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September 21, 1908.]
CORRESPONDENCE.
KOWLOON ROADS.
TO THE EDITOR OF THE DAILY PRESS."
any
Kowloon, 10th September. Sre, May I call the attention of the P. W. D. through the columns of your valuable paper, to the disgraceful state of the roads at Kowloon P With the exception of that part of the road lying between the corner of Robinson Road and Elgia Road to the coruer of Cameron Road and East Road, the P. W. D. do not seem to be aware that any other roads exist. The part of road mentioned seems to be a kind of reserve ground for a few enolies, for whom the P. W. D. cannot find other work. They can be seen daily with a barrow of sand and a stamper, and are supposed to be repairing roads, under no supervision whatever. They lay the sand on the road and await a shower of rain to wash it off then renew operations. Pathways and gutters to roads that have been in exis. -nce eight or nine years are still covered with wild undergrowth, and altogether the roads, pathways, and gutters are a standing disgrace to the P W. D. and
an eya. sore and inconvenience to the resident and taxpaver. I earnestly invite the head of the Department to visit, Kowloon and convince himself that such is the case.
He should walk, and prepare himself for & muddy one, as to take a ricksha is almost an impossibility, except to be dragged along at suail's pace.---
Yours, etc.,
8. W. MOORE.
THE LOW-LEVEL TRAMWAYS.
TO THE EDITOR OF THE " DAILY PRESS.
Hongkong, 14th September. 1993. 318,-May ask through your medium. whether there is any hitch in coun-ction with the laying of the tram-lines between the Company and Government? It seems to me that things must have come to a dead-look, since it is obvious there has been practically no progress for some months. Meantime the ricksh18, are cutting up the concrete on the track already lid, and the sides of the road are being cumbered with rails and other material rusting badly from exposure to the heavy rains. Personally I have no interest in the tramways and am not at all sure that they will prove an unmixed blessing; but, if we are to have them, and they ought to bas great help to locomotion, let us for goodness sake get on with them. Is everything to stagiate in this Colony ? Yours, etc.,
VOX.
THE PUBLIC HEALTH AND BUILDINGS ORDINANCE.
TO THE EDITOR OF THE "DAILY PRESS." Hongkong, 14th September. SIR, Allow me to bring to the notice of the public that the Powers that be are having great diffulty in carrying out the provisions of the above Ordinance. Take for instauce the cubicle question, which was found on applica- tion to be too drastic and could not be applied without great modification; and now other sections have sprung up which are having the same effects.
The sections I refer to are section 140 and 175, No. 1 of 1903. Section 140 clearly states that every domestic building and every floor of a domestic building which is separately let for dwelling purposes, shall be provided with a kitchen area of not less than fifty square feet. Section 175of the same Ordinance states that every domestic building shall be provided by the owner with an open space in the rear, by opening on- in each storey one half of the entire space in tervening between the principal room or rooms and the main wall at the back of such building as well as the corresponding portion of the roof, etc. Now this is all very well to say that every domestic building must have a kitchen Area of not less than 50 square ft., but what about the buildings which have two or more kitchens? The kitchens used by Europeans are more than the specified requirements, and if the kitchen used by the servants of the same building is'
CHINA OVERLAND TRADE REPORT.
The
less than 50 square feet it is illegal, as the law does not say that every kitchen shall be 50 square feet. Also as regards section 175 which will have an effect on section 140 No. 1, 1903. Ordinance No. 13 of 1901. section 55A, is identical with section 175 of the present Ordinance. Now in 1901, owners of property were forsed at a great expense of over $1,000,000 to comply with section 55A, No. 13, 1901, thereby making their existing kitchens half yard half and now the majority of Chinese dwellings kitchen, and reducing the space of the kitchen; have not a kitchen of fifty square feet. majority of Chinese dwellings are at the pre- sent time in accord with section 175 and to encroach од the yard space to enlarge kitchen area would be illegal according to section 175. What is the remedy? Supposing owners of property were to put their hands in their pockets and pay another $2,000,000 down and rebuild the cross-wall and this would to architects and coutractors, they can pull make the habitable spaco of the house smaller. Now did
any one ever see such nonsense in any
civilised cuntry? Notices are being served on every owner to comply with section 140; also notice on owners who were missed or passed under section 55A, No 13. 1901. Now to comply with section 175 what is to be done! for the betterment of sanitation and over- crowding in this colony when we have such laws rushed through which look on first sight feasible, but on application cannot
be enforced without great hardship to the property-owners who, after complying with a law passed two years ago, are waking up to find that what they spent then by order of the Government was usele-s and is all wrong. Who will pay for this? I say the Government should pay. What should be done in this Colony is to let the existing buildings, passed and approved by the P. W. D. and 8. B stand as they are, aud that every new building should comply with the new Ordi anco. Of course section 149 of Ordinance No. 1 of 1903 says exemption can be granted by the Building Authority, but it is very seldom granted, and it is no uss owners trusting on getting that exemption, as has been already refused to owners on several it
occasions.-- Yours, etc.,
STONEWALL.
MAJOR GENERAL GASCOIGNE.
TO THE EDITOR OF THY DAILY PRESS.
**
Hongkong, 16th September. SIR,-Your leading article of this morning mentioned the many kind sets of Major-General Gascoigne which made him one of the most popular of Generals who have come to Hong- kong, but you have forgotten to state that it was due to Major-General Gascoigne's thought- ful disposition that we are having weekly performances of military bands on the Parade Ground which, although given but once a week, serve to enliven a little the even tenor of our life in Hongkong. That these performances are much appreciated by the public was evidenced b the large concourse of people at the Parade Ground last Monday. Apart from the attractions offered by the combined bands, as it was the last appearance there of General Gascoigue, a large gathering turned out to testify their appreciation of this act of kindness. Now that he is gone, I hope that his successsor will follow in his footsteps, and continue to allow the bands to play as hitherto. Yours, &c.,
MUSIC.
CRUELTY TO ANIMALS.
54
TO THE EDITOR OF THE DAILY PRESS."
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215
would commend it to the notice of the Society to condemn this system and get the Police authorities to adopt some other means for catch- ing these dogs which will cause no unnecessary suffering to the poor animals. The ignorant and over-zealous lukongs cannot be allowed to carry on these gross acts of cruelty, and I hope that this letter of mine will be the means of checking if not of altogether putting a stop to these abuses.-Yours, &c..
A LOVER OF DOGS.
TO THE EDITOR OF THE "DAILY PRESS,” Hongkong, 17th September. in your valuable paper to corrobo ate the state- SIB. I beg leavs to ask you for a small space ment of your correspondent" A Lwer of Dogs" in your issue of this morning. These sots of cruelty have been carried on with impunity for and I am surprised that they are allowed, or the last two days in various parts of the Colony, even sanctioned, in a British colony. If a poor Chinese coolie ware to carry a fowl with its head downward, he would be run in by the police for cruelty.
If the police want to rid the streets, let them copy the system adopted by Colony of all undesirable curs that infest the the Shanghai Municipality, who generally know how to do things better.
I trust that the S.P.C.A. will take the matter up.-Yours, &c.,
TO THE EDITOR OF THE
CANIS:
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DAILY PRESS. Hongkong, 18th September. SIB, May I add yet another claim to the protection of our 14
Society for the Prevention for the much maligned but useful cat. The num- of Cruelty to Animals" in the shape of a plea ber of these animal that are daily set adrift large one, and as an instance, I may mention through sheer carelessness of their owners is a
tabby, which is still unclaimed? Trus it is that that I have for some weeks past fed a Siamese Pussy has a penchant for ransacking the contents of meat-safes at times, and at certain advertises the fact in terms more forcible than seasons of the year when in quest of a mate, she
endearing, but after all, she sins no more in this respect than the rest of her sex. Taken all round, and given proper treatment, Pussy is beyond doubt a valuable adjunct to every household, aud as such possesses strong, claims to 'be looked after.
By the way, in speaking of cruelty, do the (let alone bugs) come in for any consideration malarial mosqu to aud the plague-infected rat
at all?
It is high time that someth ng should be done to check Governmental abuse of this sort once and for ever-anything more idiotic it would be difficult to imagine,—Yours, etc.,
PUS 3.
SOCIETY FOR THE PREVENTION OF CRUELTY TO ANIMALS.
for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals there With reference to the recently formed Society seems to be a general impression, more especially amongst the ladies of the colony, that member- ship in this society must necessarily entail the possible annoyance of attendance at the Police against persons accused of cruelty. Court for the purpose of giving evidence asked to state that the primary object of the We are
society is not prosecution, but rather the sup- pression of cruelty to all dumb animals by the educating of the ignorant by example and precept, and in this way the ladies of the colony can very greatly assist the society both by teaching their children to be kind animals, and ia seeing that their do not abuse them. The hope of the promoters of the society is that, under ordinary conditions, prosecution need only be resorted to in gross and flagrant cases. Every: individual is able to give the society a helping hand and it is greatly to be hoped that those who have hesitated to enroll themselves as members from a reluctance to PolicsCourt appearamos will-
to
servants Hongkong, 16th September. SIR,-Allow me through the medium of your valuable paper to bring to the notice of the Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals an instance of gross cruelty to a dog practised by a lukong. The wan was dragging along the treets to the Police Station an apparently stray dog, and the poor animal was struggling and suffering a good deal. I agree that stray dogs must be got rid of, but by all means do so without, causing suffering to the poor beasts. The present system of the police here for catching stray dogs -a rattan noose at the end of a long bamboo pole—is ridiculous and I
now do so.
We would further say that it will in most cases, be sufficient to inform the polica of instances of orulty coming under anyone's- observation, and they will then undertako tas proper means for bringing the culprit to puuishment.
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