Sessional_Paper_1898 — Page 466

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Hon. T. H. WHITEBEAD-Have the Government the power to make a law retro- spective?—They made the law retrospective in regard to the concreting of floors.

The CHAIRMAN-I should think you can introduce a law saying that all backyards have to be kept clear.

WITNESS-Ordinance 15 of 1894, s. 14, says the provisions of sections 4 and 5 of that Ordinance shall apply to all such domestic buildings as are situated within the boundaries of the City of Victoria as defined in Ordinance 15 of 1888. What I want is not only to have sections 4 and 5 made to apply to all existing domestic dwellings but certain other sections as well. These sections 4 and 5 refer to the paving and con- creting of floors and they were made retrospective.

In view of the present state of the law has the Sanitary Board been compelled to suspend action in regard to backyards ?—It has.

Mr. JACKSON-Suppose under these circumstances houses were burnt down?—Then the law applies to any building that may be erected on that site.

They cannot rebuild ?-They cannot obstruct a backyard. There is no power to compel them to build a backyard afterwards, (and that is a point which I will deal with presently) but if they did build a backyard they may not obstruct it.

I also recommend that, where no backyard exists, or where the rear of the premises abuts on a lane of a less width than 6 feet, such open space should be provided by opening out not less than one half of the kitchen in the rear of the premises.

The CHAIRMAN Do you recommend that in all instances?—I was going to say we went into houses the other day where there was a living room and behind that the kitchen and a narrow lane 18 inches or 2 feet wide. I want these to be dealt with as if no lane existed. Such open space should be formed by opening out not less than one half of the entire space intervening between the principal rooms and the enclosing walls in the rear of the property. In other words that is a more careful way of saying that half the kitchen must be opened out. In back to back houses there is naturally no open space at all in the rear of the buildings, and this appears to be the only way in which such a space can be provided.

What space do you recommend shall be retained?-One half.

What would that amount to ?--The kitchens are 13 or 14 feet wide and 6 or 7 feet deep so that about 50 square feet would be retained as kitchen and the other 50 square feet opened out.

Mr. EDE-You want half of that ?—Yes, half of the 100 square feet. This has actually been done although we had no power to do it under the bye-law which we found was not retrospective. It has made an enormous difference to the lighting of the living rooms.

Do you think it is sufficient ?-I do not think it is sufficient without my other suggestions--the questions of the cubicles and others which I am coming to. We have the cubicles reduced to 6 feet in height, and the backyards to be kept free and unob- structed. Where no backyard exists the space in these back to back houses is almost invariably occupied by the kitchens, one upon each floor.

Another suggestion I have to make is that a window of not less than one-twentieth of the floor area must open into this open space. So we have a window to admit light from this air shaft whether it be a backyard, or the half of a kitchen which has been opened out. The light would thus come down the shaft and then through the window. You

may remember that one of the houses visited by the Commissioners had a window which was shut and I tried to open it. Unfortunately most of them have not got that window.