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21
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December 20, 1902.]
market value; because in that case the proportion of "land rent per room per week works
out at higher amount than the poor are able to pay. The operations of the trusts and companies have, indeed, the Times writer continues, only been rendered possible in the past by the fact that the great ground landlords of the metropolis let to them large quantities of land for artisans' dwellings at 2d. per foot, though the actual market value might be from six to twelve times more.
As the result of the strictness of its ideas as to the housing of the working classes, the London County Council has found itself with a quantity of building land in its possession which no one was inclined to take over on the terms offered; and to meet the difficulty has had to build on its own account and of course according to its improved ideas, Finding an increased reluctance on the part of private enterprise to co-operate with it in provision of workmen's dwellings, the Council went in still more strongly for municipal house-building. Then, assays the writer whom we have been quoting, the more dwellings the London County Council erected the greater became the check given to the further supply of privately-owned property; and the more that Works Depart ment rates of pay and "go easy" practices became the standard in the building trades the greater became the cost of construction in general.
It is evident that the author of the
articles in the Times does not look with a sympathetic eye ou on the experiments in municipal socialism of the London County Council, and his arguments against it on the ground of cost (which are unfortunately too long to reproduce here), make out a strong case against the Council's policy.
ineans
CHINA OVERLAND TRADE REPORT.
still more urgent here if the diplacement of a very great number of Chinese takes place under the New Public Health and Buildings Bill; and here too even more than in London is it imperative that the authorities shall enforce their legal powers for dealing with in- sanitary property. London has been work- : ing in the direction of municipal socialism, with regard to the housing question. Hongkong has continued on lines which give the fullest scope to the individual builder | and the company. Failure has been the result in both cases, in the first because of too great interference by the authorities, in the second because of too little. What is wanted to solve the housing question successfully is a system which gives neither too much nor too little freedom to the individual builder or building company, a system which does not impose too strict conditions nor yet allow jerry-building.
THE WEIHAIWEI REGIMENT.
(Daily Press, 19th December.)
The determination of the War Office to
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retain the First Chinese Regiment at Wei- haiwei adds but one more inconsistency to the string of inconsistencies which have marked the history of the British occupation of that Shantung harbour. It would be difficult, probably impossible, to find in any part of British policy, past or recent, another Such an exhibition of "lightning-change artistry. Unfortunately the rapidity with which the changes have been made is not such as to inspire the admiration of the rest of the world. Not long ago Lord ROSEBERY told an Edinburgh audience his opinions on British policy toward Weihaiwei. His remarks were couched in flippant language and aroused the wrath of some over-sober people. But after all, it would be difficult without recourse to tears over the lamentable display, to do otherwise than laugh at the ineptitude which has been shown by the home Government in the whole matter of our last acquisition in China. The vacilla tion over the Weihaiwei Regiment is but a small thing compared with the general shiftiness of policy over the use to which the place itself is to be put. It took four years of occupation and the expenditure of about £270,000 to discover that Weihaiwe was a suitable
sanatorium." Compared with this, a few months' of indecision whether to disband the First Chinese Regiment, to convert it into a police force, or 10
479
HONGKONG LEGISLATIVE
COUNCIL.
A meeling of the Legislative Cou :eil was held on the 15th inst. in the Council Chamber. Present
HIS EXCELLENCY THE GOVERNOR, Sir HENRY A. BLAK, G.C.M.G.
HIS EXCELLENCY Sir W. GASCOIGNE, K.C.M.G. (Commanding the Troops).
Hon. F. H MAY (Colonial Secretary). Hon. Sir HENRY SPENCER Berkeley, KT. (Attorney-General).
I
Hon. A. M. THOMSON (Colonial Treasurer). Hon. Commander R. M. RUMSEY, R.N. (Harbour Master),
Hon. W. CHATHAM (Director of Public Works).
Hon. Dr. F. W. CLARK (Medical Officer of Health).
Hon. Dr. Ho KAI, C.M.G.
Hon. WEI A YUK.
Hon. C. S. SHARP.
Hon. C. W. DIC (SON. Hon. R. SH&WAN.
Mr C. CLEMENTI (Acting Clerk of Councils).
PUBLIC HEALTH AND BUILDINGS BILL. On the motion of the ATTORNEY-GENERAL, seconded by the COLONIAL SECRETARY, the resumed the consideration, clanse by clause, of Council resolved itself into Committee and
the Bill entitled an Ordinance to consolidate and amend the Laws relating to Public Health and to Buildings.
Clause 153 was as follows in the Bill" No window of any tenement house shall be obstructed by the erection of any structure or fitting whatsoever or by any household goods
or merchandise."
The ATTORNEY-GENERAL said that as the
result of a consultation consequent upon criticisms offered upon this clause he had drawn up the following in substitution:-"Every window and ventilating opening of a tenement house shall be kept at all times free from any obstruction which prevents the free entrance of light or air thereat unless such obstruction is necessitated by inclement weather or by the illness of any person occupying such honse."
It would be remembered that it had been pointed out that the clause as it appeared in the Bill would provent shutters.
H.E. THE GOVERNOR asked if this new
cl use meant that windows must be kept open always.
His own theory of the p uper scope for municipal action is that its special call is in the direction of providing for the really poor and for people with small but large families, whom the ordinary landlord does not welcome and who are not allowed in block dwellings, being unable to afford the rent of the necessary three or four rooms; and also in the direction of allowing the fullest possible scope to independent effort for the provision of fresh house accommodation wherever private enterprise is prepared to exert itself, while still willing to accept conditions consistent with the public health and well- being. He concludes this portion of his retain it as part of our Army, is but a small section originally appearing in the Bill.
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study as follows:-"The ideal arrangement "would be one under which the municipality enforced its legal powers for dealing with "insanitary property, and facilitated in every practical way the operations of private enterprise, especially as regards "the granting of building sites on the lowest possible terms, and the concession of some further relief in regard to building regulations, only itself taking action "where or when there was absolutely no "chance that independent action would "meet undoubted requirements. Such a "scheme as this would do far more towards "the solution of the housing problem than "the present system of municipal competi- "tion, which threatens to leave upon the "hands of local authorities the entire obligation of providing dwellings for the "artisan and labouring classes." All this, we admit, is open to criticism, but the views expressed, on the whole, are very sane, cannot attempt here to apply the deductions to Hongkong, the circumstances being in many ways so different, but there are points of contact between the two cases. Here as in London there is the necessity of finding sufficient house-room for an ever growing population-a necessity which will become
"f
We
The ATTORNEY-GENERAL replied that it would have that effect.
HIS EXCELLENCY remarked that that would
be rather hard sometimes, as, for instance, when a bitter wind was blowing during the winter mouths.
The HARBOUR MASTER proposed the deletion of the words or fitting whatsoever" from the
This course was unanimously agreed to. Clause 174, of which the rubric was "Open
space or area between new building and hill- sido," provided that a clear space of the width of not less than 1 of the height of the bullding must be left between the building on the ground level and the toe of the hill-side; and such
feet. well
intervoning space must in no case be less than 8
confesssion of weakness. It may be pre- sumed that Mr. ST. JOHN BRODRICK'S declaration is final, that the Regiment will be kept up, at the strength of four com- We gave, some tim ago, our panies. opinions as to the advisability of having a regiment of Chinese mercenaries in the British Imperial Army, but we are aware there are many who hold the opposite view about the Weihaiwei soldiers, among these being prominent some of the officers who couniauded them during the troubles up North. A strong case has been inade out for the First Chinese in the lat st book on the subject, that of Captain BARNES, which we must allow to weigh to some extent in the scales against the evidence of the past. There does not seem much danger likely to arise from a continuation of the experiment, if it be limited to the four companies of the First Chinese Regiment at Weihaiwei, extension of the idea could only be viewel with apprehension, for reasons which we have already made familiar to our readers, and which may be summed up in the sentence: China is not India, and the Chinese mercenary cannot be made into the equivalent of the native Indian soldier.
But an
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Hon. C. S. SHARP thought this section might bear very hardly on some lessees of Crown land.
The ATTORNEY-GENERAL remarked that the law as it stood required the intervening space to be feat. The new Bill proposed that it should bo i the height of the building. In the case of any hardship arising it was further provided that the Governor in Council could modify the requirements of the section.
The section was approved.
In connection with cl use 186 (limitation of heiht of buildings, etc.),
Hou. Mr. SHARP said he understood that a
number of European landlords had addressed
some petition to which II.E, Governor had not yet replied,
H.E. THE GOVERNOR said the fact was not in his remembrance.
The ATTORNEY-GENERAL in the same con-
nection said that when the time came he proposed to introduce a clause providing compensation.
H.E. THE GOVERNOR stated that the English laws provided two alternatives in a case of this