Sessional_Paper_1901 — Page 551

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The Insanitary Properties Ordinance 1899.

By a Commission dated the 29th July, 1896, His Excellency Sir William Robinson appointed a Commission consisting of the Colonial Secretary, the Honourable C. P. Chater, the Honourable T. II. Whithead, Mr. N. J. Ede and Mr. (now Sir Thomas) Jackson “to enquire into the existence of Insanitary properties in the Colony and the means to be adopted to improve such properties and to abate overcrowding,”

The Commission held various sittings between August, 1896, and June, 1897, and examined the Medical Officer of Health, the Director of Public Works, and Messrs. Danby, Leigh and Palmer, Architects and Civil Engineers in the Colony.

The Commission submitted their report on the 9th of March, 1898.

In it they stated that there were many insanitary properties in the Colony and dwellings which in their opinion were unfit for human habitation.

The Commission recommended the provision of (a.) certain open spaces in the rear of dwellings, as follows:-

In houses over 26 feet in depth by opening out one half of the space between the principal rooms and the enclosing walls at the back of the premises, and where there was no such space by providing an open space at the back of not less than 40 square feet.

(b.) Certain measures for the greater restriction of cubicles.

(c.) The surfacing, channelling and lighting of private streets and lanes at the owners' expense.

The Commission, which it may be noted included among its members the representative on the Legislative Council of the Chamber of Commerce, recorded its opinion that the existing provisions of section 9 of Ordinance No. 15 of 1894 (by which 30 square feet of floor area and 400 cubic feet of air space were required for each occupant of a house) were sufficient for the purpose of abating overcrowding"; and made no recommendation on the subject of latrine accommodation.

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Two of the members of the Commission-Messrs. Whitehead and Ede-added a separate recom- mendation of their own to the report aimed at preventing the re-crection on land already sold by the Crown of back-to-back houses where the depth of the houses excceded 30 feet.

The report of the Commission was referred to the Sanitary Board who in a report dated the 9th of June, 1898, urged more drastic measures on all points touched on by the Commission, and in addition that the height of buildings provided for by section 12 of Ordinance 15 of 1894 should be further restricted by enacting that no domestic building to be erected in future should exceed in height one and a half times the width of the street upon which the building fronts.

A Bill embodying the most of the recommendations of the Sauitary Board was read a first time in November, 1898. In October, 1899, a new Bill was substituted for it and read a first time and on the 26th October in the same year the Bill was read a second time.

Its principal provisions were :—

(a.) The restriction of cubicles to top floors in houses fronting streets of less than 15 feet

in width. (Clause 4 sub-section (a.).)

(b.) Prohibition of cubicles on ground floors whatever the width of the street. (Same

clause sub-section (b.).)

(c.) Restriction of height of cubicles to 7 feet when there are two in one floor and to 6

feet when there are more than two.

(d.) Prohibition of mezzanine floors except under regulations to be framed by the Sanitary

Board. (Clause 5.)

(e.) Restriction of height of buildings to 11⁄2 times the width of the street in cases of land acquired from the Crown after the passing of the Ordinance. (Clause 6.) The Sanitary Board had recommended that this latter restriction should apply to all houses erected in the future, but owing to the strong opposition on the part of those interested in house property the Board agreed to limiting the application to land acquired from the Crown in the future.