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Mr. Humphreys. I would like you to refer again to section 105. It says there that every existing domestic building shall have a backyard of at least 50 square feet in area, and then section 2 goes on to say "for the purposes of this section, any domestic buildings (other than corner houses) having two main frontages in different streets, shall be regarded as two domestic buildings if the entire depth from frontage to frontage exceeds 50 feet". Now, if a house exceeds 50 feet, would it have to have more than 50 square feet of space unobstructed? If a house is more than 50 feet in depth, would it have to have and un- obstructed back yard of more than 50 square feet in area ?

A. I cannot say that point has ever come before me. But on the face of this, it appears not.

Q-It appears not. It says distinctly there that when it is more than 50 feet, it counts as two domestic buildings, and two domestic buildings must require double the space of one.

A. Yes, that is so. But you ask if any house of over 50 feet in depth must be pro- vided with a greater space than 50 square feet. This deals with buildings having two main frontages in different streets. I can see that it refers to cases such as Wing Lok Street, where the houses run through from one street to the other.

The Chairman.--I will give you a case in point. The piece of land belonging to the P. & O. Company, next to the Post Office, is 49 feet wide, and that will face on two main thoroughfares. Do you mean to say, if it was two feet wider, that I would have to provide double the area when I come to build offices there, as I shall have to do shortly?

A. This refers to the depth.

Q.--I will take another way. The property is over 150 feet deep.

A.-160 feet deep.

Q. Do you mean to say, for the sake of argument it is 160 feet, that is to say it is the depth of three houses, and for that extra 10 feet I will have to make it the area of four houses ?

A-Your being on the Praya Reclamation, you are under a separate Ordinance.

Q. I am supposing a similar piece of property, in an area covered by this Ordinance.

You must provide an open space

A. It is quite possible that such a property exists. equal to one fourth of the whole area.

29.--HO KOM TONG, declared and cautioned:-

The Chairman.-Mr. Ho, you know what we are sitting for. We want to get the views of some Chinese gentlemen with regard to the working of the present Ordinance, how it has affected the well-to-do Chinese and the middle class Chinese of Hongkong, more