acquired for the purpose. This lotter Government by Hon. Sir Paul Chater, C.M.G., was considered by the committee, and though on behalf of the Jubilee Committee. The the suggestion for the purchase of "Craigie- ceremony took place at the Hospital in Barker] burn was not adopted, there was a consensus Road. Among those present were Lady Blake, of opinion in favour of acquiring a site on Sir John Keane, Bart. Private Secretary: is the higher levels instead of erecting the Honour Sir William M. Goodman, "Chief building in the Civil Hospital compound. A reso- Justice, and Lady Goodmau; Hon. Sir Henry lution to the effect that a site not lower than S. Berkeley, Attorney-General, and Lady Robinson Road should be selected was accord- Berkeley; Mrs. May; Hon. Dr. J. M. Atkin-ingly carried. Some difficulty was experienced son, Principal Civil Medical Officer; Hon. Dr. by the committee in finding a desirable site, Ho Kai, C.M.G.; Hon W. Chatham. Lirector but fortunately Barker Road was then under of Public Works; Captain F. W. Lyons. construction, and after examination of those Acting Captain uperintendent of Police; sites available, it was decided to apply to the Dr. G. H. Bateson Wright, Mr. J. Dyer Government for the ground on which we are Ball, Mr. L. C. Rebs, Mr. B. Brotherton now assembled. You, Sir, readily consented to Harker, Mr. J. R. Michael, Dr. E. A. R. grant the site, and the committee then concen- Laing, Mr. H. W. Bird, Mr. Ho Fook, Mr trated its energies on securing the best building SW. Tso, Mr. Ho Kom Tong, and Mr. Hu possible for the fuds at its disposal. Owing to Shun Chuen. The building Wa finely the greater cost of buiding on the high vels, decorated with flags, the decorations having and the necessity of providing quarters for the been carried out by Ldg. Signalmen F. Ransted. staff r quired, the Committee found that the and W. Foster, of the Tumar, under the super- funds were not sufficient to erect both the intendence of Mr. J. Coyle of the Public Works Hospital and the Nursing Institute as well.
It Departraent.
became necessary, therefore, to refer the matter to the Governent, and your Excellency, recoguising the difficulty, kindly consented to recommend to the Secretary of State for the Colonies that an adjunct to the Government Civil Hospital be erected for a Nursing In. stitute. This sanction having been obtained, and the Hospital being now completed, it remains for the Government to carry out your Excellency's recommendation, and speaking for the Cominittee, I hope no time will be lost in bringing the scheme to perfection by erecting this adjunct. Having reached this stage, it was hoped that the fulfil ment of the scheme for the Hospital would proceed without impediment The plans and estimates had been prepared by Messrs. Palmer
His Excellency the Governor having taken up a position on the steps leading to the door of the Hospital.
Hon. Sir PAUL CHATER said-Your Ex- cellency, ladies and gentlemen-The Committee formed for the purpose of securing for his Colony an adequate and suitable permanent memorial of the late Queen Victoria's Diamond Jubilee or such few of them as are left after asix years' interval have invited your Ex- cellency to meet them here to-day to take over. as head of the Government, this building and a new road recently constructed. The com- mittee was formed is 1897 to consider what form the memorial subscribed for by a loyal population should take, and how best to carry
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[November 16, 1903.
and Turner, whose original design was con sidered first in order of merit in the competition which had been held for a building in the Civil Hospital Grounds; but when lenders were invited they proved so far in excess of the estimates that it seemed impossible to proceed further. After much trouble, a tender was fically btained at a rate within the funds at the disposal of the Committee, and the work has now, as you see, been successfully completed. The total expenditure upon the Hospital and quarters has been $11-,891.05, and with the interest which has accrued on the principal, wa have been enabled practically to meet this sum. There have, however, been som extras in.
is curred--as
the C180 in every large building-which you, Sir, bave kindly under- taken, ou the part of the Government, to defray, our funds being absolutely exhausted. Turning now to the Road, as I hav, already stated, ong-half of the Fund, amounting to $92,194,69, was allotted for its construction. A considerable period was spent in the making of surveys and preparation of estimates, which were carried out by the Public Works Depart» mont, under the guidance of the late Director, Mr R. D. Orusby, the work extending from Kennedy Town via Aberdeen, Stanley aud Tyiamtuk to haukiwan When this prelim. iunry work had been completed. Nr Ormsby reported very unfavourably upon the section of the road which it was proposed to make out of the Fund, namely that from Kennedy Aberdeen, whilst Maine. General Town to
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Black, then
to
General Officer Comandirg, rais d serions objection to its construction on military grounds. Several ineffectual attempts were made locally to overcome the opposition the scheme, and finally an appeal to од the subject became Downing Street necessary. This appeal was successful, but the sauction for the construction of the road was hampered in its being laid on a higher lev. 1 than was originally int nded. The carry- ing out of this sch me was entrusted to Messrs. Denison,
am and Gibbs, who devised a suitable rout for the road, and tenders were received which came within the neaus apportioued to it, and the work has been satisfactorily concluded. Having thus contributed this section of the Jubilee Road, we now look to the Government to take in had the completion of the pro- ject for a high road that will practically encircle he island, opening up all its many beauties to lovers of sce.ery and of nature. The total cost of these two works has been $234,163.32, and I may here point out that the delays entailed by the various difficulties encountered have not been without some compensating advantages inasmuch as the i: terest
on accumulated
the Fund materially augmented oar resources and has permitted of the original proposals being carried out in a substantial and workmanlike mannor, Having now stated in ontline the history of these two Memorial works, it only remains for me to ask your Excellency to be good enough to declare the Hospital open, to effect which purpos. I beg to haud you this silver key. (Applause.)
HIS EXCELLENCY, having accepted the key, said -Sir Paul Chater, ladies and gentlemen,- I have listened with great interest to your account of the Road and the Hospital that were rightly decided upon as a fitting memorial of that beloved Queen whose memory will always remain green in our hearts and whose name will go down the aves as the greatest amongst the great Queens of history. The difficulties Road I remember very about the Jubileo well. When I came here first the foundation- stone had just been laid by my predecessor in the presence of a considerable crowd, among them, no doubt, the General Officer Commanding, who instead of. opposing the Governor's trowel with his sword-slaying the masons, and carrying away the bottle with the newspapers-plcd there lightenment of futur archeologists, returned to bis qar ers, took up the mightier weapon, and wrote that the road was a military danger aud must not be. Then I remember the time when the controvery arose wether the road should go by Shaukiwan or by Kennedy Town. The Government, who as we know subscribe half the funds, were rather inclined to favour the Shaukiwan Road whica would have given a driving road for about 20 miles. But the
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