336
CORRESPONDENCE.
THE SANITARY COMMISSION.
K
[TO THE EDITOR OF THE DAILY PRESS".]
S1x,—It had been in my mind that not least among the considerations which led to the appointment of a Commission to investigate and report on the administration of the Sanitary and Building Regulations enacted by the Ordinance of 1903 were the following, vis. That the enforcement of these drastic regulations had led directly to a great in consequent general rise in the price of labour and the necessaries of life, which had had the effect of driving hundreds of Chinese from the Colony; and that the continuance of this state of things threatened the future progress and prosperity of the port.
crease in the rentals of Chinese houses and a
The voice of the complaining landlord was heard as well as that of the tenant, but, as a rule, what money the law compels the landlord to spend on the improvement of his property he usually manages to recover from the tenant; and therefore it appeared to me that, however loudly the landlords might lament, the question remained essentially a Tenants' Question.
What then, has the Report of the Commission to say about this view of the matter? Have Chinese rentals increased? I can find no direct evidence of it. One Chinese landlord has told the Commission that, on the contrary, the new Ordinance has caused him a loss in rental of 20 per cent. per floor, and the Commission itself is inclined to endorse the evidence of several with sses that Chinese house property has depreciated in value 30 to 35 per cent. since the new regulations came into force.
"Staff and nonsense" (or words to that effect) exclaimed the Colonial Secretary when he read this statement. "If Chinese property had de- preciated, the Colonial Treasury would have felt the pinch, because the assessments for the purpose of taxation are based on rentals.” He consulted the assessment records of the pro- perties to which the evidence of witnesses related, And what did he find? That the rateable values showed any decline? Not a bit. Did they show that tremendous inflation which common report might have led us to expect? Again the answer is in the negative: the assessments showed no marked rise or fall. They were practically the same in 1906 as they were in 1902. And the Colonia! Secretary tells
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that proceeding from these particular instances to a general consideration, he finds that “the annual assessments, which are based, be it remembered, on returns of actual rentals returned by the landlords or their lessees, do not bear out the Commissioners' contention ie, that Chinese house property has considerably depreciated in value,
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Here then we have a veritable Chinese puzzle. I am not, let me say, an owner of Chinese house property, but I am familiar with the fact that the Chinese people generally are paying higher rentals now than they were before the new regulations came into force, and, with all respect to the Colonial Secretary, I make the suggestion that his figures are delusive. The solution of the puzzle appears to me to be this: Grant that the rateable values show no marked rise or fall
in rents of Chinese houses generally, but bear in mind that the enforcement of the regulations with regard to cubicles has had the effect of reducing the number of tenants per floor, and
THE HONGKONG WEEKLY PRESS AND
market value of the property if owners are unable to recover those expenses by raising the r. nt per house.
if there has been no decline in rentals, we are forced to the conclusion that individually the Chinese tenants have to pay for the additional space they are compelled by the law to occupy. Generally speaking, it may be said that where formerly a floor was occupied by three or four families, only two are now permitted to occupy it, and these two bear the rent that was formerly shared by others. The rent-paying camel is therefore loaded to the utmost, and groaning under the weight of his burden. The heavy expenses the landlord is, with intolerable frequency, required to incur in unnecessary limewashings, concretings, etc., he has to take entirely upon his own shoulders. If this be the true solution of the puzzle, it proves that the landlord and tenant alike are suffering,| for the "several lakhs of dollars" which have been expended in adapting property to the new requirements must seriously depreciate the
[June 10, 1907.
Question. Is he a Chinaman, or a Portuguese ? Answer. Chinaman.
How any educated man could ever suppose that Ng Sau Kwong was anybody but a Chinaman passes my comprehension. Why Portugal should have been selected as the possible country of origin of Mr. Ng is known only to Mr. Hewett. Yours faithfully,
P. LOUREIRO. -
THE CITY HA L LIBRARY.
喝喜
[TO THE EDITOR OF THE DAILY PRESS."]
SIR-Will the authorities consider the
necessity of (a) improving the lighting of the reading room; (b) extending the time during which it may be used; and (c) permitting, under any necessary safeguards, the removal of books not now included in the "Lending" section of the Library ?
(a) The gas is very bad now,
I come now to the question as to whether the drastic regulations have tended to drive the Chinese away from the Colony. The Commission reports that the tendency of Chinese to send their families away is becoming more and more marked, but no explicit reasons are stated for the exodus. Indirectly, of course, the report suggests a good many. The Colonial Secretary however, disputes that this tendency exists, and rebuts the finding of the Commission by a quotation from the latest census report, from which it appears that there has been a decrease of 780 adults in the Chinese land population in Hongkong and Old Kowloon, but an increase of 6,855 adult females and something like 6,000 children. We are further told that "the number of families in the city of Victoris is returned as 25,974, as compared with 25,123 in 1901." These figures, the Census Offloor thinks, may be regarded as satisfactory evidence that family life among the Chinese continues to increase, taking the Colony as a whole." Infortu. nately no tables of statistics are published with the census report which show the increase in the number of Chinese families in the Colony “as a whole." and I think many will hesitate to accept the Census Officer's conclusions that the increase of female adults which is shown along. side a decline in male adults is satisfactory evidence of the increase of family life. It is notorious that in recent years there has been a large influx of Chinese women of an undesirable type into the Colony owing to repressive CONCERT AT GOVERNMENT HOUSE measures in some distriots of the mainland ; and how far this may account for the extraordinary feature of a large increase in female adults which corresponds with a decline in male adults there is no statistical information published with the census report to show.
Let us consider the matter in the light of the
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(b) The present hours do not afford much time, out of office hours, to readers. As a counter-attraction to drinking bars and billiard halls, perhaps the unco' guid would support a proposal to have the Reading Room open on Sundays and holidays, and antil (ssy) 11,30 or 12 each night.
(c) Some of these books require study in quieter and more private conditions than are possible in a public room.-Yours traly
L. E. M.
The concert held at Government House on
the 8th Jane, suffered somewhat in point of attendance from the rain which fell during the evening. This was the more regrettable when the cause to be benefitted is remembered-the Sai ors' and Soldiers' Home-but doubtless only table of statistics published which specifi. though the number present was small the tickets cally relates to the number of Chinese families. sold were as numerous as could be expected. This table is confined to the ten registration The atmospherical depression was also respon- districts of the city of Victoria, and it shows au sible for a change in the programme. A plat- increase of 851 families in a period of nearly six form had been erected in front of the Years. When we see that the former rate of house, flags encirled the lawn, and Chinese increase (taking the average of ten years, 1891-lanterns were suspended all round giving 1901) was 1,100 a year, the evidence of the in- to the scene a very pretty appearance, but crease in family life which the last census report the rain made it desirable to hold the affords cannot strike one as very satisfactory. concert indoors, and His Excellency placed Does it not rather confirm the statements of the large reception hall at the disposal of the the Commissioners on the subject? The total promoters. The Alexandra Quartette were increase for a period of more than five years the first to take the platform. They added falls far short of the average rate for one to their reputation by the effective rendering year in the previous decade. It is not of " Keep down de middle,' and the part anfair
song "De New Year' and Mrs. F. Mait- land who followed, raised the sadienos to raptures by her charming interpretation of "Cupid at the Ferry," and returned to sok- nowledge the encore demanded. The beautiful voice of the khaki clad Master Stewart and his sympathetic singing of "The Wanderer one of the most acceptable items of the evening and he had to make a return visit to satisfy his hearers, while, of course, Mr. R. Sutherland convulsed everyone with his humorous efforts and had to reply to an encore, as had Mrs. Lello whose cultured singing was greatly appreciated. "The Devout Lover," was Mr. G. P Lammert's first contribution and the inevitable encore followed. Needless to say that Mrs. Newborn was persona grato. She was in fine voice and rendered " Roses in June" with charming effect. Mr. Jukl's violia contribution
to
conclude that it is very probable that the old rate of increase was maintained in the city until the new Regula tions came into force, and that thereafter set in that marked tendency the Commissioners note among the Chinese to send their families away from the Colony. Since the 1901 Census was taken I think I may say several hundreds of Chinese houses have been built in the city, especially in 1902 and 19 3, so that on the
score of accommodation there has been no reason why the former rate of increase in family life should not have been maintained. There are scores of Chinese houses in the city vacant now, and it is something new to old residents to see so many houses to let" in the very heart of the Chinese business quarters. Is this due to high rentals, a horror of the sanitary adminis. tration, or bad trade-or all of them combin- ed? I leave the question for the reader to decide as he pleases. Yours ko.
Hongkong, June 3rd.
OU TIS.
THE SANITARY COMMISSION.
"
TO THE EDITOR OF THE DAILY PRESS.
"
Hongkong, 29th May, 1907. Dear Sir-It does seem incredible to me that this Colony should be saddled with the huge expense of the recent Sanitary Com mission when the folly of the whole thing is more than evidenced by the following four lines on page 210 of the Commissioners' report. The Chairman, Hon. Mr. Hewett, being the interrogator :—
Question. Do you know what the name of the Interpreter is
Anh. Ng Sau Krong.
"1
was
was received with manifest pleasure. The Middlesex Regimental Band played several selections and mang "Gate Nacht" most attractively and very materially enhanced the pleasure of the evening. Mr. Geo. Grimble was the accompanist.
On June 4th the s.8. Hongkong brought's number of missionaries from Pakhoi, and they will remain here until the disturbance there blows over. The refugees were Miss Bolton, Miss Havers, Miss Bachelor. Mrs. Blanchett, Mrs. Bradley and Mr. and Mrs. Wicks. They say that the Imperial troops met and defeated the insurgents, but as it was unknown how strong the latter might become, it WES thought advisable for the missionaries to leave
their work.
When they left, troops were expected daily from Kwangsi, and with their arrival it is expected that the disturbanos will end. ¡
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