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Ordinance of 1903. The Buildings Ordinance, 1935, permits a minimum of eleven feet. The houses built prior to the 1903 Ordinance covering the greatest part of the native quarter are of depths varying from forty feet to eighty feet, with often less than 100 square feet of open space provided within the curtilage of the lot. After the passing of the Public Health and Buildings Ordinance, No. 1 of 1908, the amount of open space per house to be allowed within the boundaries of each lot is governed, and falls under two main heads, viz:-(a) houses built on land bought prior to the passing of the Ordinance in 1903, where the open space must not be less than one-fourth of the area of the site and (b) houses built on land bought subsequently where the minimum is raised to one-third of the area. On plan the usual frontage of each house is fifteen feet (a dimension owing its origin more to early structural limitation than to economics) and a depth of about thirty-five feet, whilst each storey consists of one large "room" with a native type kitchen in the rear. This room is then subdivided by thin partitions seven feet high into three cubicles, each of which may accommodate a family. A latrine is built at ground floor level, one to each house irrespective of the number of occupants, and is common to all.
4. Structurally the earlier houses are of blue bricks (of native manufacture having a very low structural value) and timber, (usually China fir which is extremely susceptible to the ravages of white ants). Lately, however, reinforced concrete and better quality bricks have been used,
5. In the City of Victoria the major defect of housing is due to lack of town planning, but since a large proportion of the City was erected in the early days of the Colony, when town planning was little practised even in Europe, the conditions to-day are a heritage, the elimination of which involves immense sums of money, and probably considerable opposition if attempted on a large scale.
Passed
6. Generally, many of the old houses suffer from defects which are attributable to the Ordinance of that time. In 1903 the measure was framed to meet existing conditions, both structurally and hygienically as they were then understood and practised. But, viewed in the light of modern practice and knowledge, many of its provisions are found to be lax.
7. The Buildings Ordinance, No. 18 of 1935, came into operation on the 1st January, 1936. This ordinance provides for improvement in the conditions of light and ventilation of those old properties which under the previous Ordinances were not called upon to conform to modern requirements. A higher standard generally is being called for and building owners are themselves slowly realizing the advantages to be gained from modern constructional methods allied to proper hygienic principles.