March 9, 1901.]
commendations which individual members of the Board should make should be brought for ward to that Committee and discussed, and then the whole thing should be sent to the Govern- ment with the Committee's report on them. He (the speaker) quite agreed that there were several valuable suggestions in Mr. Ladds present report, and lie thought that the Board should support the recommendations of their officers by going fully into those questions. He would propose that the Board appoint the Committee then and there, for he was quite assured that the recommendations of the Board would have greater weight than the recommendations of any individual officer. The PRESIDENT thought the suggestion of appointing a Committee was a good one. There were, however, several matters upon which he did not agree with Mr. Ladds. He would sug- gest that the Committee consist of the Vice President and Mr. Osborne, both of whom had taken great interest in the matter.
On the motion of Mr. OSBORNE, se con led by Dr. CLARK, & Committee was appointed as sug-| gested by the President.
SANITARY SURVEYOR'S REPORT,
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In his report for the year 1900 Mr. J. J. Bryan (Sanitary Surveyor) said plans had been passed by him during the year for the drainage of 643 houses. The plans of 464 houses were carried forward from 1899, making a total of 1,107 in hand during the year. The drainage of 323 houses had been completed and the plaus for 43 cancelled, leaving 741 carried forward to 1991. Notices for repairs or additions to the drainage arrangements of 147 houses are carried forward to 1901. Dealing with the inspection of private drains, the report stated that 163 of these had been oponed out and reported on. Notices had been served on the owners of 116 horses. calling upou them to execute the necessary work. The ro- drainage of old houses, as stated by Mr. Drury in his report last year. was practically com. pleted. In addition, 5,756 houses had been in spected, and minor defects discovered in 1.889 instances. Nuisances to the number of 282 had been reported to the M.0.H. and 73 to the Hon. D.P.W., to be dealt with by them. During the past year 18 water-closets and 4 urinals were erected in various build ings by permission of the Board, and con- nected to the sewers. Four water-closets had been removed from other buildings by order of the Board, in consequence of their having been fixed without permission being obtained. Certificates for 320 new houses and two additions were granted during the year, which also saw an extension made to Caroline Hill Cemetery. Dealing with the number of prosecutions insti- tuted during the year, the report stated that 175 summonses had been taken out and convic- tions obtained in 118 cases, the peualties amount- ing to $1,035.
THE USE OF VERANDAHS AS STORE-ROOMS, LTC.
Correspondence was submitted with reference to the use of verandahs as store-rooms, living rooms, kitchens, etc., and the question of parti- tions in verandahs.
In a letter dated 28th February the Colonial Secretary stated that he had been directed by His Excellency, the Governor to transmit for the consideration of the Board a copy of a letter from the Honourable Director of Public Works, dated 5th January, together with its enclosure, and also a minut of the Hon. Attorney General dated the 26th January, and to point out that though the law in question prohibited the use of verandahs as store-rooms, living rooms, kitchens, etc, it was evident to anyone observing the houses in Queen's Road West that this prohibition had been neglected. His Excellency also wished to obtain the opinion of the Board on the question of partitions in ver. andahs. It was obvious that verandahs without partitions would decrease the safety and destroy the privacy of houses in a row, and would pro- bably be insanitary, as preventing windows being opened at night, while the argument of the additional facility in case of fire has little weight; for if there were no balconies, it would not be possible to pass from one house into the
next.
The letter from the Hon. Director of Public Works said:"I have the honour to forward copy of a report by Mr. Tooker, the Acting Assistant Director of Public Works, on certain
balconies, and request that the Hon. Attorney
CHINA OVERLAND TRADE REPORT.
193
General's opinion may be obtained in the mat-nese, so long as verandahs are allowed at all. ter. I do not think partitions opposite each I agree with the M. O. H. regarding 'par- party wall form a breach of the Ordinance." titions."
Mr. Fung Wa Chun:—“I agree with Mr. Osborne."
Mr. Tooker's report was as follows:-"Houses Mr. Osborne: Enforce sanitary regula- have recently been constructed on Marine Lot tions, but do not start any new crusade re- 117 and Inland Lot 431, Praya East, in connec-gard to verandahs. The partitioning does no tion with which iron balconies were erected harm and should be allowed. There are many over the street. An application was made by other and greater evils that need our attention. Messrs. Leigh and Orange on behalf of the owner Mr. Chan A Fook:-“I agree with Mr. for the certificate required by section 53 of Osborne." Ordinance 15 of 1889. On inspecting the build- ings it was found that the balconies were divided up by an iron partition-one opposite each party wall-which appears to me to be a breach of Section 1 of Ordinance 4 of 1888. I, there- fore, called Messrs. Leigh and Orange's atten- tion to the matter by letter of the 20th inst. Messrs. Leigh and Orange called here, and contended that partitions on verandahs or balconies opposite party walls go as to give each house a private portion of such verandah or balcony, are not contraven- tions of the said Ordinance. The object of the Ordinauce was to secure a free current of air along verandahs and balconies, and to ensure a free passage for firemen all along the build. ings in case of fire. Perhaps you would sac fit to obtain the Attorney-General's opinion."
The Attorney-General, (the Hon. W. Meigh Goodman, K.C.) wrote:-
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1. "I have already given my opinion as to the law. If the law has not been enforced of late years, it is unfortuuate. I am now consolidating the Building Ordinauces, and the law should be made quite clear, and if it is to be altered I should be glad to know soon so as to insert any alteration in the Bill.
2. The real questions are:- -(a) Ought parti- tions opposite party walls to be allowed in verandahs over Crown lands? (6) If so are they to be allowed to go right up from the floor to the verandalı above, so as to entirely enclose both onds of the verandah or only for three or four foot from the floor, enough to show the limits of the portion allotted to each house? (c) If allowed to go right up, are they to be readily moveable, or may they be of iron or bricks shutting out any passage of air and all access? On this head the extract from to-day's paper annexed shows how by such partition life nay be lost in case of fire.
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3. This question should be settled by His Excellency in Executive Council, I think.
4. I observe that when for public con- venionce any concession is made as to what may be douo over Crown land upon certain conditions, that concession is at once accepted and used; the conditions are soon ignored, and the parties benefited assume the attitude of injured parties when called on to comply with the conditions under which the benefit or con- cession was conferred.
5. My own view is that the law should always be enforced, but if it proves harsh or unreasonable it should be altered and not be allowed to be habitually ignored.
6. In this colony we want all the current of air the width of the streets will afford, and verandahs with partitions all along opposite the party walls of a row of narrow Chinese houses undoubtedly affect the current of air and impede the action of firemen and the escape of inmates in case of fire."
The following minut:s were appended :— Dr. Clark :-"The law prohibits the use of verandahs over Crown land as bathrooms, urinals, water-closets, sleeping apartments, store-rooms, or cook-rooms. (Ord. 4 of 1883), and during 1900 no less than 81 prosecutions were instituted by me for offences against this law. Seventy-one convictions were obtained and penalties to the amount of $107 rocovered. Twice cases were withdrawn owing to a flaw in the summonses, but a verbal order was made by the magistrate for compliance with the law; in the remaining case the defendant absconded. With regard to the use of verandahs as living- rooms, the law does not specifically prohibit this, and no objection has ever been taken by the department to a table and a chair or two on the verandah. As to the partitions, I think that solid party walls should be allowed to a height of seven feet, so as to secure privacy, and that the rest of the partition should be of iron bars or lattice work, at least two-thirds open."
Dr. Hartigan:-"It gill be impossible to prevent the improper use of verandahs by Chi-
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The President: -“Discuss at next meeting. Mr. OSBORNE said that the question of verandahs was apparently a trivial one, and more or less a mare's nest, but if they stirred in it, and if the Government, stirred in it, it would give rise to an immense amount of trouble, and at a time when they least required it. The plague season was approaching, and they would have all their time oulout; they would need all their energies to combat the outbreak. of that scourgo during the coming summer. Theref re on those grounds alons, he thought it would be unwise for them to support any new crusado with respect to verandahs in the colony. But, taking the matter on its own merits, if they interfered with the existing customa with reference to verandahs; if they prevented the Chinese from making use of their verandahs, they might just as well prohibit the erection of them altogether, and if they prohibited the ereretion of them altogether, they would be changing the whole social life of the Chinese in the Colony. They would turn their dwellings, comfortless as they were to-day, into mere barrack rooms, with no comfort at all, and without the slightest privacy. They, as a Sani- tary Board, and the Government, had inter- fored with the privacy of the Chinese, and more especially with Chinese family life, to a very great extent, but it had been done from sheer necessity, andho (Mr. Osborne) maintained that any future steps they undertook for the preservation of the health of the Colony, should be so undertaken with a due regard to the feelings of others, and, among other things,. with a regard to the maintenance of the privacy of Chinese family life. Where was the ne- cessity to trouble about the matter at all? The Government said the use of the verandahs was abused. Any one passing along the street could see the existing law was not enforced-it was so absurd. Was it likely that owners of property would go to the enormous expense of putting up verandalis except they were needed and of benefit to them in their home life, and yet it was suggested that they should abolish them altogether throughout the colony. Ver- andahs were used mainly for the storage of light ar.icles; occisionally for the cooking arrangements of the home, and particularly for sitting out in the cool evening air. There was no harm in any of those things he had men. tioned. They were not insanitary, and if they did away with them, they did away with the ouly little comfort the Chinese had. He believed the idea was to abolish partitions opposite party walls in verandahs, so as to allow a freer circulation of air. That was, he had no doubt, perfectly true, but on the other hand any one who had given the matter the slightest thought would know that, especially in the summer, if they abolished those walls, they would close the windows and the shutters, which were a protection against wind, rain and sun. So that if they did away with the veran dahs they would be inaking the houses ore insanitary then they were at the present day. It was far better that the people should take their meals or sleep in their verandahs, than in the rooms behind then-it was much better that they should live in the open air, than exist in the foetid atmostphere of these inner rooms. He thought the Board should recommend to the Government that in no way should these verandahs be interfered with.
Mr. CHAN A Fook quite concurred in the remarks of the previous speaker. If they wanted to improve the sanitary condition of the Chinese they should be prepared to give them every latitude. It was not in any way expedient to trespass upon their privacy or interfere with the social conditions under which they lived, except, in so far as would bo necessary for the general health of the colony. He thought the Government should be asked not to interfere at all in the matter of