September 23, 1901.)
was in the throes of a military reform. The pre- tended ground of remonstrance was the treat ment of the subject Christian populations; the real ground was to procure the annexa- tion of Moldavin and Wallachia as well as of the fortresses in Asia to which Russia had made a bogus claim. As in the pre. sent day, Russia had named a day as the last to which she would leave the signature of the proposed treaty open. The final issue of this forced treaty was of course the Crimean war, in which England, though too late, found that the advice of the French Ambassador of seventy years previous was founded on sense; and that, had she acted on it when given, she might have been saved the loss and expense of one of the most un- satisfactory wars ever undertaken. The tedious course of negotiations to which we have recently been treated with regard to Manchuria might equally have been spared had Lord SALISBURY borne in mind the lessons of history, and checked the first encroachment at Port Arthur. The advance of Russia in East Asia is in fact as full
CHINA OVERLAND TRÅDE REPORT.
in the case of medical practitioners. This would at least secure the employment of qualified architects only, as membership of some institution would probably be made a sine qua non for practice. In such a case no plan could be submitted to or passed by the Public Works Department unless pre- pared by registered architects, As matters stand at present, men who have a slight acquaintance with the routine of an archi- tect's office, and are just competent to devise plans meeting the requirements of the Building Ordinance, may submit such plans to the Department. The introduction of compulsory qualification | and registration would prevent such men from practising and doing the work of really qualified architects, an end which is obviously desirable.
At present plans are constantly drawn by architects and others for owners who have no intention of employing or paying for any supervision, the plans being simply handed over to a Chinese contractor to carry out. A grave abuse, also, un doubtedly lies in the fact that any Chinese draughtsman, employed in the office of a architect, who
can draw up a plan fulfilling the requirements of the Building Ordinance, can send it in to the Public Works Department, get it passed, and then hand it over to some unprincipled native building contractor. Here the responsibility of the draughtsman appears to end, and the building is practically at the mercy of the contractor, who does not employ any compet- ent European overseer to see that the plans are adequately carried out. Most of us know the ways of the Chinese
"No. 1" man ; architects in particular have reason to know them. It was but quite recently that, in erecting a building according to the plan submitted, the contractor did not hesitate to shift the position of the windows and in so doing to destroy the building's stability. Such an occurrence should be rendered absolutely impossible.
of danger to the interests not only of England, but of all Europe, as was the treaty of Adrianople, and an acknowledg- ment of the proposed cession of Manchuria will as certainly lead, and at no distant period, to a struggle for life and death, which, however sucessful on England's part, will confer as little honour and profit on Englaud as did her war in the Crimea. Japan has probably a more correct idea than the statesman who now guides the foreign relations of England of the neres. sary consequence of any more shillyshally ing about this wretched affair. England, however, cannot forget that the eventual nim of Russia is an advance on India. It may be true that, as matters stand, Russia would not dare to embark in such a contest, but Russia has a consistent foreign policy, and above everything else knows how to wait. She did not venture to attack even Turkey till she had by me ns of secret in- trigues sapped the loyalty of her dependent populations, and we may be equally sure she has spread disaffection by like means through the subject populations of the Peninsula. To England, whose motto is fair play to all, and who has never soiled her fingers by retaliatory measures, such aspect houses, etc., in the course of erection, course seems incredible, but the experience of the last two years ought to have taught the lesson that such measures, however contemptible they may seem, are yet not beneath the usances of her neighbours; and that the best weapon by which to prevent them attaining dangerous headway is to recognise their possible existence and take measures beforehand to prevent their being attempted.
BUILDING IN HONGKONG.
the
course
especially those built under Chinese super- vision only? Or should all building operations be under the supervision of properly qualified architects? We believe that we are justified in saying that
latter
is that which is Here in universally adopted at home. Hongkong the plan seems the only feasible one, for such an exiguous inspecting staff as we can boast of would have its time fully occupied were it only to examine old buildings now in a threatening condition, of which there are multitudes in the Colony, How could this staff be expected to do such work properly and also to see that the re- quire:ients of the Building Ordinance are carried out in the new buildings being run | up all over the Colony? For instance, how
can it even secure obedience to section 10 | of Ordinance No. 25 of 1891 : This runs as follows:-
237
uppermost stories, but not in the wall of the other stories without the approval of the Surveyor-General."
The carrying out of buildings under quali- fied architects would ensure the observanco of the terms of such a section and indeed that the whole Building Ordinance, was in the main fairly worked to, while a no- ́ derate staff of Government Inspectors would be able to see that it was obeyed. It is also clear, however, that in the Chinese jerry-built houses of which we have so many examples in the Colony, the above section was disregarded. Nor are the materials used in such houses such as are required. Bricks of imperfectly baked mud and lime of an inferior quality are freely employed, and were the result other than what it is, there would be good grounds for surprise. And yet in all such cases there can be no doubt that the plans submitted to the Public Works Department were in order. A lot of work is involved in connection with this submission of plans, and the supervision on paper, the inspection of the site, etc., occupy much time. All this work, however, may be and indeed often is thrown away by the fact that, the plans once passed, an unscrupulous owner sets to work to run up the building as cheaply as possible, taking the risk of a prosecution in event of an accident. In this he is encouraged by the impunity which has been the lot of his predecessors. The Government can DO longer afford to neglect this question, and as every architect and engineer of repute in the Colony is in favour of reform in the matter of building control, there is every reason why we should expect in the near future to see vigorous action taken to re- move the stigma at present attaching to Hongkong on account of the inferior con- struction and inadequate inspection of its buildings.
ROADS IN THE COLONY.
It may be taken for granted that buildings
(Daily Press, 21st September.) When Dr. ATKINSON at the Sanitary Board here collapse almost entirely owing to the lack of proper supervision during their meeting on Thursday said that he did not construction, and the question therefore know how the four-wheeled horse am- becomes: >hould the Government employ|bulances, which are being procured from a large staff of building-inspectors to in England for conveyance of plague-sufferers, would stand the roads which we have in Hongkong, he called attention once inore to an often criticised but still unremedied defect in the condition of Victoria. We have a Public Works Department which for its size gets though a fair amount of work in the course of a year, but we have not and we do not appear likely to have for a long time to come even main ronds which are fit A certain measure of com- for traffic. placency, it is true, seems to be felt by some of the authorities on the subject, for Mr. H. P. TOOKER, Senior Executive Engineer and Acting Assistant Director of Public Works, reporting on the mainten- ance of roads and bridges in Victoria, under the heading of "Annually Recurrent Ex- in the Public Works Report penditure for 1900, said :- The ronds, streets, and bridges generally were kept in good repair." Mr. TOOKER must have intended to be used in a very the word "generally qualifying sense, or he was not in the habit of riding in a ricksha about our main streets. The shocking road leading along the Western Praya would convince anyone that Hongkong roads are insufficiently looked after. It is perhaps our worst example, but there are many others which are disgrace to the Colony. It is practically a ricksba ride in impossible to take any direction without being most dis- agreeably jolted and shaken up. In wet weather an element of actual danger is
44
(Daily Press, 14th September.) The question of the stability of buildings in Hongkong, which has been brought so prominently before our notice in consequence of the disastrous collapse in Cochrane Street, the most terrible in a long series of acci- dents of a similar nature, is one of such vital importance to the Colony that it must not be allowed to drop out of sight until Every wall constructed of brick, stone, another catastrophe re-awakens public in. or other hard and incombustible substance, terest. We have reason to believe that the shall be solid across its entire thickness, authorities are giving the watter their and shall be properly bonded and substan- most serious consideration, the result of tially put together with good lime-mortar which, it is to be hoped, will be to bring | or cement-mortar, and except where about a radical change in the state of affairs | specially permitted in this Ordinance, no with regard to building and building-in-; part of such wall shall be thicker than any spection in Hongkong. Among the local part underneath it, and all cross-walls and architects the opinion is strongly held that return-walls shall be properly bonded into some system of registration should be main-walls. Sound black bricks may be instituted, similar to that which is demanded exclusively used in the wall of the two
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