June 3, 1899.1
CHINA OVERLAND TRADE REPORT.
were
455
tiouably tend largely to abate this surface-crowd- the most practical men in the colony, Mr. J. J. in 1896 and by Dr. Clark before the Commission ing. As a result of all this, a Bill, was read Francis, and the manner in which it was done was explained by the fact that the measure for the first time in the Legislative Council on was as follows:-fifty soldiers of the infantry proposed were to be supplemented by the the 22nd day of November, 1898, but this Bill regiment were posted along all the side streets enforcement of the provisions of that section has not yet become law. The recommendations from the dwellings from which the people were of the Public Health Ordinance in the case of all new buildings. That is to say that of this Board made in the Report of Juns 9th removed to the dwellings to which they were
driven the Board in 1896 and the Medical Officer in last are, I claim, most temperate and were sub.to be removed, and they scribed to by every member of the present along like a flock of sheep, and when his evidence before the Insanitary Properties Board except Mr. Osborne, who was not they had been placed in the new houses Commission explained themselves as satisfied then with us, and if the Legislature will adopt steps were taken by the police that they with something less in the matter of open spaces in the rear of existing houses than we recommend our recommendations--and nothing short of should not leave those honse. And, moreover,
will them
in
of any my opinion be
a military cordon of 100 men of the Asiatic in our report, provided that section 66 of the avail-we may hope in time to have a healthy and Artillery was drawn across the portion of Public Health Ordinance were made retro- wholesome city. "These recommendations com- the city into which it had been feared they spective. We for the sake of uniformity prise (1) the provision of back yards or areas; might spread, and by means of all these elaborate asked for a little less than what would be entailed on new houses by that section. If we cannot (2) the amendment of the present almost Indi. and somewhat expensive precautions these peo- orous regulations concerning the height of ple who had been removed from the infected get the increased spaces for existing houses set buildings whereby a house fronting a street 15 area were kept in new habitations and were not out in paragraph 5 of our report we must fight to ft. 1 inch in width may be as high as one front allowed to disperse over the colony. In my the very uttermost of our power to get section 66 ing a street 20 ft. in width. The deplorable opinion it is only fair to portions of the city of the Public Health Ordinance made retrospec result of this regulation is to be seen any day which are less infected with plague, that if any tive; nothing else will save this city. If that were in the new 3 and 4 storey buildings which are thing is done to disturb these people it should done we could at any rate say to ourselves being run up to replace old 2 storey buildings. be done on the same lines. I do not know that 50 years hence, when these horribly in- (8) Revised rules as to cocklofts and cubicles; whether there are sufficient empty houses to re- sanitary dwellings with which this city is now filled had fallen down, we will have (4) the draining and lighting of private ceive this surplus population, and I do not know
a fairly healthy city of Victoria. Finally I streets and lanes, and one or two other smaller whether the plague in No. 9 district is really severo matters. Pending this further legislation, bow- enough to justify these exceptional and exceed- say that the grave danger that threatens this ever, I desire to again direct the attention of ingly troublesome measures, which would entail city is not overcrowding in dwellings, but this Board to sub-section 7, of section 13 of the
a great deal of supervision. I am inclined to the surface overcrowding to which the Medical We will do our best to Public Health Ordinance whereby the Board is think that the necessity is not grave enough,| Officer has alluded. authorised to make bye-laws for "the closing and that the wisest thing to do would be to stop the overcrowding in the houses, and if of premises unfit for human habitation and the leave these people where they are, although these cocklofts and mezzanine floors and bunks and shelves and all sorts of con- some of the bouses may be somewhat over- prohibition of their use as such " and I propose to submit to you a draft bye-law based entirely crowded, as some of them appear to be, from trivances which the Chinese put up when the President's remarks. Therefore, I myself they wish to put more people in a room upon one of the recommendations contained in
am not prepared to support the resolution, and than onght to be there are absolutely and our unanimous Report of June 9th last, and to
as I have said I do not think the case is serious ruthlessly prohibited there will not be over. be made under this sub-section. How this or any other similar bye-law will accord with sec. enough to justify me in moving as an amend-crowding to any extent in Chinese tenement, ment that the exceptional steps I have men. houses, for this simple reason, that where tion 23 of the same Ordinance, when read inu con-
a floor is occupied by families there you have junction with section 16 sub-scetion 1, is a matter❘tioned should be taken. Looking at the whole which the law officers of the Crown must be asked question of overcrowding my experience leads cubicles, and after all the floor can only contain me to believe that the views of the Medical so many cubicles and each cubicle is inhabited
( to decide. and I suggest therefore that before it is brought before the Board for adoption, Officer of Health are correct, that is to say, by a separate family. Therefore it goes with-` out saying that it is a physical impossibility the Government be asked to obtain the that overcrowding in tenement houses in advice
To this city does not exist to any very great to have overcrowding to any very great of the law officers, thereon.
cocklofts. etc..
■how, however, that we have done something extent. That it exists in coolie houses aud extent in floors where there are cubioles if
It are abolished.
-our in the meantime to abate this surface over- opium divans. and I may mention brothels, is a
as set
this forth, in crowding I may mention that last year the fact, and it is dealt with by the Board in the recommendations Board, upon my advice, ordered the closure of coolia houses aud opum divans; but it is a report were adopted I believe the over- curious fact that these coolie houses and opium crowding in tenement houses would be re- the following premises as unfit for habitation :
a minimum., It is easy enough divaus do not suffer from plague like tenement duced to -No. 1 Chuk Hing lane, ground floor rooms;
with to deal
We have coolie, houses. Nos. 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, and 8. Sai Wa lane; No. 3, houses do, and that although perhaps we may
have a certain amount of overcrowding in dealt with them and the only thing that Western street; and this year a similar pro-
remaius for those who have the sanitary condi- cedure has been adopted in respect to No. 1 to dwellings occupied by Chinese, as long as there
tion of this city at heart is to insist that houses 22 Sheung Fung lane; No. 239, Hollywood is a free circulation of air no great harm re- road; and Nos. I to 8, Tang Tak lane. The sults. Where the plague takes root is in the shall not be built in excess of the height we have recommended in paragraph 25 of our following is the bye-law which I propose should domestic dwellings which are cut up with su-
bicles and in which the free circulation of air is report, that is to say, one and a half times the be submitted to the Government for the advice
I think there is width of the street which they front. I do not of the law officers of the Crown, and if intra vory materially obstructed. vires, made by the Board forthwith Any no very great cause for alarm on the score of think any landlord has any right to complain if The procedure the Government, backed up by the public opinion You have ́8 domestic building which is not provided overcrowding in dwellings. with an open space in the rear, of an area equal to stop this iscumber some, and 1 think of this colony, says to them.
house which is two storeys in height on a we ought to take steps to render it more to that mentioned in the following table, shall
time as much given piece of ground, and you shall not be deemed to be unfit for human habitation, simple, doing at the same
as we can to prevent any overcrowding that put a house any higher on that ground." and the Sanitary Board hereby prohibits the occupation of such building between the hours does exist. What is far more important, as the He has enjoyed his house at two storeys of 11 p.m. at night and 5 a.m. on the following Medical Officer of Health pointed out, is the and has got a very good rent for it. He gets a surface overcrowding. I think anybody who bigger rent now than when he bought the land, morning by persons other than a caretaker.
hus the welfare of this colony at heart must and why should he be allowed to put up a sky. unless all such persons be actively engaged in
the work of some business carrying on
view with consternation the building operations scraper to the detriment of the entire popula- manufacture-Houses not exceeding 40 feet which are being carried out at the present time. tion of this city simply for the sake of gain? refer to the tendency-and I may call it I trust that the community of this colony will in depth, 50 sq. ft.; houses exceeding 40 ft. not
more than a tendency-which is becoming awake, and awake early, to a sense of what is exceeding 50 ft., 90 sq. ft.; houses exceeding 50 ft. not exceeding 60, 130 sq.ft. ; houses exceeding universal to build up storey apon storey and to passing around us, because if it does not it will 60 ft., 175 ft. Provided always that the Sani-convert the city of Victoria from a city of find itself in a very awkward condition ten or tary Board shall have power in special cases, to
fifteen years hence, and I shall be very much grant a partial or total exemption from the
surprised if this enlightened community, and a British community to boot, is going to allow provisions of this bye-law."
the health of this important centre of trade to be jeopardised simply and solely for the benefit of a limited class, the landlords of this colony. I do not want to take anything away from the landlords unjustly, but I say that what we have recommended here in this report is reasonable and that if passed into law no serious injustice would be done to any man.
OF
The PRESIDENT-I think we might take my resolution first and then take yours.
This was agreed.
The VICE-PRESIDENT-If that resolution is carried I presume that effect of the action taking in accordance with it will be to drive the popula- tion in excess of this legal limit out of No. 9 dis- trict into some other part or parts of the colony. It seems to me that in view of the fact that No. 9 health district is more affected with plague than any other district this is an extremely dangerous thing to do. If it is desired to take the people, or any of the people, out of this district, the proper thing to my mind to do is to secure for them elsewhere empty and sanitary houses, and to transfer the surplus population to those houses, and to ensure that they remain in them. That is a pretty big job. It was done in the plague of 1894 on the suggestion and under the surveillance of one of
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houses of two storeys into a city of houses of nothing less than four storeys. If some. thing is not done to put a stop to this I feel certain that the last state of this city will be ten times worse than the first state. The old Taipingshan was bad, although the houses had only two storeys, but the new Taipingshan when covered with houses four storeys in height in my opinion will be a In our report of the 9th good deal worse. June, 1898, on the report of the Insanitary же recommended Properties Commission, the Government to legislate so as provide for a very much larger open space in the rear of domestic dwellings, both new and old. These spaces are given in paragraph 5 of our report, and in paragraph 23, where we refer to section 66 of the Public Health Ordinance, No. 24 of 1887, we recommended that these spaces should apply to both old and new houses we also for the sake of uniformity, and pointed out that the extreme moderation of the recommendation made by the Sanitary Board
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The PRESIDENT remarked that most of the houses in No. 9 district were occupied by coolies. That information was given him by one who ought to know-by one of the most prominent Chinese residents in the colony.
Mr. BREWIN—About Queen's Road there are lots of families.
The PRESIDENT drew attention to the fact that the Board must have evidence that the premises were overcrowded in the first instance, but this information could be easily obtained by their inspectors.
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