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THE HONGKONG WEEKLY PRESS AND
HIS EXCELLENCY-The plan to which I alluded will be left on the table for hon. members to consult if they wish to do so. Council will adjourn until Thursday next.
FINANCE COMMITTEE.
A meeting of the Finance Committee was held afterwards the COLONIAL SECRETARY presiding. The following votes were passed :
REGISTRAR general's DEPARTMENT. The Governor recommended the Council to rote a sum of one hundred and thirty-two dollars and fifty cents ($132.50) in aid of the vote, Registrar General's Department, Emigration Sub-Department, for the following items :- Sergeant, Allowance for Fuel and Light $42.50 Sergeant, Language Allowance (Chinese)-90,00
Total...
$132.50
OFFICE CHARGES. The Governor recommended the Council to vote a sum of Two hundred and sixty-nine Dollars (269) in aid of the vote. Governor, Other Charges, Typewriter.
TYPHOON REFUGE,
The Governor recommended the Council to vote a sum of Twenty-five thousand Dollars ($25.000) in aid of the vote Public Works, Extraordinary, Causeway Bay Typhoon Refuge, Deepening shallow area to one foot below Ordnance Datum,
The CHAIRMAN --The sum appearing on the estimates for the year for this service is $20,000, and the Public Works Department made more rapid progress than was anticipated, therefore this extra item is now required.
Hon. Mr. POLLOCK-When is this work likely to be completed?
The DIRECTOR OF PUBLIC WORK-Before the end of the current year (applause).
RECEIVING STOLEN PROPERTY.
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AN ENGINEERING TRIUMPH,
BEACON HILL TUNNEL PIERVED.
[May 24, 1909. the British miners. The highest progress made in one week in heading driving was 18 feet; the greatest number of feet of completed tunnel 300, which compares very favour- ably with the progress of similar tunnels in The Beacon Hill tunnel was pierced at 5.30 Europe. The Assistant Engineer for the tun- p.m. on the 17th inst.. several months before nel, Mr. Southey, was responsible for the the estimated time. The railway staff are alignment and levels, and he is to be congratu- justly jubilant over the feat. for, as His Ex-lated on the accuracy of the junction. cellency the Governor observed at the last meeting of the Legislative Council, it is a novel undertaking in this part of the world. While we may mean over the unreliability of the original estimates of the cost, everyone will appreciate the engineering feat which has been accomplished.
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The drill passed through the last layer of rock at four o'clock. A large charge of gelatine was placed in the drill hole, and when this was discharged the rock which barred the way was removed. The smoke soon cleared, and then there was a wild rush of miners and others with the object of being first through. The The Beacon Hill tunnel was started about Jan-honour fell to a Chinese excavator, who was uary, 1907. and though the excavators junctioned closely followed by an Italian, the remainder of yesterday the tunnel will not be completed until those who had assembled to witness the last the end of the year. It is satisfactory, however, to charge following close in the rear. learn that notwithstanding the many difficulties As they met, hearty greetings were which had to ho surmounted, both as regards changed between the workmen from the north labour and explosives, excellent progress has been and south faces. Two baskets of champagne | made. This is largely due to Mr. Waite, the were in readiness to celebrate the occasion, and tuunel superintendent, whose extensive know- there, underground in the centre of Beacon ledge of tunnelling has enabled him to proceed at Hill, the pioneer tunnellers of Sonth China a rapid pace. Incidentally, it may be mentioned | celebrated the occasion in the time honoured that the Waite family claim an unbroken record of four generations who have worked for the public in the construction of ways and means of transport. In February, 1903, the Governor announced that the expenditure on the tunnel exceeded the estimate for the previous year by $198,977. This was accounted for by more costly labour than was anticipated, and by the large quantity of explosives it was found necessary to use by reason of the fact that in the first thousand yards from each face of the tunnel a semi-decomposed granite was encountered for which explosives were practically useless, hut which was too hard to he removed by pick and shovel. After cutting their way through this, the excavators were confronted with exceedingly hard rock.
On September 11th of last year the tunnel heading from north and south had reached
Before Mr. J. H. Kemp at the Magistracy | a on May 14, two unemployed natives, with no fixed place of ahode, were charged with stealing two gold rings valued at $115 and $53 in money from Mrs. Weigal, who resides at Nathan Road, Kowloon. Que of the defend- ants was previously employed by the com- plainant, but at the time of the larceny she had a new “ boy and a new coolie. On the 12th instant she left her residence at about 6 p.m. in charge of the boy" and the coolic. When she returned at 7.15 p.m. the “hoy and the coolie were missing, and so were two diamond rings and $53. The defendants. it appears, were friends of the thieves, and received the stolen property from them to pawn. Arrest | delay. followed its presentation at a pawn shop, and the men were prosecuted by Detective.^ergeant Į the report of the Chief Resident Engineer, was Wilden. After hearing the evidence his Wor
total of 4.603 feet out of 7.212 feet, progress being at the rate of nearly ten feet for day. Then the hardness of the rock en- countered reduced the progress. From the beginning of the tunnel on January 1st, 1907, until the end of that year the average progress per week was 4.27 feet, while last year it was 63.15 feet. During 1908, 3.544 feet were driven, making a total of 5,644 feet, 2.528 being driven from the south, and 3.116 from the north side. The material through which the heading was driven at the south side was much more variable than that at the north, in some places wet running sand being met, which added greatly to the expense and caused considerable |
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ship convicted both men of receiving, and sentenced each to three months' imprisonment with hard labour and three hours' stacks,
FILIPINO FARMERS.
ASSISTED TO SECURE HOMES.
The thrifty Filipino farmer who wishes to establish a homestead for himself and family is, says a Manila exchange, given every possible encouragement and assistance by the Philippine Government. The Government realizes that the establishment of a stable crop like hemp or cocoanuts and the making of permanent improve ments on a farm will not only benefit the individual farmer but will make the country that much richer and more prosperous. The more farms of this class that are cleared and improved, the greater will be the improvement of economic conditions in general in the islands,
For the betterment of the material welfare of this stable farmer class, the free use privilege of public lands has been granted. Any Filipino with the sincere purpose of developing a bit of agricultural land to furnish him with a perma- nent means of livelihood may obtain a concession. The spot selected by a prospective farmer is usually situated in a public forest. The reason for this is that the soil there is exceedingly rich and fertile, and cultivation is much easier ou
land where wild grasses have no chance to grow.
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The cost of the tunnel driving, necording to
very much reduced during 1908, due to better
organisation made possible by coolies getting more trained to the work. Nevertheless, the tunnel is expected to cost nearly a million more than last year's estimate. And this notwith. standing that it was found to be 44 feet less in length than was anticipated In 1907 the heading of the tunnel cost $184, but this was subsequently reduced to $70.04. Enlarging in the same year cost $275 per foot, and this has now been reduced to X140.86. Breaking-in now costs $113.54 as against $221 in 1907.
The cost of the Beacon Hill tunnel is placed at not less than a third of the total cost of the railway, but its completion marks the surmoun- ting of the greatest difficulty that will be It is encountered on the Kowloon-Canton line expected that the tunnel will be lined aud finished by the end of the year, and that the permanent way will be laid and the line opened in May 1910. Fourteen months later it is confidently anticipated that through trains will be running to Canton.
Except for a few hundred feet at the north and south faces, very hard rock has been met with throughout. The tunnel at the south side rises at a grade of 1 in 109, and descends on the north side at a grade of 1 in 400, making a total length of 7.213 feet. Many and difficult have been the obstructions, but these have been successfully overcome by the zeal and energy of
staff. Large streams of water have been tapped, malaria has killed the coolies by the dozen and prostrated
tunnel the
manner.
When handshakes and congratulations were over glasses were charged and Mr. Waite proposed a toast to the miners. He had never worked with a better lot of men, he said, men who knew their work, and did it well. He did not speak of the British miners alone, but also of the Italians whose expertness in machine drill work, if equalled, could not be excelled.
Other toasts followed, practically the whole of the railway stall being honoured before the assembled party left the tunnel, musically in- | clined and delighted with the task accomplished.
THE CELEBRATIONS.
To celebrate and commemorate the meeting of the headings in the Beacon Hill tunnel the railway staff on May 19th had a tiffin at Shatin. The occasion was a memorable one inasmuch as it records the success of a British engineer- ing feat never before essayed in South China, and the invitations issued by the staff, although not all accepted, found responses from many prominent engineers and Government Officials. The invitation list included the Governor, the Colonial Secretary and the Director of Public Works, and many comments were passed on the absence of these three high officials on such a special occasion. Those invited were H.E. the Governor, Sir Frederick Lugard, Hon. Mr. F. H. May. Hon. Mr. W. Chatham Colonel Darling. Hon. Mr. and Mrs. W. J. Gresson, Hon. Mr. E. Osborne, Mr. and Mrs. Grove (Canton), Mr. and Mrs. G. W. Eves, Mr. C. Clementi, Mr. C. H. Ross, Mr. P. N. H. Jones, Mr. and Mrs. W. H. Logun Capt. and Mrs. Wait, Mr. S. H. C. Ross, Mr. and Mrs R. T. Baker, Mr. and Mrs. Geo, T. Lloyd, Major Hart Synnot, Mr. Ough, Mr. W. Waite, Mr. A. H Hewitt, Mr. and Miss tullock, Mr. and Mrs. Southey, Mr. and Mrs. Walker, Mr. and Mrs. Evans, Mr. Vergette, Mr. Ghella, Comm. Volpicelli (Italian Consul), Dr. Hartley, Messrs. Brayn, B. T. Waite, J. E. Menagh, Stein, orris, C. P. Waite, Glaiseman, Almada, W Wilson, H. Smith, D. Almada, Childs, F. lott, W. Bailey, Begley, Grant, S. Kelly and Bailey, White. Steadman, Lee, Azeda, Peddar,
Lee.
which
A special train with an engine decorated with flags and a number of trucks awaited the visitors at the junction of the Taipo Road and Taikoktsni. Thence they were carried to the south face of the tunuel, through
the north face where the they passed to
A railway truck celebrations took place. was provided for the ladies, the gentlemen on foot. of the party following in the rear The mile and two-thirds tramp through the tunnel could not be characterised as a pleasant one, but all were out on pleasure and none complained of the inconveniences caused by a stumble in the semi-dress, a walk in water up to the ankles, or an occasional shower whic q overtook the visitors in different sections.
At the scene of the junction a halt was made. There a red tape barred the way, and when all stragglers were assembled the stentorian voice
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