trouble. I take it both the Government and the Sanitary Board wish not to put any one in gaol for breach of sanitary laws but by any means in their power to induce the obaar- vause of sanitary laws. They would take no delight in the death of the sinner, and if wo have a way of inducing the Chinese to do the very thing required we should adopt it. But as regards coolin and common lodging houses, there night inspection might be carried out. In these houses they let out their accommodation by the bed and the keepers might want to make a few ents more or less for the night. But so far as Chinese domestic houses are concerned, I strongly object to the provision that they can be visited at any time either by day or night.
The ATTORNEY-GENERAL-I will point out to the hon, member that if he looks at the next section notice is required to be given, but if you give notice under section 10 you obviate the very object of the visit. In sub-section 3 of Beofion of the Public Health Ordinance yon will see mention is made of overcrowding be- tween the hours of 11 p.m. and 5 am. That is the time you want to go and catch them, auð if you gave notice then they could overcrowd as much as they liked for another month, or until they received notios of another inspection. If you want to put down overorowding you must have surprise visits, subject as the section pro vides to such directions as the Sanitary Board may imposs. The Board, of which my hon. friend is a member, would impose such gonditions as would prevent hardship. As the law stands they might come and inspect my house, but if the inspector came once he probably would not want to come again (laughter), because he would find it olean. This is one of those cases where you must give large powers, and if casos of hardship aro brought to the notice of the Go- vernment, no doubt sufficient pressure would be brought to bear to prevent their recurrence.
HIS EXCELLENCY-The officer has to ba specially authorised by the Board and that no- thorisation would not be given unless under pro- per conditions.
The ACTING COLONIAL SECRETARY-Daring the plague there were many surprise visits made, and I have been told by leading Chinese that they were generally conducted in such a way as paused no auoyance. They specially men- tioned that Inspector Germain and Ser- geant McIver had performed their duties in this connection with great tact and might be entrusted with this duty without sansing any discontent. Those visita revealed the fact that the places most overcrowded were not the houses of the poor coolies, but those very dongestio buildings which the rack-renter bad divided into as many cubicles as he could in order to get as much rent as possible, I quite agree with the Attorney-General that this class of houses should be visited, on the anderstanding that discretion will be observed in carrying out the inspection.
Hon. J. J. KuswICK-I have much pleasure in seconding the amendment. I have heard the remarks of the Acting Colonial Secretary and I am not in a position to state of my personal knowledge that what he has said about the absence of annoyance in connection with inspec tions made daring the plague is not correct, but at the time the inspections were going on I heard there was much ill-feeling in consequence of the visits. I have no personal knowledge of the matter, but it was a matter of notoriety at the time. It is a very great power to place in the hands of any officer, and even the Sanitary Board is capable of making mistakes. It is dangerous to place in the hands of any officer the power to invade the privacy of a house.
A division was then taken, when all the un- official members voted in favour of the amend- ment and the official members against, Tha winenduent was therefore lost, and the soction as it stood was passed.
Section 11, giving general power to inspect, was passed without discussion.
Section 12-Height of building.
The ATTORNEY-GENERAL This is a new section. It regulates the height of buildings, and of course with a view to sanitation, that there should be sufficient ventilation in the streets. You will soo that we havo pat in, in order to meet any cases where great hardship might be worked, a provision that in any special case in which in the opinion of the Bosed a da. parture from these rules may be permitted with- out detriment to pablic health, the Board may suthorise such departure; so that should it be pecessary to put up some very high building, s factory or something of that kind, a departure from the rules may be sanctioned. In that case it would be for the Board to sanction it. In
the
the absence of sneh sanotion the requirements of this section apply. I move that the section stand part of the Bill.
The DIRECTOR OF PUBLIC WORKS seconded, Hon. E. R. BELILIOS-Sir, I beg to propore that section 12 be deleted from the Bill. Hou. members of Council who have travelled in the United States will remember that during their peregrinations they have come across buildings twelve and thirteen storeys high, in several cases overtopping the highest church steeples. These houses have been constructed regardless of the width of streets and rouda. Hon. members witg have visited Verons and Venice will camember the high houses and the narrow lanes, yet, sir, these cities are not lacking in health. In Hongkong, where land is valuable, where the number of building sites is limited, where houseą are built on a slope, almost every house having a glimpse of the harbour-in Hongkong; which is expected to be the great emporium of China, with Kowloon as the terminus of a grand trunk railway to Peking, to restrict us in building high houses is a mistake and a folly, and I think, sir, it will retard and prevent the progress of the colony.
Hon. C. P. CHATER seconded.
The DIRECTOR OF PUBLIC Wasrs-I should like to make a few remarks with regard to what has just fallen from the hon. member on my left (Hou. E. B. Belilios), who bas referred to the high buildings of the United States. There are also bigh buildings in London, and the serious effoot they have had on the public health, es- pecially in the case of workmen's dwellings, has induced the London County Council to bring in a bill prohibiting their falare construction. I! we have the big trade and this colony becomeą the important place the hou, member auticipates, the more incumbent upon us is it now that we should take no steps that would lead us to regret what had been done and uecessitate our passing in the future a law like this when the expense entailed by its operation would be very great as compared with what it. will be at the present time.
A division was then taken, when the unoficiul members voted in favour of the amendment and the official members against it. The amendment was consequently lost.
Hon. C. P. CHATER-I now beg to proposa another amendment and I would ask your Excellency's kind attention to it, Sir, if this clause as it now stauds is passed I am of opinion there will be an uproar in the colony the like of which has never been known before. Probably hon. members have not gone into the question so thoroughly as I have done. I dare say my hon. friend opposite, the Director of Public Works, will understand me better that most of the hon. members present. We have, sir, in this part of the towo, the most expensive part of the town, about fourteen private lanes running from Queen's Road to the Praya. They are all owued by private people. According to the definition of the word "street" these lanes now e me within the scope of the clauso. Should there be a fire in any of these lanes, and the buildings now standing be burat down and new ones bave to be erected, this Ordinance would he iu forge What would be the consequence A house now of three stories would have to be lowere ed to 25 feet. I am of opinion, sir, that to limita house there to 25 feet in height would diminish the value of the property by one half. With a limit in height of 20 feet, what do you get, sir? You get a ground floor, a shop of 18 fast, and 7 feet of an attic above. La my opinion a more absurd thing has not yet been proposed by the Permanent Committee You will either get a godown on land worth about $15 to $20 a fout, or a shop with an attio. In the draft sent to us before the one we got this morning the Gorerumeut had put down 35 laat as the minimum. It is now pat at 25 feet. I contend that the lowest height that could be fixed for buildings in those lanes is about 46 feet. The houses KOW Lantting ou tusse lanes-hundreds of them are 46 font in height, representing probably four to äve million dollars will, it this isfcarried, be placed in a very different position. It would mean simply halving their values. I would therefore ask your Excellency not to allow this clause to go through, as the others kave done by the official majority, and I would urge on your Excellency to ask hou. mbars to be very careful la considering the consequences. It is the most serion: olanso in the whole Bill. I am agreeable to most of the suggestions as to the other heights with the ex- peption of the first These laues, about fourteen in aumbar, are 15 feet in width, and they have all mst valuable property on them. I would there- fore suggest that where the width of a lage is 15
feet
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