CO129-448 - Governor Sir May - 1918 [4-6] — Page 292

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(a). Matsheds although technically comprised in the definition of "building" in the Public Health and Buildings Ordinances of 1889 and 1903, have never been treated as buildings for the purposes of these Ordinances. Therefore plans for the erection of matsheds have never been required. liatshed structures are a Chinese device of such peculiar construction that it would be utterly impracticable to apply the intricate provisions of the Building Ordinance to them. In many respects, the use of such structures is bound up with the social life of the people. For instance every important village has at a certain season of the year its matshed theatre a temporary structure accommodating about 2,000 people.

(b). In the history of the Colony there is no

record of the collapse of a matshed.

(c). Matsheds similar to those which recently

collapsed at the Race Course, have been erected yearly for

the past 28 years in connection with the Annual Races in the

Happy Valley. No accident has ever occurred in connection

with them.

(d). The matsheds were inspected during construct-

-ion on 3 occasions by a particularly competent and con-

-scientious Overseer of the Public Works Department.

As regards the want of precautions

against fire, I have to remark that

(i). these matsheds were erected in a suburban district (1) for use during daylight (2) without any cooking

therein being authorised;

(ii). no demand for precautions against fire has ever been made by the lessees of the matsheds or by the

public;

(iii), it had never occurred to any of Mr. Messer's predecessors, including myself, to take precautions against

fire.

The