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outvoted by the official members. The latter seemed bent upon passing this Bill, and being hard upon your Petitioners. Your Petitioners are doing business in this Colony, and have their property and their families permanently in it. Those who stay here but for a short time and are not affected by the Bill, cannot understand our bitter feelings towards it.
Although your Petitioners are not clever in political matters, they Your are obliged to speak out now and let their feelings be known. Petitioners have already been convinced, Right Honourable Sir, that you have a brotherly feeling and regard for the interests of others, and always think of the welfare of the people, and they are sure you will kindly comply with their wishes, and will amend or strike out the grievous provisions of the Bill,
Bill:-
And
your
Petitioners will ever pray &c.
The following are the principal objections to the provisions of the
Section 3, sub-section 4 (a).-The difficulty in enforcing this subsection is, that it will injure the labourers, pedlars and poor citizens, who, owing to the exorbitant house rents of the Colony, are obliged to live together several families in one house and even several persons in one room. This is done in order to save the rent, and not for the pur- pose of making money, Should these houses be called common lodging houses, and be regulated by this ordinance, then every one of these poor classes of tenants will become a lodging house keeper. This not only hurts their feelings, but is also unreasonable. Further, this Colony depends much on the labour of these classes. If, for fear of being embar- rassed by this new ordinance, they will cease their work and go away, and new labourers will hesitate to come forward, then the obstruction occasioned thereby to your Petitioners' trade will be very serious.
Section 4.-The unfavorable element in this clause is the mode of electing members of the Sanitary Board. As the object of forming the Board is to improve buildings and the sanitation of the Colony, and this is a matter which concerns the ratepayers the most, it is only proper therefore that amongst the six unofficial members of the Board there should be four elected by the ratepayers.
Section 6.-What is objected to in this clause is the mode of appointing the Chairman, the Vice-Chairman and the Secretary of the Sanitary Board. It should be a matter for the experienced and scientific members of the Board to consider and decide who is suitable or not for the duties of the office, so as to prevent the wrong man being appointed.
Section 16, sub-section 6.-The objection to this sub-section is the prohibition of letting the waste water into the side-channels. It is the habit of the Chinese to throw their washing water into the drains, first, because it is convenient, and secondly, because there is no harm or nuisance in doing it; and it is very difficult to change their old habits. If once this subsection is enforced, then every one of them will be a lawbreaker, and fines will be imposed on them every day.
Section 17.-The difficulty in complying with this clause consists in the provisions with regard to the inspection of houses. First, what the Chinese most hate is that strangers come and disturb their private residences, and see their women folk. Even their best and intimate friends are very seldom allowed to see their wives and daughters. Secondly, the Chinese generally go out very early to their business, and come home very late in the evening; some of them perhaps go on business to the neighbouring towns, and stay there for several days. Thirdly, the Chinese women are inexperienced, illiterate and of weak
nerves. If an inspecting officer comes into the house, and there happened
to be no man at home, they will get frightened and know not what to do in a great state of alarm. Besides, if once this clause is enforced, robbers, thieves and vagabonds will personate inspecting officers, pretend to inspect the houses, and take the opportunity to commit rape, robbery or theft. Even among the officers themselves, it is impossible to say that every one of them will not presume on his power, and take advantage of it to accomplish his various designs. And if their evil doings go to the extent of money extortions, impostures or robberies, then people would prefer death to life. Considering these matters, your Petitioners are all looking forward with fear and uneasiness, and feel they cannot even safely rest at night. The result would naturally be to remove their families elsewhere. At a time when the people would discontentedly disperse, your Petitioners need hardly say that there would be a general depression of trade in this Colony.
Section 32.-The unsatisfactory element in this clause is the con- fusion of punishments. It would be well if it were altered to read "shall be liable to a penalty not exceeding $200, or, in default of payment, to imprisonment not exceeding 6 months."
Section 37.-The difficulty in complying with this clause lies in this, that it does not define what constitutes overcrowding and does not say in what time after notice has been served, a tenant will be held to have not complied with it. If it be left entirely to the discretion of the inspecting officer, we are afraid that he might do what he pleases without due consideration, and call a place overcrowded when it is not; and if no limitation in time is to be set forth, he might declare that the notice is not complied with in a twinkle after it is served.
Section 47.-The difficulty in complying with this clause consists in this, that it is required that "no waste pipe or down pipe shall be brought down an external wall or retaining wall, when such wall looks upon any public thoroughfare." According to the mode of construction of Chinese houses, it would be very inconvenient, were the pipes constructed otherwise than they are at present. As they do not take much room, nor do harm to anybody, why should so much trouble be taken to alter the appearance of the buildings? Besides, nearly all the Chinese houses are without any yard or backyard, but built back to back, and in blocks. If no drains are allowed to be made in the house, and yet no waste pipe or down pipe is allowed to be brought down any external wall, where is the water to be led? The section is absolutely nonsensical.
Section 49.--The objection to this section is that of being too much controlled by the Sanitary Board. It would be quite sufficient, if the Board superintended the work. If the work is left entirely to the Board or to persons approved of by the Board, it is difficult to warrant that this will not lead to a great deal of corruption and prejudice, and create a monopoly for the benefit of the Government contractors. Besides, inas- much as the expense is to be borne by the repayers,
It is only reasonable that they should select their own contractors themselves, and the Board ought not to interfere too far.
Section 52.-The difficulty in complying with this section is that If the house drains could the public drains are too far from the houses,
be joined to the public drains at a distance of some 20 or 30 feet only, then the work would not be very expensive, and the ratepayers would be glad to do it. Before this section is enforced, the Sanitary Bourd should undertake, at their own expense, the work of bringing the public drains nearer to the houses.
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