BUILDINGS ORDINANCE OFFICE.
64. During the year the building industry continued to improve and has now apparently recovered from the slump which has prevailed during recent years. The disturbed conditions in China have continued to contribute to this recovery.
65. The graphs attached in this report (Table a) show the number of plans (including new works and works of alteration) approved, and the number of domestic buildings completed during the period 1905-1939.
66. Occupation permits were issued for 207 Chinese tenement type houses; 112 comprising 395 flats, and ninety-five comprising 355 flats, were erected in Kowloon and Hong Kong respectively.
67. Permits for European type houses amounted to 173, of which 135 providing accommodation for 439 families, and thirty-eight providing accommodation for 212 families were erected in Kowloon and Hong Kong respectively.
68. A comparative statement for the number and type of building in respect of which plans were deposited is given in Table b.
69. The number of water-flushed sanitary appliances approved during the year amounted to 1,385.
70. During the year seven fires occurred of which two were serious. One occurred on the 27th November at Numbers 464/466, Queen's Road West. No. 466 was entirely gutted and the second floor of No. 464 was badly burned. These were three-storey buildings with floors, stairs and roof constructed of wood. There was no access to the roof. Casualties were seven dead and five seriously injured.
71. A fire broke out on the evening of 3rd December, in which houses Numbers 478, 480 and 484, Shanghai Street were involved. The fire was intense and spread rapidly. At house No. 478, the roof and top floor were affected, and No. 480 was completely gutted as were the first, second and third floors of No. 482. The buildings are of four storeys with three-storied verandahs to Shanghai Street and four-storied balconies to Soy Street. Floors and stairs were of wooden construction, the balconies and verandahs being of reinforced concrete. The stairs had a straight run from ground to top floors. Fire escapes were approved and erected on the verandahs in 1931. Casualties were forty-six dead and fifteen injured.
72. It is noted that among the plans for alterations to existing buildings submitted during the year a considerable number have been for replacement of wooden stairs, floors and roofs by reinforced cement concrete.
73. On the 8th May, the roof of a cook-house on Pokfulam Dairy Lot No. 1 collapsed causing serious injury to four coolies. The collapse appeared to have been due to the reinforcement having rusted away.
74. A collapse occurred at No. 2 Caine Road on 22nd May. The rafters at one portion of the roof failed owing to dry rot and that part of the roof fell. Two people were injured.
75. On the 3rd October, the first floor of No. 39, Morrison Hill Road, collapsed, causing slight injuries to two persons. Defective China fir joists were found to be the cause of the collapse.
76. An old house on Lot 6400, S.D.1 Main Street, Tung Tau Village, collapsed during typhoon weather on 23rd November. Casualties were two dead and one injured.