185 (68)
directly responsible, which the Attorney General said at the time he was not, because he had no authority when he should have it and that although a Sanitary Department did then exist it was proposed to recognise it by statute.
66. The Bill became law 19th December, 1903, This was practically the death knell and extinction of the authority to administer the laws by the Sanitary Board and reduced it to a department controlled by the Government through the Principal Civil Medical Officer and thereby nullified the public wishes as expressed in the plebiscite and approved by the Secretary of State, that the Sanitary Laws should be administered by a Board having an unofficial majority.
A. SHELTON HOOPER.
Appendix No 8.
The Cost of Buildings.
The cost of building houses of any kind at the present time is from two to two and a half times more than in 1891. This is borne out by my own experience (which extends more than a hundred European and about the sain number of native dwellings) and is confirmed by hat of two of the leading architects of the Colony,
The following a comparative statement of materials which enter into the construction of din
Unskilled hour per day earth coole
**
carrying coo
Skilled labour-bricktvers and hasons
-carpenters ""
Red Bricks per ten thousand
China fir poles, each
Lime per 24 baskets.
Roof tiles, per thousand
Cement, per cask
Common hardwood, per cubic foot
Yacal
""
>>
Teak
"
he labour and principal Celther Popean or Chinese) :-
60
65 "} $95 / $100
85 cts.
891.
16 cts.
1907.
25 cts.
20
40
1
""
33
40
$60 / $65
55 cts.
$ 1.00
$ 2.00
4.00
5.00
5.00
4.50
.65
.90
.90
1.25
1.00
1.75
ngland such as locks, on work glazed tiles, etc.
About ten per cent. increase in sterling prices to which has to be added about another 30% for the difference in ex- change-say 40% increase.
It will thus be seen that only in a few instances would the present cost either of labour or materials be double the prices ruling in 1891. In several the increase is less than fifty per cent., while in the case of cement there is actually a decrease. I attach a comparative statement of the estimated cost and bill of quantities for building a typical three storied Chinese House (without balcony) in 1891 and under the existing Ordinances which I have marked “A". From this it will be clearly seen that the prices which have to be paid to the Contractor for the work done are in excess of those warranted by the increase which has taken place in the cost of materials and labour. The obvious conclusion to be drawn from these figures would of course be that Contractors must make much more profit than they used to do, but this is not borne out by my own experience. Of all the building contracts with which I have been concerned for the past six years there has hardly been one that has not involved the Contractor in financial difficulties before completion. In the early nineties this was an exception and it often happened that the Contractor came in with a smiling face for his last payment-a sure sign that all was well. The only other conclusion that can be drawn therefore is that there must be some special