403
40
tea
The interposition of a foot back yard in the case of ... I would only leave a depth of 10 feet for the house proper and in the case of ... a depth of 5 feet. These would be the cases of "undue sacrifice of property" referred to in Clause 79 of the Bill and would have to be dealt with specially. There are not many cases of properties where the depth left for a house would be less than 15 feet after deducting some part for the back yard, so that the sacrifices to be made are not of the proportions which the detractors of the Bill seek to make out.
10. The usual width of a native dwelling is ten feet, so that a ten-foot yard only gives an open space 100 square feet. For a dwelling this would suffice, but for three stories (and nearly all houses are three stories) it falls far short of the requirements of the Model Bye-laws of the Local Government Board. The town, however, is so cramped for room that a wider space cannot well be assigned to the back yard, however much its claims to a greater width may be recognized.
11. I believe also the Chinese landlords object strongly to that portion of the Bill which provides for the compulsory erection of a privy to each house. They say the tenants can, if so minded, go to the free public Government latrines which are dotted about all over the City. Public latrines, however, are not frequented as a rule by Chinese women, and it is partly for the female inmates that a privy is made a compulsory adjunct to every dwelling. At present, the usual practice is to use chamber utensils, which are kept under the bed or elsewhere on the premises.
12.09
667
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