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the table a copy of the depositions taken by the Magistrate sitting as Coroner in the second enquiry into the deaths of 43 persons which occurred in the collapsed houses Nos. 32 and 34, Cochrane Street, on the night of the 14th August ultimo, a copy of the Crown Solicitor's opening remarks and closing speech, and a copy of the Magistrate's decisions or finding in respect of the first as well as the second enquiry held in connection with that disaster?
The ACTING ATTORNEY-GENERAL-Sir. I beg to lay upon the table the papers asked for.
PEACE AND QUIET OF THE INHABITANTS.
The ACTING ATTORNEY-GENERAL moved; the first reading of a Bill entitled An Ordin- ance to amend An Ordinance for the better securing the Peace and Quiet of the Inhabi- tants of the Town of Victoria and its vicinity during the night time (No. 17 of 1884).
The COLONIAL SECRETARY seconded, and the motion was agreed to.
WEIGHTS AND MEASURES.
The ACTING ATTORNEY-GENERAL moved the second reading of the Bill entitled An Ordinance to amend An Ordinance entitled the Weights and Measures Ordinance, 1885 (No. 8 of 1885). He said-The reasons for this. Bill are fully stated in the objects and reasons attached to the Bill. In committee on the Bill I shall have ono amendment to move. In the last line of clause 5. after the word "second," I shall move that the words "or any subsequent" be inserted, so as to prevent any doubt as to the penalty for any subsequent offence or for the second offence.
The COLONIAL SECRETARY seconded, and the motion was agreed to.
The Council thereafter went into committeu on the Bill, when the amendment proposed by the ACTING ATTORNEY-GENERAI, was accepted.
ACTING On the Council resuming, the ATTORNEY-GENERAL moved that the Council re-committee the Bill, as he had another amend- ment to move.
The COLONIAL SECRETARY SPeonded, and the motion was carried.
then
The ACTING ATTORNEY-GENERAL moved that in the last line of clanse 2 the him." word" them" should be substituted for
The COLONIAL SECRETARY seconded, and the amendment was agreed to.
The Council thereafter resumed. The third reading of the Bill was not moved.
NEW TERRITORIES LAND COURT.
The Acting Attorney-General moved the socond reading of the Bill entitled An Or- dinance to amend The New Territories Land Court Ordinance, 1900 (No. 18 of 1900). said-Hon. members will see the objects aud
He
reasons stated at the end of the Bill. I would also
in committee on the propose to mere, Bill, certain amendments which are shown in the Memorandum circulated to hon. members. There are also stated in that Memorandum the objects and reasons for moving the amend ments. I have also a small amendment to move in clause of the Bill-that the word "Govern- ment" before the word "Gazette" be deleted.
The COLONIAL SECRETARY Seconded the motion for the second reading, which was agreed to.
The Council thereafter went into committee on the Bill, when the ACTING ATTORNEY- GENERAL, seconded by the COLONIAL SECRE- TARY, moved the following amendments;—
1. That in clause 2 of the Bill-
(i.) The words "or where in the opinion of the Registrar it is desirable to obtain further information as to the ownership of any Lot then" be inserted between the words "claim" and "it"; (ii) The word such before the word
“person” be omitted; and
W
(iii) The word "any" be inserted before
the words "such information.”
2. That in clause 3 of the Bill, in sub-section (1.) of section 7a, the words “and if he is requir- ed so to do to mark out clearly with boundary marks to the satisfaction of the Court the limits of the land" be inserted after the word "land,“ 3. That in clause 4 of the Bill, sixth line, the word "Government" before the word "Gazette" be deleted.
The amendments were agreed. to. On the Council resuming the third reading of the Bill was not moved.
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THE HONGKONG WEEKLY PRESS AND
:
PUBLIC HEALTH ORDINANCE. The ACTING ATTORNEY-GENERAL moved the second reading of the Bill entitled An Or- dinanes to amend the Public Health Ordinance, 1901 (No. 13 of 1991).
The COLONIAL SECRETARY seconded, and the motion was agreed to.
The Council thereafter went into committee on the Bill, and on resuming, there being no alterations, the Bill was read a third time and passed.
FINE ART WORKS COPYRIGHT.
The ACTING ATTORNEY-GENERAL moved the second reading of the Bill entitled An Ordinance relating to Copyright in Works of the Fine Arts, and for repressing the Commission of Frand in the Production and Sale of such Works. He said-The vet soms for this Bill are stated in the objee's and reasons attached. A complaint has been made by a photographer in this Colony that his photographs are being extensively repro duced by others without his permission, and it seems accordingly desirable that the provisions of the English Copyright Act of 1862 relating to Copyright in Works of Fine Art should be introduced into this Colony,
The COLONIAL SECRETARY seconded, and the motion was agreed to.
The Council thereafter went into committee on the Bill, and on resuming. there being no alterations, the Bill was read a third time and pussed.
TO AMEND AN ORDINANCE.
The Hon. J. J. BELL Irving moved the second reading of the Bill entitled An Ordinance to amend Ordinance 15 of 1887, and to remore any doubts as to the validity of any matters done under it. He said-The object of this Bill is to rectify an omission which has arisen in connection with Ordinance 15 of 1887. By the terms of that Ordinance it was enacted that that Ordinance should not come into operation unless and until the Officer Administering the Government notified by Proc'amation that it was Her Majesty's pleas. ure not to disallow the same, and thereafter it should come into operation' upon such day as the Officer Administering the Government should notify by the same or by any other Proclamation. By some mistake that Procla.
mation was not issue?.
Hou, C. P. CRATER seconded, and the motion was carried.
The Council thereafter went into Committee on the Bill, and on resuming, there being no alterations, the Bill was real a third time and passed.
The Council then adjourned till Thursday. 10th inst.
HONGKONG SANITARY BOARD.
[October 7, 1901.
Mr. CHATHAM-I second that. The motion was carried.
IMPROVED TYPE OF CHINESE HOUSE,
Correspondence was laid on the table relative This to an improved type of Chinese house. correspondence has been published in the Government Gazette, and h`s also been already dealt with in these columns.
INFANT MORTALITY OF CALCUTTA AND HONGKONG.
A comparison of the Mahomedan infant mortality of Calcutta and the Chinese infant mortality of Hongkong shows that in Calcutta the rate is 7186 per 1,000, and in Hongkong 9.8 per 1,000. The death-rate in Hongkong amongst infants is therefore 18 per cent. bigher than that in Calcutta.
The following minutes were attached Hon. A. W. Brewin:-"Apparently the So are figures for Calcutta are exceptional. those for Hongkong."
Dr. Clark :-" The figures for last year are apparently as follows: Singapore, 326 per 1,000; Calentta (Mahomedan) 748 per 1000; Hongkong (Chinese) 928 per 1,000.”
The President:-"I he death-rate in Hong- kong amongst infauts is from the returns given 18 per cent. higher than that in Calcutta. The fact that Chinese neglect their female children is one factor in the causation of this high infantile mortality."
The papers were laid on the table.
DRAFT BILL TO RESTRICT HEIGHT OF BUILDINGS,
A draft Bill to restrict the height of builde ings, and for other purposes, came before the Board for consideration.
This draft Bill is founded upon the Report dated 27th August, 1901, of the Public Works Committee of the Legislative Council, and it was in connection with the following passage that the Bill was referred to the Sanitary Board :- "Provided that the provisions of this Section shall not apply to any building the height of which, at the date of the passing of this Ordin- ance, exceeds one-and-a-half times the width of the street upon which it fronts, nor to any building erected in substitution for any such building."
Under date 21st September, 1901, the Hon. H. E. Pollock, K.C.. Acting Attorney-General, minuted :- "I beg leave to submit for the con- sideration of Ilis Excellency a draft Bill, which is founded upon the recommendations contained in Sub-division II of the Report of the Public Works Committee of the Council, which is dated the 27th August. 1901. At the same time, however. I feel it necessary to point ht that the effect of the sentence of the Report which reads This Section shall not apply, however, to the re-erection of buildings which specified, will practically prevent any improve- have already been erected in excess of the height
ment in the present surface-crowding in the City of Victoria. In fact, if the provision as to one-and-a-half times the width of the street is not to apply to the re-erection of buildings, the only improvement effected by clause 2 of this Bill upon the provisions of Section 6 of Ordinance 31 of 1899 is that clause 2 of this Bill prevents the raising of existing houses to over one-and-a-half times the width of the street. I cannot help thinking that the above sentence which I have quoted, and which purports to have arisen in connection with certain resolutions of the Sanitary Board, must have been based upon some misconception as to the purport of those resolutions, and I would beg leave. therefore, to respectfully suggest that this draft Bill, together with the Report of the Public Works Committee, be now referred to the Sanitary Board for consideration."
In a minute also attached, Dr. Clark gaye a means exhaustive list of long but by no 93 streets and lanes in the City in which the buildings now exceed the limit in height of one- and-a-half times the width of the street, and went Correspondence was submitted relative to the ou to say:-"It will suffice to show that any This such legislation as that proposed in the attached general cleausing of Chinese honses.
Bill will barely touch the fringe of this very matter has already been dealt with.
serious question of 'surface-crowding,' and that it is essential for the welfare of this Colony that the limitation of the height of buildings should extend to all buildings which are hereafter erected or re-erected. It is now more than three years since the Board unanimously agreed that no domestic building to be erected in future shall exceed in height,one-and-a-half
A meeting of the Sanitary Board was held on the 3rd inst. in the Board Room. There were present the President (Dr. J. M. Atkinson. Principal Civil Medical Officer). Dre F. W. Clark (Medical Offer of Health). Hon. W. Chatham (Acting Director of Public Works). Mr. F. J. Badeley (Acting Captain Superin. tendent of Police), Hon. A. W. Brewin Registrar- General). Mr. Lan Chu Pak, and Mr. J. Bryan Sanitary Surveyor), who took the place of Mr. G. A. Woodcock (Secretary to the Board), now recovering from an attack of malarial fever.
1 The PRESIDENT having put the minutes to the meeting for approval.
Mr. CHATHAM" said These is one small Under thing that I think might be amended.
Rat-catchers it says there was the heading no seconder--I think it should read that the motion was not seconded. It is no doubt a matter of composition.
L.
THE MINUTES.
The omission was rectified. GENERAL CLEANSING OF CHINESE HOUSES.
The PRESIDENT-These papers have been circulated. and I move that the Board recom- mend the Government to authorise the Regis- trar-General to issue notices to the occupants of premises other than tenement houses, calling upon them to thoroughly cleanse their premises twice yearly, once at Chinese New Year and afterwards during the fifth Chinese moon.