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afterwards asking the goonies to give cartain guarantees against the infringement of the law. Among Chinese it is well known that the tenants of houses constantly deposit some of the money with the landlord in order to secure the payment of the rental for a month or two months in ad- vange. Now by the same process it appears to mo that the landlord can protect himself by asking the tenant to deposit, a certain sum of money to The secure the carrying out of the law. other day I think it is a matter alluded to by Mr Mackintosh-we passed a law that in the abarnos of the head coolie-that is, the actual tenuut of the house--the householder or, in the absence of the householder, the immediate laudlord or landowner is responsible for the re- gistration and the carrying out of the by-laws after registration. Now it seems to me that the Governmost by adopting that are offering two modes of registration to the people. Tu the first instance, they desire the head conlie should register, and if they do not carry out the provisions, the landlord or the hous bolder whoever he
L could have to be responsible. It seems to ran that it the Government to-day were to consent to the views expressed by the deparation, to make
may
a proclamation that we give the option that the bend coolies have to be registered or else that the landlord or the householder wonhl have to register for them. thu I think the problem would be solved; and so far as to- day is concerned I think a good number of euolies heve returned to work after reviving the cirentar published by the members of the de- putation. and now they are only waiting for the Gormear to giv its decisiou, so that all t them way returu to work as speedily as possible.
I hope voar Excellency will see your way to support the circular published by the Committee by allowing the coulies the option of either registaring themselves by the head mon through the landlords.
or
Mr. DENNIS-if your. Excellency will allow me I would like to say one word. Of course the interests represented by the Committen ars abiefly werean il. I was at that meeting which has been referred to, and quite as a surprise to myself 1 was nominated a member of the Com mitte. I have in my profession had to study the Ordinance. As understand that. Ordin ane it was brought in in 1887, and attached to the Ordinance were certain by-laws which pro- vided for tre sanitary arr ngements in commou lodging houses. These by-laws require that certain cubic feet should given to each inhabitant of the house, that esrtain lavatories and arrangements of that "Alure should be provided, that certain tiled floors and certain other things should be found, and that a register should be kept of the inmates of the house. Section 73 of the Ordinance provides that nobody shall open a registered lodgin z house without first of all getting a bornes from the Registrar-General, and in order to get the licence he shall make a report to the Sanitary Board about bis house, showing that it is a proper house to be a comma lodging house and get something in the nature of a licence from the Sanitary Board to be presented to the Registrar- General, and then he will get his licence. Now, of course, I am here as a member of this Compit- tee, batas a member of this Committee and having recommended a certain thing to the Government I think it is fair to urge that these by-laws could be much better was ried out by the land- lord, by a responsibl mau, than by the bead coolie, who is only getting each day twice the amount of the ordinary coolie. The person who is called the tenant in this Ordinance is simply a head coolie, The other coolies, say, are get ting 10 or 20 cents; he is getting 10 or 40 cents " lay. Is that the sort of man to go to the Sanitary Board as to the house and make a re- port about it? Is that the sort of man after getting a report from the Savitary Board to go to the Registrar-General ? Would it bot b better to have responsible the landlord-sowe- body who has a stake in this colony--to upply for this lie moe? Of course everybody under- stands the Government here does not like to give way to the strikers-does not like to appear To be dictated to by Chinese who have taken part in this movement. But the Committes do not represent the strikers, and do not come un behalf of the strikers, and were appointed by | the meeting of the European community; and it was only because they could not find out in
the least what the alleged grievances of these men were that they invited them to meet tue Committee in the Chamber of Commerce 190m.
I submit to your Exc llency it would really create no hardship whatever if the lan lord were put in iustend of the tenant, and then these sani- tary by-laws which bave remained unenforced since 1887 could be enforced to-10orrow.
Mr. F. H. MAY was then asked by His Excel- lency to speak, and he said-I have listened with cousiderable astonishment to the remarks made by the members present in favour of throwing the responsibility of. common lodging houses upou landlords. "I do not think that any of the gentlemen, including Mr. Denays, can bave possibly read these by-laws since 157. I will with your Excellency's permission draw atten. tion for one moment to some of the things which! these hy-laws require the keeper of a common lodging house to carry out. The keeper of a summon lodging house shall affix and keep in a conspicuous position on the outside of his lodging house a board having printed on it in English and Chinese in legiots white letters and characters, &e.” and shall also "affix and keep in a conspicu- ous place in each room a board showing the nu- ber of persons who shall inhabit, the room." "The keeper of a common lodging house shall not per- mit males and females above 10 years of age re- spectively to occupy the satne sleeping compart.. aent, except in the cases of husband and wife.” How, my I ask, is any landlord who owns perhaps four or fv. hundred houses in this colony to go! connd and see that boys and girls do not sleep together? The keper of a common lodging honse shall not knowingly permit persons of bad character to lodge in his house, and shall also keep a register of the names of each lodger." How is a landlord going to enforce this? The kooper of a cominon lodging house shall cause the windows of each room to be kept open for four hours each day." it would be a nioa sight indeed to see Mr. Chater or Dr. Ho Kai | going round opening windows of lodging honses for four hours a day.The keeper of a cominon lodging house shall cause the internal walls and ceilings to be cleansed and limewashed twice a your. That might be arranged. But "be shall keep his premises in a clean condi- tion and shall cause every room and passage to be thoroughly swept once a day, and shall cause all lifth and house refuse to be removed from his premises daily." A very nice position I should be nat in as President of the Sanitary Board to be summoning Dr. Ho Kai, Mr. Chater. and perhaps Mr. Mackintosh for paltry and petty nuisances in their common lodging houses! A nica figura our merchaut princes would cut in the magistrate's court for not re- toring the house refuse from their common lodging houses. We come finally to the re- porting of infectious diseases, such as bubonic plague, cholera, &c. These are daties and respou- sibilities which must be east upon the cupier, and in various other Ordinances they are eist apon the occupier. Take the Gambling brdinanes. If I find gambling on the flor of a o rtain house, who do I summon? If you are to make the landlords responsible for every thing that goes on in every house in the colony
gambling and every sort of nuisauce of what ever nature-the next time I bare a gambling warrant to execute I shall probably have Dr. Ho Kai in the dock for having a gambling house, he thing is entirely ridiculous. I am perfectly astouished that members of the rovrcantile com manity should come forward with such a prepos torous proposal. it is unworkable. The only reason why the Governmoat in rent legislation have made the landlord nitimately responsible was because Mr. Dennys' clients took French leave and walked off to Kowloon City.
Mr. DENN 8-1 must ask for the unmes of these clients I do not know whom Mr. May refers to. I do not think it is very good taste for him to make that statement auless his pre- pared to state the names of those clients. I know of uo client of mine who has left the co- lony since this Ordinane was enforced. My clients were the only mea summoned who came to the police court to meet the police authori tios, and the police authorities have disposed of the cases against them.
OC
Mr MAY-I think it is true. as Mr Duys says, that his clients have not run away, and I withdraw and apologise, I was the officer who anggested that the landlord should be made ultimately responsible, but I never propused that
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