Page
May 7, 1898.]
number of wreaths and crosses were deposited on the grave by the Chinese and Indian mem- bers of the Hospital staff.
CHINA OVERLAND TRADE REPORT.
the existing houses more or less useless for all practical purposes. Mr. Leigh, in his evidence, calls attention to such properties in With reference to the presence of the Police Hillier Street, &o. Should resumption become at the funeral, we understand that they spontan- necessary in any of the cases indicated, the areas eously went to see the Matron aud Dr. Atkin. affected will probably be small, and the expendi- son, Sergeant Gidley being their spokesman, tare required could, no doubt, be easily met out and offered to carry the body from the Hospital of ordinary revenue. We have to recommend to Jardine's wharf (whence it was towed by a that the Ordinance enabling the Government Harbour Master's launch to Bowrington) and to resume insanitary properties should be from Bowrington to the Happy Valley. Six amended in the sense of the Housing of the Work policemen, most of whom at one time or anothering Classes Act, 1890, in force in England so as bave been patients in the Hospital, carried the to allow of deductions being made on account of coffin from the ward where the body was lying illegal rents, insanitary conditions, &c., &c., to Jardine's wharf, relays carried it from Bow-when assessing compensation. Any such re- rington, and it was deposited in the grave by sumptions as may be necessary, and some will policemen, no one else touching it. This action be, if the colony is to be put in a thoroughly sani- of the Force touched all the Hospital staff, the tary condition, can be carried out so that there Matron and Sisters especially, amidst all the will be no need for any extensive removals of sympathy they have received, more than any- the inhabitants, and therefore the question of thing.
housing the displaced population hardly arises. We are of opinion, as to the great majority of insanitary dwellings, that they can be rendered fairly sanitary and fit for habitation by the enforcement of the following recommen- dations, as the principal defects in existing buildings arise from want of adequate light and ventilation.
The Police, we understand, would have doue the same for Sister Frances had they only heard of her death in time.
THE INSANITARY PROPERTIES
COMMISSION.
The following is the report of the Insanitary Properties Commission :-
1.-We met on the 6th August, 1896, and 12th February, 31st March, 29th April, and 5th June, 1897, and examined the following witnesses:
Dr. Francis W. Clark, Medical Officer of Health; The Honourable F. A. Cooper, Director of Public Works; Mr. W. Danby, Mr. R. K. Leigh, and Mr. C. Palmer, architects and civil engineers practising in the colony.
2.-In order to report on the details set forth in the Commission, insanitary buildings have been classified as follows:-
(a) Back-to-back houses.
(b) Housos fronting on narrow lanes.
Class A.-Back-to-back Houses.
6. Where those houses have each a greater total depth than 26 feet from front to back one- half of the entire space intervening between the principal rooms and the enclosing walls at be open to the sky; severe penalties should be the back of the premises on each floor should inflicted on any one closing or allowing said space to be closed and the Magistrate should have full power to order the prompt removal of the obstructions..
365
to surface, channel, and light such streets and lanes, and to maintain them in a sanitary con- dition,
15. In conclusion, we now deal serialim with
the order set forth in the Commission. the questions referred for our consideration in
We are of opinion-
(i) That it is unnecessary for the Government to resume insanitary properties generally, and improve them and re-sell them. (ii) It being unnecessary to resume insanitary properties generally, no means for their resumption need be provided.
(iii) The said properties should be improved in the manner suggested in this report, and should be carried out by the owners at their own cost, failing which they should be carried out by the Government, and the owners called upon to refund the cost. (iv) It is not necessary to provide means for housing the occupants of any dwellings pending improvements, as such improve- inents could be carried out without any un. due inconvenience to such occupants. (v) As the improvements will be carried out at the cost of the owners of the properties, no capital will be required for resumption and improvements except in those cases where the making of such improvements may result in absorbing so much of the land as to leave the remainder so small or of such a form as to yield but poor return to the owner. In such cases it may become necessary for the Crown to resume; but such cases we are informed, on the authority of the Director of Public Works, will be extremely rare.
16.-In support of the necessity for the above recommendations we would beg a careful re- Where in back-to-back houses over 26 feet inference to the following reports in which the depth there is now no space between the princi- pal rooms and the enclosing walls at the back of the premises the land-owner should be com- pelled by law to so alter the construction of his back of not less than 40 square feet.
(c) Houses with insufficient open space in the house as to provide for an open space at the
rear; and
(b) Houses abutting on the hill-side.
3. We have personally inspected 19 houses in eleven different streets and lanes in the colony and we have had before us and carefully considered certain reports and statements (Ap- pendices Nos. 7, 9, and 12) compiled for our information by the Honourable Francis A. Cooper, late Director of Public Works, and Dr. Francis W. Clark, Medical Officer of Health:
4. We regret to have to report that there are many insanitary properties in the colony, and dwellings which, in their present condition, are unfit for human habitation. The back portions of a number of the houses visited by us are dark, ill ventilated, extremely dirty, and in some cases mere dens of filth. The interior of the cubicles or sub-divisions of the living rooms was such that in the great majority of cases their contents could be seen only by the aid of an artificial light.
We wish to call particular attention to the tabu- lated statement of the Medical Officer of Health (Appendix No. 12) in which he states that in the Health Districts Nos. 5 and 6 out of a total of 3,095 Chinese houses only 565 can be said to be in a fairly good sanitary condition. He further states that the balance 2,530 are insani- tary and have been classed into A., B., C., D., and their various defects are shown therein. In the other health districts of the colony, it appears from his evidence that a similar unsatis- factory state of affairs exists. The Medical Officer of Health in his Annual Report for 1896 shews that 3,095 houses in the said dis- tricts represent 8,700 separate dwellings aud embrace a population of about seventy-two thousand inhabitants.
5. We are of opinion that there is no need for the resumption of any large proportion of these properties. The alterations and improve- ments we are about to recommend will, in our opinion, render by far the greater number of them fit for habitation. Resumption is only necessary whero properties are so divided and sub-divided that it would be difficult or impos- sible to get the several owners to agree on any combined plan for the improvement of the dwellings, for where the lots of land are so small and the buildings on them of such dimensions that to make the needful im- provements in them as they stand would leave
Wherever there is now, or wherever there is to be constructed under the recommedations contained horein, an open space at the back of any house, a window not less than one-thirtieth of the floor area must be opened into it from the back of the main room.
These regulations should not apply to houses situate at the corner of two main streets, and adequately lighted from two sides.
Class B.-Houses fronting on narrow lanes. 7. In houses fronting streets less than 15 feet in width, no cubicles should be allowed on the ground floors.
Class C.-Houses with insufficient open space in the rear. 8.-One-half of the entire space intervening between the principal rooms and the enclosing walls at the back of the premises on each floor should be open to the sky, such space not to be less than forty square feet in any case.
Class D.-Houses abutting on the hill-side 9. One-half of the entire space intervening between the principal rooms and the hill-side against which the premises abut should be open square feet in any case. to the sky, such space not to be less than forty
10.-We are of opinion that the provisions of Section 9 of Ordinance No. 15 of 1894 are sufficient for the purposes of abating over- crowding.
11.-We are of opinion that immediate effect should be given to these recommendations by legislation.
12.-We consider that no cubicles should, in future, be permitted on any floor in any dwell. ing that has not a window or windows opening directly into the external air of a total area of not less than one-tenth of the floor space.
13. In his examination the Medical Officer of Health referred to the question of cubicles and suggested their reduction from the pre- sent height of eight feet to six feet, but in this he is not supported by the other witnesses, the local architects being averse to any change as the present height was decided upon so recently as 1894. We, however, re- commend that no cubicles of a greater height than seven feet, unless the height of the room exceeds thirteen feet, be permitted to be erected or re-erected hereafter in any domestic dwelling. 14. We recommend that owners of private 'streets and lanes be required at their own expense
urgent attention of the Government has been for many years and is again earnestly directed to the great depth of the bulk of the Chinese houses as compared with their width. to the want of open
in the rear space thereof, and to the consequent serious defects in the lighting and ventilation of such buildings. We desire to call special attention to Mr. Chad. wick's reports of 1882 and 1890 and to the plans and drawings contained in the former.
(i) The Colonial Surgeon's reports dated Hongkong, 15th April, 1874, and 5th April, 1874, ordered by the House of Commons to be printed 25th August, 1881.
(ii) Mr. Osbert Chadwick's report on the Sani. tary Condition of Hongkong presented to both Houses of Parliament in August, 1882, more particulaly paras. 149-154. Mr. Chadwick's re- ports dated 1st July, 1890.
(iii) The report of the Permanent Committee of the Sanitary Board dated 29th June, 1894. ing the Chinese dated Hongkong, 28th July, (iv) The reports of the Committee on Hons.
and 13th August, 1894.
(v) The Colonial Surgeon's letter dated Hong koug 2nd March, 1895, forwarding to Govern ment the letter and report of the Medical Officer in charge of Epiddemic Hospital and Acting Superintendent of Government Civil Hospital, &c., on the Epidemic of Bubonic Plague dated Hongkong, 1st March, 1895.
(vi) The report of the Medical Officer of Health for the year 1896; and
(vii) The tabulated statement of the Medical Officer of Health which shews that no more than about 18 per cent. of the Chinese dwellings in the City of Victoria can be regarded as "in a fairly good sanitary condition.”
C. P. CHATER, T. JACKSON,
T. H. WHITEHEAD, N. J. EDE,
See further recom- mendations at foot hereof. agree with the above report with the excep tion that I am of opinion that paragraph 7 there. of should read as follows:-
7.-In houses fronting on narrow lanes less than 15 feet in width, no cubicles should be allowed on any floor.
J. H. STEWART LOCKHART.
Chairman.
We are of opinion
Note.-Paragraph 7: that this should read as follows:-
7. In houses fronting on narrow lanes less than 15 feet in width, no cubicles whatever should be allowed on any floor, and in houses fronting on lanes and streets of over that width no cubicles should be allowed on the ground