Page 35 - KBHA BULLETIN 5

32

owned the buildings in which they were quartered, and Council had an engineering plan for the

road. But funding was required.

Boyes succeeded in achieving the necessary meeting of minds around a common purpose and the
key element was undoubtedly the prospect of using convict labour. There were a number of

reasons for this. Firstly, they had accumulated experience from the other work so far completed;
secondly, the Prisons Department agreed to charge them out at the low rate of 1/- per convict per

day (the normal rate was 1/6 per day) and so the costs would be much lower (£45,000) than if

Council labour were used (£100,000); thirdly, the Province was willing to sell the Slangkop
convict station to Council for reuse on this job. So on 27 September 1923 Council recommended

“……that subject to the convicts being obtained, authority be given for the work to proceed, and
that the Committee [Roads and Drainage] be authorised to take all necessary steps in the

matter.”

On 4 October 1923 Councillor Abdullah Abdurahman (Chairman, Roads and Drainage

Committee) (Fig. 3.6), Mr Dyason (Superintendent of Prisons), and Councillor Boyes visited the
Slangkop station and reached agreement that the Prisons Department would cover costs of

demolition and re-erection, if the Province were agreeable.

The only discordant note in all of this collaboration was a protest from the Federation of Labour
Unions who opposed the use of convict labour when there were so many other men of all races

out of work. Council considered this viewpoint but on 17 October 1923 they confirmed their

earlier decision to use convicts, and so the stage was set for work to commence.

Given the speed with which progress had been made Council had to make special financial
arrangements. On 20 October 1923 the City Engineer, Mr. Lloyd-Davies (Fig. 3.7), reported to

the Streets and Drainage Committee on the tasks and costs lying ahead:

32