THE HONGKONG GOVERNMENT GAZETTE, 31ST MARCH, 1888.
A BILL
ENTITLED
An Ordinance for the reservation of a European
District in the City of Victoria.
HEREAS the health and comfort of Europeans in a
W tropical climate demand conditions which are incon-
sistent with the neighbourhood of houses crowded with occupants and otherwise used after the manner customary with the Chinese inhabitants, and whereas the influx of Chinese into the Colony tends constantly to narrow the area of the City of Victoria where such conditions are attainable, and it is desirable to reserve by law a district wherein such conditions may be secured: Be it enacted by the Governor of Hongkong, with the advice and consent of the Legislative Council thereof, as follows:-
1. This Ordinance may be cited for all purposes as The European District Reservation Ordinance.
2. In the construction of this Ordinance, the words City of Victoria shall mean the City of Victoria as defined by the Victoria Registration Ordinance, No. 7 of 1866. The words Chinese Tenement shall mean any tenement of the type usually designed for habitation by Chinese other than domestic servants. The words European District shall mean that portion of the City which is situated on the Southern or South Eastern side of a dividing line begin- ning from a point on the Pokfoolum Road at No. 1 Bridge and passing along the Pokfoolum Road, High Street, and Bonham Road, as far as Ladder Street, thence along the Northern boundaries of Inland Lots Nos. 573 and 574 and bisecting Inland Lots Nos. 523, 423, 157 and 94, thence along the Northern boundaries of Inland Lots Nos. 100, 1086, 122 and 128, thence along Shelley Street. and along the Northern boundary of Inland Lot No. 125, thence along Chancery Lane, Arbuthnot steps, Wyndham Street, Ice House Lane, Battery Path, Beacons- field steps and the North boundary of the Military Parade. Ground, thence along Queen's Road East as far as the West boundary of Iuland Lots Nos. 47A and 47, thence along a line parallel with and 200 feet to the North of Kennedy Road as far as the Wantsai Nullah and thence along Kennedy Road to its junction with Queen's Road East, and which dividing line is more specially set forth and denoted in the Official map of the City of Victoria to be signed by the Governor and to be registered in the Land Office of the Colony.
3. After the passing of this Ordinance it shall not be lawful to build any Chinese tenement within the European District, and no non-Chinese tenement whether now built or hereafter to be built within such European District shall be divided with the object of providing for its occupation by more than one person to every one thousand cubic feet of clear internal space, nor shall such non-Chinese tenement be at any time occupied by more than one person to every one thousand cubic feet of clear internal space.
4. Upon the complaint of any person-whether such person be aggrieved or not-that a Chinese Tenement has been built within the European District or that any Tene- ment in such District is subdivided, or is occupied by an undue number of persons in contravention of the provisions of this Ordinance, it shall be lawful for the Surveyor General or any Officer deputed by him for the purpose, to inspect such tenement, and any person in any way obstructing such inspection shall be deemed to be acting in contravention of this Ordinance.
5. Every person contravening any of the provisions of this Ordinance shall be liable on summary conviction by a Magistrate to a penalty not exceeding
Dollars or in default of payment to imprisonment not exceeding months and every tenement built sub-divided or occupied in contravention of this Ordinance shall be decmed a nuisance within the meaning of Ordinance No. 8 of 1856 which nuisance may be abated accordingly.
6. Nothing in this Ordinance shall be held to prevent the owners of Chinese tenements now existing within the European District from repairing such tenements in accord- ance with their present structure nor shall anything in this Ordinance be held to preclude any Chinese person from owning or occupying or residing in, any lawful tenement in the European District.
319
See p. 464 of 6 Staged
bolermed as 5 LEMBR
on 24 July 1886 Alois M. 801,