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July 9, 1898.1
dividend, the object of the directors in the past | having been to build up the reserve fund, and although the profits have been high enough we have thought fit better to augment that fund rather than pay a dividend on the founders' sbares, which we were able to do, after having paid 12 per cent on the ordinary shares. This is the second year in which we have declared dividends on these shares, having worked up dur- ing the seven years of our business a reserve fund of Tis. 220,000 and paid dividends on the ordinary shares amounting on the company's capital to 88 per cent. That I think you will consider as most satisfactory. On looking at the statement of accounts you will see that part of our reserve fund is invested in local stocks, and these stocks I may state hera are worth to-day Tls. 24,189 more thau are stated in the accounts. We merely state them here at the prices at which we bought them. This I think you may also consider as very satisfactory. Mr. Hay, one of our directors, retires, but being eligible offers himself for re- election. Mr. Thorburn, our auditor, also retires but offers himself for re-election. Before moving the adoption of the report and accounts I shall be glad to answer any questions that you may please to put.
No questions being asked,
The Chairman moved, and Mr. C. Hay seconded, that the report and statement of accounts as presented be approved and the appropriation adopted.
The resolution was unanimously carried. On the motion of Mr. Stewart, seconded by Mr. Poate, Mr. C. Hay was unanimously re- elected a director for the ensuing year.
Mr. J. M. Young moved, Mr. Tulloch se- conded, and it was unanimously agreed to that Mr. Thorburn be re-elected anditor of the company.
The Chairman-That finishes the business of the meeting, The dividend warrants will be posted to-morrow and in connection with that I may say that of Tls. 140,000 we have to pay Tls. 100,000 comes to Pootnng. That I think will show you the confidence the people connected with the firm have got in it. (Hear. hear.)
A vote of thanks to the chairman, directors, and staff of the company was unanimously carried on the motion of Mr. Young, seconded by Mr. Tulloch.
Mr. Prentice having suitably acknowledged the compliment the proceedings terminated. N. C. Daily News.
CORRESPONDENCE.
[We do not hold ourselves responsible for the opinions expressed by our correspondents.]
MR. W. DANBY AND MR. MAY ON INSANITARY HOUSES.
[TO THE EDITOR OF THE 'DAILY PRESS,"
SIR,-As the architect of the block of new houses now being erected on the site of the Old Victoria Hotel (Marine Lot No. 13), and to which reference was made at the last meeting of the Sanitary Board on Thursday last. I beg to protest most emphatically against the des- ription of the houses as given at the meeting bhe Hon. F. H. May.
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CHINA OVERLAND TRADE REPORT.
feet or about 60 per cent more area than that now proposed by the Sanitary Board.
Most of the yards are above the level of the ground floor, grouped in pairs, so that the length of the open areas is made coextensive with the width of two houses, or about 30 feet; and further, in each wall dividing these large areas are three, and in some cases four, large openings about 6 feet high by 3 feet wide, with iron bars fixed therein so as to still further improve the light and ventilation.
The dwelling rooms in these houses have also two large windows at each end of each room, which is very considerably more than the re. quirements of either the Commissioners or the Sanitary Board, and gives more light and bet- ter ventilation to the rooms than had there been a kitchen at one end, with a lane outside.
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Had a "lane (instead of these areas or yards) been left at the back of the bouses, say 6 or 8 feet feet wide, they would not have been in any respect as good as now constructed; the houses would have been longer in depth and have had considerably less light and air than is now provided for. The area of ground occupied by these open areas or yards is nearly 80 per cent more than would have been required for a narrow lane.
I have not the least hesitation in stating that these houses, when finished, will bear favourable comparison with any Chinese houses in the colony; knowing, as I do, the tpye of houses now demolished in Taipingshan, which really were insanitary, it was more than absurd for Mr. May to compare these new houses with those plague-striken hovels. The violent tirade he made against these new houses was quite un- called for, and his description of the houses erroneous. It would be very interesting to know how Mr. May would have laid this property out had he been the owner.
I admit that the mode of laying out and con- structing Chinese houses in the colony is open to still further improvement and, as I have stated on other occasions, in many things I would go much further even than the Sanitary Board intend doing.
Architects, however desirous they may be of introducing improvements, find it perfectly use- less to do so, as their clients wish them, as a rule, to comply strictly with the letter of the law, and no more.
There is not the least doubt that the respon- sibility for the bad type of most of the Chinese houses in the colony rests with the Government and the Sanitary Board: they are both practi- cally official bodies, with official majorities, they could have carried any measures for improving the sanitation of the colony and the erection of Chinese houses they thonght fit, notwithstand- ing any opposition from interested parties, and I have no hesitation in saying they ought to have done so long ago, the agitation on the matter having been commenced as far back as 1882, and practically little or nothing has been done since.
I again beg to state, that these houses on Marine Lot No. 13 are not back to back" houses, or that they will be insanitary, and I should be glad to know from the Sanitary Board in what respect they are not in accordance with their own Regulations, or why they say they will be insanitary. The unjustifiable remarks made about them will have a tendency to depreciate their value, and give a good property a bad reputation.-Yours truly.
Hongkong, 2nd July.
WM. DANBY.
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The houses are in no sense back to back houses," and when finished they will not be insanitary" they in every respect more than comply, not only with the present requirements of the Sanitary Board and the Building Ordin- ances, but in the matter of light and open areas, they considerably exceed even the suggestions made at the last meeting of the Sanitary Board, and also the areas proposed by the Hon. T. H.ing upon land obtained from the Crown after Whitehead and Mr. N. J. Edé in their notes to the Report of the Insanitary Properties Com- mission.
The Commissioners and the Sanitary Board recommend that there should be in houses about this depth, viz., from 32 feet 3 ins. to 40 feet, an area at the back of each house of not less than 40 and 50 square feet respectively. Each of these new houses, with the exception; of those having a frontage on two sides, to two public streets, have large open areas at the back extend- ing the whole width of the house, the smallest yard having an area of 76 square feet, the average area of all the yards being 89,33 square'
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TO THE EDITOR OF THE DAILY RRESS,'
DEAR SIR,Section 66 of Ordinance 24 of 1887 (The Public Health Ordinance) reads :-
Every person who shall erect a domestic build-
the passing of this Ordinance shall provide along the entire back of such building, if one storied, a clear space forming a backyard of at least 10 feet in width, and if such building be of two or more stories, he shall cause the width of such backyards to be at least 15 feet."
In your leading article of to-day you write:--- "Each house has, however, a yard or air shaft at the back, 6 feet wide and running the whole width of the houses."
And in another sentence you say:-"The houses in the matter of light and open areas exceed even the recommendation of the Sani- tary Board."
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The Ordinance above quoted does not, I take it, apply to the houses in question, but the pro- visions of that Ordinance are most distinctly: "recommendations of the Sanitary Board" and if therefore in the matter of light and air they exceed these recommendations, how comes it that houses with a ground floor and three upper floors are provided with a backyard of only 6 feet when the Sanitary Board recommends at least 15 feet?
Another point bearing upon this matter is that no verandahs may be erected over side walks without permission of the Government, and in the case of property acquired before the passing of the Health Ordinance the Govern- ment have, I believe, withheld this permission as a means of compelling owners to build in accordance with the Ordinauce.
If the Government possessed such a weapon in regard to the houses on the Old Victoria Hotel site, it is obvious they approved the de- sign, else why are the verandahs there P-Yours truly,
EDWARD OSBORNE. Hongkong, 4th July, 1898.
TO THE EDITOR OF THE DAILY PRESS,"
SIE, Mr. Danby's contention in his letter which appeared in your issue of yesterday, that the new houses on the site of the old Victoria Hatel are (a) not back to back houses and (b) are provided with open areas of larger extent than would be required if the most recent re- commendations of the Sanitary Board were adopted, is based on the assumption that (1) a dwelling house for Chinese in this colony which has an open space intervening between the principal living room and the enclosing wall in rear of the premises, can never be said to be back to back with another house, and (2) that' the depth of a dwelling house for Chinese which has a space intervening between the principal living room and the enclosing wall in rear of the premises, must be measured by the depth of the principal living room.
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If Mr. Danby will turn to paragraph 6 of the report of the Commission on Sanitary Proper- ties dated the 9th March, 1898, he will see that the Commissioners regarded houses of the de- scription mentioned in (1) as back-to-back honses. It is needless to add that I am of the same opinion as the Commissioners.
As regards the method of measuring the depth of Chinese dwelling houses of the same description, I will only say that in my opinion the depth must be measured from the outside of the front wall to the outside of the enclosing wall in rear of the premises.
The new houses referred to are according to my method of measurement from about 47 feet to 54 feet in depth, and would therefore accord- ing to the recent recommendations of the Sani- tary Board each require a back yard of from 90 to 130 square feet in area.
The open spaces provided for the block of buildings as a whole would accordingly require considerable enlargement.-I am, Sir, yours truly,
F. H. MAY.
Hongkong, 4th July, 1898.
TO THE EDITOR OF THE
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DAILY PRESS. SIR-In closing the correspondence in the matter of the Hon. F. H. May's strictures on the mode of laying out the houses now in course of construction on marine lot No. 13 (Old Victoria Hotel), I hope you will kindly allow me to state the following, in reference to the two letters which appeared in your issue of this morning.
Mr. Osborne is quite wrong in his application of section 66 of Ordinance 24 cf 1887 to these houses on mariue lot. No. 13, the original Crown lease of which is dated June 26th, 1943. The section he refers to applies only to houses erected on "land obtained from the Crown. after the passing of this Ordinance," which was on the 30th May, 1888. Similar provisions as to lanes, &c., therein referred to were made in the matter of new buildings to be erected on the New Praya Reclamation (Ordinance No. 16 of 1889 and passed 10th May, 1889).
The Regulations laid down in the above Ordinances are in no possible rente recom. mendations of the Sanitary Board;" they are 'the laws' of the colony, and the Government, so far as I am aware, have seen them strictly carried out.
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