Chinese and Assyrian Premises.

Manawatu Standard, Volume XL, Issue 7786, 9 March 1904, Page 5

Chinese and Assyrian Premises.

Demolition Recommended

The Sanitary Inspector reported to tne Borough Council last night on the local Chinese and Assyrian premises. The report was a bulky one and the following cv.tracts are made from it :—

The premises of J. Kwong Leo and Wong Hop, the Square, were found to Be thoroughly clean n.nd a credit to the occupants. *

Hum Kee's premises were also very satisfactory with one or two small exceptions. There was an accumulation of fruit cases in the yard..

Joe Lee? s laundry in Georgestreet was " very clean throughout," " rooms lofty and well ventilated.'.'

A laundry in Main-street was thus referred' to : —Ott first floor, one room three beds ; two rooms, two beds each. Tfaese are both badly lighted and ventilated, air :.paco being only sufficient for one bed. There are also six other rooms on the same landing wita one bed in each. These are well lighted and can be ventilated by open window, the whole o<l the upper portion of the 'building being in a very unsatisfactory condition as regards cleanliness, and a very bad odour filling the whole of the building on the ground floor. There arc two ironingl rooms, kitchen and dining room, wjiich, together with the back portion, of the 'building, are none too clean."

Another Main-street dwelling ■: — " Two persons reside in the premises, no 'drainage, premises are very oW, rotten, and worm eaten, and in my opinion' not tit for human -habitation-, and should be demolished."

A Chinese garden, in Fitz-herbort-street :—ln the main building' there are three small rooms containing seven 'beds. A lean-to tliereJi-om is small,, ami contains four beds in one room, which is very small, and. in my opinion, there is not sufficient air space. The whole of the :;-uilding is overcrowded. Ventilation and light are 'very bad. A large shed some distance from th* above building is used, as, a store-room, and there are sleeping apartments in the portion called the loft cv attic containing five beds. «.valls very low, scarcely any light, ventilation bad, a small open place attached thereto is used as a stable.-, At the back of. this one man sleeps, there being only a partition between him and the stable. The whole of the above buildings X cc-n----skler 'quite unlit for human habitation "on account of buildings being old and decayed. No particular drainage. \V*iat there is j uus through- an open channel and soaks into the ground. There is also a large heap ol stable manure about one chain from the street which smells very badly. If it is allowedto be kept it should be put further back.

The reports on the Ruahine, Te Awe Awe, and Fitzherbert-street gardens were satisfactory-Ferguson-street garden-. — Main building : Two rooms on ground floor in which five men sleep. Above is an attic with- very 10-w_ walls, no light or ventilation. Four others sleep here, and to get into ted it is necessary for them to stoop very low. There are within- a few feet oi the above building a number of old sheds which are used as storerooms, stables, etc. A portion of the store-room is also used as a sleeping, apartment' for one man. No' particular drainage. " . . . The

buildings are very old and rotten and not lit for 'human habitation, and should certainly be demolished in the interests of public health-.

As soon as an officer of the Health Department arrives in town I shall make a point of visiting these houses in company with him for the purpose of condemning where necessary.

On the Assyrian premises the report states that one shop is "clean throughout." A smafl two-roomed cot-tage at the rear of the shop was occupied 'by two persons, hut three beds were in the room. He understood the three beds were not always occupied. The room was only 9vt x 9ft x Bft, and had not sufficient space for two beds. The tenant promised to remove ono of the beds.

Other premises in Main-street are referred to as 'being very old and worm eaten, and scarcely fit for what they are at present used. There is also a four-roomed dwelling at the rear of the shops. The interior of the latter was clean but a musty smell, caused through decayed timber is far from healthy. There is also another building at the rear o* the last mentioned, orcupied by an' Assyrian family. This is also clean, but being old and decayed .he suggested that the whole of the above buildings be inspected by the Health Officer on his arrival with a view to: the same being condemned as quite unlit for occupation. There was no drainage in connection therewith, all waste water being distributed over tho ground. Crs France, Jack, and Tollc-y supported the Inspector's suggestions re further inspection, the latter stating he did 'not think it right Chinese gardeners should be allowed to compete with Europeans when they lived under the conditions disclosed by the report

It was decided to ask the Public Health Department to send an officer to visit tilt; premises as soon as possible.