PUBLIC WORKS.
By the Hon. Mr. W. Chatham, C.M.G., Director of Public Works.
N the first year of the Colony's foundation a land officer was appointed to administer Crown lands, collect the revenue derivable from them, and discharge the functions now performed by the Director of Public Works. The officer to whom these numerous responsibilities were entrusted was very frequently changed during the first year or two. On January 3, 1843, Mr. A. T. Gordon was gazetted Surveyor-General, but this was merely a change of title, for his duties were the same as those of his predecessors. The Land Office was established as an independent department in January, 1883. The title of Surveyor-General continued in use until 1892, when it was changed to that of Director of Public Works.
Roads.—Roads, of course, were among the earliest works undertaken for the development of the Colony, and, according to the records available, the first road to be constructed was one from Wongneichung to Shaukiwan, which was made in the year that the Colony was taken over, namely 1841. That was followed by roads from Shaukiwan to Tytam in 1845, from Victoria to Aberdeen in 1846, and from Aberdeen to Stanley in 1848. The system has gradually developed, until now there are on the island of Hongkong 95 miles of roads. Of those inside the city 5 miles are roads of 75 feet in width. Similarly in Kowloon, road-making was commenced soon after the territory was acquired, the first sections of Robinson and Macdonnell Roads being constructed in 1865, five years after the Peninsula was taken over. A halt seems to have been called for some considerable period after this, and it was not until about 1892 that any extensive construction of roads was undertaken in Kowloon. Since then, road-making has been actively pursued, and a system of main roads, 100 feet wide, is now under construction. The roads in Kowloon at the present time aggregate 22 miles in length, of which 3 miles are 100 feet wide. In the new territories, the road to Taipo was the first to be made. It is 16 miles in length, and was completed in 1904. The only other properly made road is one past Kowloon City, leading in the direction of Customs Pass, the construction of which has been undertaken partly on military grounds. All the others are native paths of a very rudimentary description, suitable only for pedestrian traffic, and not well adapted for that as a rule.
Owing to the hilly nature of Hongkong and its dependencies, many of the roads are steep, some of the earlier ones being excessively so in parts. Portions of the roads to Victoria Gap, Wanchai Gap, and Wongneichung Gap have gradients of 1 in 4, 1 in 3¼, and 1 in 3½ respectively. In the case of many streets, steps have had to be introduced. One street in the city of Victoria is appropriately named Ladder Street, being formed of a series of flights of stairs with short landings between. To obviate, as far as possible, damage by rainstorms, which cause rapid erosion of the decomposed granite surfacing in the case of roads having any considerable gradient, concrete is extensively used as a surfacing material and is found to wear well, there being no heavy traffic on such roads and no frosts to attack and break it up.
Buildings.—Of the Government buildings constructed in the early days of the Colony, very few remain, nearly all of them having become inadequate to meet the requirements of more recent times. The exceptions are the Government Offices and the Supreme Court, erected in 1848, and Government House, built in 1856. The Supreme Court will shortly be transferred to a new building. Government House has undergone extension by the addition of a ballroom, which was built in 1892, and the retention of the Government Offices has only been rendered possible by the transfer of several of the departments which were at first housed in them to buildings elsewhere. The new Law Courts and another large building to accommodate the Post Office, Treasury, and several other important Government departments, are in course of erection at the present time and are estimated to cost $768,000 and $930,000 respectively. Among other buildings of importance and comparatively recent construction are the Central and Western markets, the cattle depots, and the slaughter-houses, all of which are extensive and up-to-date in their accommodation. The city cattle depôt is capable of containing over twelve hundred head of cattle. The requirements of education were not overlooked, as in 1861 the Central School was erected to accommodate six hundred scholars. This has since given place to what is now known as Queen's College, originally designed to accommodate 924 scholars, but rendered capable, by making use of the large hall for class-rooms, of accommodating no fewer than fourteen hundred, the number on the rolls according to the most recent report. There are numerous other Government schools in the Colony, several of which are undergoing extension at the present time.
Reclamations.—Owing to the scarcity of level land, the necessity for reclamation soon forced itself upon the attention of the Government, and we find that in 1851, or only ten ears after the occupation of Hongkong, the first scheme of this nature was undertaken, being followed by numerous subsequent schemes. In 1868, 8½ acres were reclaimed between Wilmer Street and Bonham Strand West; in 1873 the East Praya was partly constructed; in 1884, 23 acres were reclaimed from Causeway Bay, and in 1886, 22 acres at Kennedy Town. The largest scheme carried out, however, was that sanctioned by the Praya Reclamation Ordinance of 1889, under which a sea-wall 2 miles in length was constructed, and a gross area of 65 acres reclaimed from the sea, the scheme being completed in 1903. There can be no question as to the expediency of carrying out this work, because practically every foot of land was covered with buildings almost as soon as it became available. Another scheme of even greater magnitude as regards the area to be reclaimed was under the consideration of the Government and the lot-holders concerned for some time, but has been allowed to drop. It provides for a reclamation extending from East Point to Arsenal Street, where it will join the Naval Yard Extension, and comprising an area of nearly 84 acres of building land, exclusive of roads. On the Kowloon side much work of a similar nature has been carried out, but, with the exception of the reclamation in Hunghom Bay to form the terminus of the Kowloon-Canton Railway, it has been the result of private enterprise, no general scheme having been undertaken by the Government.
Whilst dealing with marine work it may be interesting to record that in 1883 a breakwater was constructed at Causeway Bay to afford a harbour of refuge for small craft during typhoons. The sheltered area is about 60 acres in extent. A scheme is now under consideration, and there is promise of its being undertaken at an early date, for the construction of a much larger harbour of a similar nature off the west side of the Kowloon Peninsula. This, when completed, will afford a sheltered area of 160 acres.
Drainage and Sewerage.—With the carrying out of reclamations and the gradual advance of the city up the slope of the hills, at the base of which it is situated, it became necessary to regulate the discharge of the torrential rains which frequently occur in Hongkong. This was done by a system of large masonry channels—some open and some covered in—and for a considerable
