(10)
taken on 18 years ago by the Government for the Tai Tam Works under Mr. Price. When the Tai Tam Works were over, I was employed by Danby, Leigh and Orange, Palmer and Turner and W. Danby before I joined the Public Works Department.
JOHN LORRAINE STUART SWorn and examined :-
:-
I
I am draughtsman to Mr. Hazeland. I have been with him since March or April last year. had no previous experience before I joined this office. I measured No. 32, Cochrane Street, last year in November. I measured No. 34, Cochrane Street, later. I made plans B and E. I did not make the tracing or the original of it. The following were the measurements I made:-The depth and width of the goound floor, yard and also kitchen, also the height of the ground, 1st and 2nd floors. It took a quarter of an hour to measure each house. The dotted lines of the section of plan B represent the foundations of the internal cross walls. The foundations are new works. The new work is shown in red, pink and burnt sienna. New iron is shown in blue. New foundations are shown in blue and yellow. The old work is shown in neutral tint in plan B, indigo in plan E. The new work consists of new cross walls, new cook-houses, new internal cross wall and a new storey with a new verandah to it. The chimneys are new. In each plan the footing of the party wall is shown 6 inches below the party wall,
This is what Mr. Hazeland told me to put down. I did not measure it. The measure- inent on the ground floor in plan E of 34 feet 6 inches is an internal measurement. The measure- ment on the ground floor in plan B of 36 feet 4 inches is intended for external measurement although marked as an internal measurement. This is a mistake. I think the two houses are of the same depth. In each of these two houses there were two cross walls formerly. I do not think it necessary To show the old cross wall. I forgot to show the foundation of the new internal cross wall in plan E. I did not think it necessary to show the old foundation of the old wall. I did not see the old founda- tion. Mr. Hazeland told me to make the new party wall 50 feet from the foundation. It is not necessary, in my opinion, to show any staircase. Mr. Hazeland saw the plan but did not take any notice of the plan properly. I measured the width of the street. The total time I spent in each
house was 15 minutes.
JOSÉ MIGUEL XAVIER Sworn and examined
I am Associate Member of the Institute of Civil Engineers. I am Assistant Engineer of the Public Works Department. I have been in the Department for 14 years. I took charge of the Building Ordinance work under Mr. Tooker on the 1st May, 1900, on the resignation of Mr. Hazeland. I had Mr. Pearson as overseer under me and part of a Chinese Clerk's services. Mr. Pearson re- signed on the 15th June, last year. After Mr. Pearson resigned, I had the whole of the Chinese Clerk's time. The Chinese Clerk did the clerical work. I had no overseer after the 15th June, 1900. I gave up the Building Ordinance work on the 9th November last. Between the 15th June and the 9th November last year, I was single-handed. Besides the work under the Building Ordinance, 1 had three or four works-Public Works Extraordinary. For 5 months I had the supervision of all the private works in the Colony without any assistance. It was not possible to exercise an effective supervision over the works under the Building Ordinance. I reported this matter to Mr. Tooker, my superior officer, about the end of June. On the 9th November, I handed over the work to Mr. Crisp under instructions of Mr. Tooker. This notice A passed through my hands. The plan B was attached to notice . It was simply passed through ine to note and to be forwarded to the Medical Officer of Health. It was not my duty to examine the plan to see that it complied with the Building Ordinance except when I was particularly requested to do so. It is Mr. Tooker's duty to see that the plan complies with the Building Ordinance. I have never been to No. 32, Cochrane Street. It is not necessary to go and see the building. It is sometimes done. It is not necessary because the plan gives all the necessary information. We take it for granted that a plan submitted by a regular architect that the information in the plan is correct. There is nothing in plan B to show it the walls are red or blue bricks. There is nothing in the plan to show that the walls are properly bonded and solid throughout. There is nothing in the plan to show that there is a foundation to the old wall. I took Mr. Crisp round and showed him the various districts in the Colony. I did not show him the particular works.
PERCY THOMAS CRISP Sworn and examined :-
I am Inspector of Buildings. I arrived in the Colony on 8th November, and arrived at the Public Works Department the same day at 12 noon. I went out with Mr. Xavier on the 10th Novem- ber and went out for a fortnight, part of the time with Mr. Xavier, and part of the time by myself. I see by notice A that I measured the width of the street. I think it was on the 13th November. I never went into No. 32, Cochrane Street, either before or during the alterations. I had too much to do. I was strange to the Colony and did not know the names of the streets and it took me a consider- able time to get through my work. In fact until up to Christmas, I did not do any inspection. On the 14th May this year I made a note of the fact that the verandah of No. 32 had been completed. I did this at the request of Mr. Tooker. I saw from the street that the verandah was completed. With the exception of measuring the street and of noting that the verandah was completed, I made no inspection of 32, Cochrane Street. On the 14th December, I measured the width of the street in