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difficulty of dealing with cubicles in existing houses was
recognised in the Bill itself, for Section 149 subsection (4) provided that 2 windowless cubicles might be maintained in a storey of an existing building but that in the event of there being more than 2 cubicles then each cubicle must be provided
with a window.
Goo
13577
9.
In Ordinance No. 1 of 1903 Section 154
however, windowless cubicles even in existing buildings were prohibited. It was anticipated that by making considerable structural alterations owners of property would be able to contrive to light and ventilate cubicles in existing buildings
by a window for each in a very large number of cases at any rate, and an inducement was held out to them to incur the expense of doing so by adding to Section 46 of the Ordinance the proviso that a cubicle duly provided with a window might be occupied in the proportion of one adult to every 30 Square Feet of habitable floor space and 400 Cubic Feet of internal air space. It was hoped also, as explained in the 5th. para- graph of Sir Henry Blake's Despatch No. 116 of the 10th. of march last, to avoid by this concession some of the difficul- ties of enforcing the definition of overcrowding embodied in
Messrs. Chadwick and Simpson's Bill.
Unfortunately when put to the test of
practical application the scheme of providing existing
cubicles with windows has been found to be impracticable
owing in great measure to the structural weakness of the
majority of the old Chinese houses in the City.
10.
In these circumstances the question had
to he re-considered. It is impossible to abolish cubicles
altogether
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