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THE HONGKONG GOVERNMENT GAZETTE, 3RD MARCH, 1883.
3. In transmitting to you these papers, I have to request that you will, with the assistance of Mr. PRICE, and with the advice of the Legislative Council, before whom you will cause these papers to be laid, consider in what manner and to what extent it will be possible to carry out Mr. CHADWICK'S recommendations.
4. I defer giving any detailed or precise instructions on Mr. CHADWICK'S Scheme for introducing a complete system of house and street drainage into the Town, until I hear what course of action you would recommend in order that this great work may be so regulated as not to press unduly on the strength of the Surveyor General's Staff or on the Colonial Revenue of any one year; but there is no reason why I should not at once advert to some of the less expensive operations suggested in the Principal Report to which in my opinion your attention should be turned without delay. The minor improvements to the existing Sewers, the establishment of free public Latrines and Urinals, Baths and Laundries, and the proper regulation, &c., of the public Markets should be taken in hand at once; but what appears to me to be most urgent is that immediate steps should be taken to organise and enforce a thorough house to house and street to street service for the removal of night soil, garbage, ashes, house sweepings, and rubbish of every sort.
5. The proposals in the 6th Section, part 2, of the Report seem to be well adapted for this purpose, and Mr. CHADWICK makes it clear, I think, that the removal of excreta under the house bucket system and the scavenging and cleansing of the Streets should be provided for by separate Contracts; on the basis of separate tenders for the work to be done. I see no reason why it should not be easy to make arrangements in accordance with the recommendation of the Report for effectually carrying out both these operations, and as regards the night soil, as its sale should under proper management yield a profit both to the Contractors and the Government, the strict enforcement of its removal ought to present no difficulty, but as regards the sweeping and scavenging work it will be necessary, as pointed out by Mr. CHADWICK, that the Government should carefully watch the proceedings of the Contractor and his servants, and by constant supervision and control see that the conditions of the Contract are punctually and scrupulously fulfilled.
6. This control can of course only be exercised by an Officer of the Government supported by an adequate staff, and I request you to consider Mr. CHADWICK's recommendations on this head and report to me the name of an Officer fitted to undertake the duties which will have to be performed in connection with the two Contracts above mentioned. The Officer selected for this appointment will also be responsible for the inspections you will doubtless establish under Regulations to be framed for the purpose of bringing into effect the various improvements described by Mr. CHADWICK in his observations on the need of an efficient and energetic Sanitary Staff.
I would especially draw your attention to paragraph 282, where it is recommended, with a view to make the Government arrangements for removal of night soil and scavenging popular among the Chinese, that the present Chinese District Watchmen should be employed as Subordinate Sanitary Inspectors; and to paragraphs 276 and 277, where remarks are made which show that their necessary house to house inspection ought, with ordinary care and management, to be made without giving offence to the Inhabitants.
7. The Officer selected should carry on his duties under the general control of the Colonial Engineer and the Colonial Surgeon, and it would seem convenient that he should form part of the establishment of the Public Works Department.
8. It will be for you to consider what will be the best method of providing funds for carrying into effect such of the larger works as it may be decided to undertake, and the time at which it will be possible to undertake them. At present, and until the completion of the Tytam Water Works, I presume that it will be possible to make but little progress with them, and I may here remark that the Reserve Fund having been already appropriated for that work, it will not be available for the improvement of house construction and house drainage as suggested by Mr. CHADWICK. You should nevertheless introduce a new Building Ordinance at an early date in order that every opportunity which occurs hereafter may be taken of removing the defects in existing streets and houses, and of guarding against the perpetuation of such faulty building and draining in the houses to be erected and streets to be laid out in future. This branch of the subject is fully discussed in the 2nd Section of the 1st Part and the 2nd Section of the 2nd Part of the Report, and also in the Appendix. I commend the views therein set forth to your careful perusal and consideration.
9. As the District Watchmen have Police duties to perform under the direction of the Registrar General, the Sanitary Officer must be in close relations with that Officer. The Sanitary duties of the District Watchman will be principally to see that the inhabitants of his District remove nuisances and to report any negligence on the part of the Contractors. The discharge of these duties would not interfere with the due performance of their ordinary Police duties. Any reports respecting Sanitation would be referred by the Registrar General to the Sanitary Officer who would deal with them accord- ing to his Instructions from the Colonial Surgeon and the Surveyor General.