Sessional_Paper_1907 — Page 464

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Mr. Shelton Hooper.-As a professional mar, if you see in any Survey Report the words "make good" a floor which was originally six inches of lime concrete, with half an inch of cement rendering on the top, and the cement rendering was broken,-chipped off by chopping wood on it, and you had an order to make good, should you consider that to mean that you had to open up the whole floor?

A.-No, certainly not.

Q. It bears a different interpretation to the word "reconcrete"

A. Yes. To make good, is to put it in the same condition as before the cement was chipped off.

And if you were examining a floor, and you saw the cement rendering destroyed more or less, and you were acting for a lessor, and taking the covenant that the property had to be given up in repair, and you saw that chipped off,-acting on his behalf you would think it only necessary to use the words "make good", and not to take up the concrete to see the state at the bottom ?

A. That is so.

Q.-You would not feel justified in looking for a further defect, unless there was prima facie evidence from what you saw by a casual examination, that the floor was bad underneath ?

A.-I should examine the surface of the lime concrete, where the patches had been broken off. and if I found the concrete perished, I should see how far down it had perished, and make it good in the same way.

Q. In laying lime concrete flooring, do you think it advantageous or otherwise that it should be rammed before it has set ?

A. Yes, it should be rammed as it is put down..

Q. As soon as possible?

A. Yes.

Q. And you would not think it so good ramming it after 24 hours?

A. No. There is one point about that I might mention. In Canton for instance, A.-No. the lime is used only partially stacked and if the lime was in that condition, it might be advantageous to leave it for a little time, because the actual wetting and mixing would completely slack it, the process of slacking lime causes heat, and being hot is a proof that it is not properly slacked. the 1me here is quite cool, which proves that it is properly slacked, and then there is no object in waiting. But with certain limes which are not properly slacked,—it might be advantageous to wait a little.

The Chairman. -You mean to say that lime that is not properly slacked, is not pro- perly burnt?

A. It is properly burnt, but not sufficient water has been added to thoroughly slack it. Then it is hot lime when it is remixed with water. That is a very rare occurrence in Hongkong.

Mr. Shelton Hooper.--Should you, speaking generally, think that the public would be justified in ordering ground doors to be laid with cement concrete, because sufficient good lime concrete is not procurable ?

A.-No, I dont think so.