depreciation was caused by the withdrawal of business houses from the east, and by their concentration in the central and western parts of the town, and by the silting up of the harbour to the eastward. But, owing to the great and constant fluctuation of Colonial values, the Commissioners did nob see their way to recommend any general remission of rents either there or in the case of numerous speculative purchases of land made on Robinson Road and other high levels.
With the exception of the completion of the works connected with the Pokfulam reservoir and dam (commenced in 1871), the new Harbour Master's Office (1872) and the new Civil Hospital (commenced in 1874), no public works of any magnitude were undertaken during this administration. Sir Arthur had under consideration two great projects, the Taitam Reservoir and the re-construction of the Praya, both of which he left to his successors to undertake. On 1st November 1873, the Surveyor General (J. M. Price) proposed to secure, at the cost of £300,000, an efficient supply of water (18 to 30 gallons per head) to be brought into the city by an aqueduct (with a tunnel) from a large reservoir to be constructed at Taitam. As objections were raised to the costliness of this plan, a reduced scheme was proposed (March 4, 1874) to supply daily 15 gallons per head at a cost of £280,000. This reduced plan was considered in Legislative Council (March 5, 1874), when a sum of $5,000 was voted to make a detailed survey and borings which were entrusted to Mr. W. Danby. On the basis of this survey, Mr. Price proposed a new plan (July 10, 1875), consisting of an alternative scheme, viz. a high level project to cost £39,085, and a low level project at an estimated cost of £122,596. But nothing further was done in this matter for the present. Another great undertaking, the proposal to substitute a new and more durable Praya wall for the one destroyed by the typhoon of 1874, was reported upon (May 20, 1875) by a Commission (C. C. Smith, Ch. May, Ph. Ryrie, H. Lowcock, J. M. Price), which recommended that the Government should, at an outlay of $212,000, build a new and stronger wall from White's Lane
