May 4, 1001.]*
The second part of the correspondence con- sisted of a letter, dated 22nd April, from the Acting Director of Public Works (Hon. W. Chatham) to the Colonial Secretary, in which he forwarded the Rev. C. Bone's application. This letter pointed out that there were certaiu diffenities in the way of granting the desired permission. The spice on the east side of the building formed part of Marine Lot No. 65, and might be built over at some future date by the owner of that lot. On the West and North sides there would be public roads, 75 feet in width, when the widening of Arsenal Street. ! and the Eastern Reclamation scheme had been! carried out. The greatest difficulty in the way of granting Mr. Bone's request lay in the fact that the lot was sold subsequent to 1887, and was therefore subject to the requiremen's of section 66 of Ordinance 24 of 1937. In view of that sotion, Mr. Chatham did not sea how! Mr. Bone's request could be granted, though, from a sanitary point of view, there was no objection to its being granted.
The following minutes were appended:- Lieut. Col. Hughes: "The erection might' be permitted as an exceptional cuse."
Mr Fung Wa Chuon": "This may be allowed; provided there is no nitary objection. But would not this mean creating a precedent?"
Mr. Chan A Fook: "I agree with the views expressed by Mr. Fung Wa Chun."
CHINA OVERLAND TRADE REPORT'.
the water supply had not kept pace with that increase.
Mr. BREWIN seconded.
Dr. BELL asked the President to explain whether it would be an expensive matter for hotels to sink their own wells and draw water from the sea. If it was reasonable, then he should say---let them have it for their urinals.
The PRESIDENT was afraid that the plan, though feasible, would be an expensive one,
The application was refused. " Dr. BELL did not vote.
LIME-WASHING RETURNS,
The lime-washing returns for the fortnight ended 29th April showed that in the Central district, out of a total of 3,486 houses, 1,02 | had been lime-washed. Nothing was done in the Eastern and Western districts. There were no prosecutions.
WATER AT LAI CHI KOK.
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| so. Personally, I entirely agree with the M.O.H.'s views expressed in his minute. I notice the Registrar-General addresses the Board, so please circulate."
Mr. A. W. Brewin: "Ignorance of the law is always accepted as good plea by reasonable persons, although legally not an admissible ples. To turn these people out on a week's notice would be an outrageous thing to do, and would not be attempted in England. What officer of the Board is responsible for these huis being put up? They could not have been built in a night, It is not possible for members of the Board to get rid of their responsibility by sheltering themselves behind the magistrate's decision. I repeat what I wrote before-that ample notice (three or four months) should be given these people to quit, and that the health of the colony-which is what the Board has to consider-will not be endangered thereby.",
Lieut. Col. Hughes: "If, as is reported, these sheds were erected without authority, and are most insanitary, I agree with the M. Ö. H. not to interfers."
On the 16th ult., Mr. A. G. Woodcock, Arting Secretary to the Sanitary Board. forwarded request to the Acting Colonial Secretary (Hon. T. Sercombe Smith, that the Government
Mr. Chan A Fook: "I don't think it advis. Analyst be instructed to analyse a sample of water sent to him that morning by the Medicalable to interfere with the magistrate's decision." Mr. Fung Wa Chuen: “I think one week's ¦ Officer of Health, and to report if it was suit.
able for potable purposes. The sample was notics is too short." spring water from the aqueduct at Lai Chi Kok which supplies shipping.
Mr. T. Browne, Government Analyst, an- obalysed the water, and found it fit for the
purposes indicated.
Mr. E. Osborne: There is no sanitary jectiou, and the erection should be permitted. If the law does not allow it, the law should be altered to meet such instances."
Mr. A. W, Brewin: "There must be always a certain number of hard cases under every lair. The occurrence of a single case is scarcely sufficient reason for amending the law."
Quite a lengthy disenssion ensued on this matter, but the application did not receive any measure of support.
nance.
Dr. BELL secoude??, and the motion was carried.
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Mr. E Osborne. "I quite agree with M.O.H. There is already. too much consideration given to the so-called poverty of such people. They seem to be able to find plenty of money for their funeral and marriage customs, but when it is a question of obeying the laws of the colony, their poverty is paraded ad nauseum.
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Dr. Clark: It is not a question of a week's notice; the people were warned more than three months ago, and have ignored repeated instruc-
Dr. CLARK-I move that the application be refused.
Mr. MAY se onded, and the motion was carried.
SHEDS ON MARINE LOTS IN KENNEDYTOWN, On 13th March a number of people residing at Kounedytown were brought before the Magistrate and Bned $10 for having their mat- I sheds in an iosanitary condition; they were further ordered to remove the sheds or puttions to move."
Hon. F. H. May: "The matter is out of our them in a cleanly ron ition. In this connee- tion the following petition has reached the hands, and has been dealt with by the magistrate. Sanitary Board and bas besu circnlated amongst If the people want extension, the magistrate The PRESIDENT moved that it be refu-ed, on the members: -- Lai Yeung and sight others, i may be able to meet them. We cannot vary, the ground that it was contrary to the Ordi-long resident at Pat Shek Tong Tsui, state that į his order.“
on the brothels moving there the rent rose ten- Dr. BELL-We are not a court of appeal. fold and beyond petitioners means. Lai Po They must take it to the Supreme Court or Lung then granted them the free use of ground leave it alone. THE VERANDAH QUESTION,
locality stated) on the hillside near Kennedy. On the 8th March & discussion, which was town. They have put up houses with great fully reported in the Daily Press columus, took difficulty, which were blown down by the place at a meeting of the Sanitary Board on the typhoon in November. These were re-erected in question of the use of verandahs as living rooms,accordance with the Sauitary Board regulations eto. In consequence of what was said, the Gov. ernor recommended that Mr. Tooker and Dr. Clark should be asked to amend the Verandab Regulations, so as to admit of the erection of partitions; and that, after the proposed amend- ments had been submitted to and approved by the Attorney-General, they should be substituted for the existing rules in the new Sanitary Bill. The matter was accordingly considered by Mr. Tooker and Dr. Clark, in conjunction with the Hon. H. E. Pollock. Acting Attorney. General, and the following amendment to section 35 of the New Baildings Bill was proposed: No partition, other than such as may, in the opinion of the Director of Public Works, be necessary for the separation of the verandah or balcony of any adjacent building shall be erected or maintained in any veraudah or balcony over Crown land."
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The PRESIDENT-It is intended to amend the clause in the New Buildings Ordinance to provide for the dividing of verandahs. APPLICATION FROM THOMAS'S GRILL ROOMS. Au application was heard for the erection of two water-closets and three urinals at Thomas's Grill Rooms.
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MORTALITY STATISTICS FOR THE COLONY, i
The mortality statistice for the Colony for pril the weeks ended 13th April and 20th- show rates of 18.6 and 18.2 per 1,000, as against 19.6 and 265 for the corresponding weeks of last year.
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Dr. CLARK said that plague was greatly on the increa e, and he moved that the whole City of Victoria be declared infected.
Mr. OSBO NE seconded, and the motion was carried.
-the eaves nine feet from the ground and the floor concreted, with windows ou four sides for light and ventilation. Unexpectedly this year a Sanitary Board officer directed them to pull down the houses, otherwise they would have to spend much money on them. Being poor, with no money for constant changes, petitioners must pawu their clothes, sell their daughters, and lose all their ffects to do this, as they have already once built and once repaired.
CONCRETING GROUND SURFACES, Their plans are exhausted, their strength finished. If they pull them down, where An application for exemption from concret. can they go? Their families will be seating the ground surfaces of Nos. 38 and 39, tered. Petitioners nsk for a special favour Plays East, was read. and that the petition may be transmitted to H E. the Governor, and that he will so direct the Sanitary Board that they be not required to take down their houses, or repair them."
The following minutes were appended : - Mr. A. W. Browin: "I recommend that, these people be given ample notice to quit, if they cannot be permitted to remain in the A notics of permiss now occupied by them. three or four mouths will not endanger the health of the colony. When the squatters were removed from East Point compensation was
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In a report, Mr. J. J. Bryan, sanitary snr-given them, I believe." veyor, saw no objection to the application being Dr. Clark: “I strongly recommend that this granted, provided that the old drains were in Board do not interfere with the decision of the good condition. This he should insist on before | magistrate. These sheds have quite recently been allowing a new connectiou.
erected without authority, and are most insani- tary. They should be removed at once, as advised by the magistrate. The last part of Mr. Brewin's minute shows exactly what the Govern ment are expected to do if this sort of thing is permitted to ocenr. A man pats up a dirty and most insanitary shed on a plot of land to which he has no claim; it is overlooked by the officers of the Sanitary Board for two or three years, and then, when an attempt is made to remove him, he claims squatters compensation. It is high time that this sort of thing should be put a stop to, and that these people should be cleared out as soon as they are discovered.”
The following minutes were apponded :- Mr. E. Osborne: “ Grant subject to Survey or's recommendation being complied with."
Mr. A. W. Brewin: "No closets or urinals should be connected with the drains unless (1) they have a water supply independent of the public water-supply, or (2) there is a reasonable; assurance that the public water-supply will not be cut off for a month or more at a time."
Dr. "Clark: "I agree with the Registrar-
General."
Dr. CLARK thought that the application should be refused. They could not afford to be reckless with their water. Since 1897 the population had increased by 35,000, but
The President: “If anything will be gained by circulating these papers to members, please do
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The application was granted, so long as the pramises are used as a public-house.
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APPLICATION TO ERECT WATER OLOSETS.
An application for permission to erect water- closets at No. 7, Arbuthnot Road was refused.
This was all the business.
The belated Shanghai papers now to hand contain accounts on Mr. Alec Marsh's concert at the Lycsam on the 23rd ult. The con- cart seems to have proved an unquestionable snocess, Mr. Marsh being heartily cheered at the close. The N. C. Daily News says :--" Includ ing encores, he sang seven pieces, all admir- ably, his splendid baritone voice and perfect method being thoroughly enjoyed. - His first selection, the prologue from I Pagliocci, was i splendid piece of declamation then came Sullivan's beautiful song 'The Sailor's Grave,' with the humorous oll Leather Bottell' as an encore, in the second part Mr. Marah gave Pinsutis 'The King's Minstrel', most drama- tically sung Clayton Thomas's Japanese Love Song, a pretty ditty, but hardly worthy of the singer, with "The Owl' as an encore and The Toreador, from Curmen grandly delivered." The Mercury, though not quite so favourable, says: “That he is a great squisition to the ranks of our music-providers is beyond doubt, and we look forward with pleasurable feelings to hearing still more fine voice and training.
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