No. 36.
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No. 21.
Correspondence respecting Fees charged for issuing Bills of Health.
Presented to the Legislative Council by Command of His Excellency the Governor.
(1.)
Governor Sir G. F. Bowen, G.C.M.G. to the Secretary of State.
GOVERNMENT HOUSE, HONGKONG, 23rd January, 1885.
See enclosed Letter from Chamber of Commerce, January 19th, 1885.
MY LORD,
I have the honour to lay before your Lordship the following circumstances connected with the issue of Bills of Health at this Port.
2. It appears that at many ports the production of Bills of Health is insisted on in the case of all vessels coming from Hongkong, These Bills of Health have for many years been granted by the Colonial Surgeon and the Health Officer on payment of a private fee varying from five ($5) to ten ($10) dollars for each Bill of Health issued. No return, however, was made of these fees, and this Government was not aware of the practice of receiving them until quite recently. During the enforcement of Quarantine Regulations in this Colony last year, the attention of the owners and agents of ships was called to the subject, and representations were made by them to the Chamber of Commerce, which addressed my Government. as follows:--
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"It has come to the knowledge of the Committee that the practice bas "prevailed in this Colony for some time past of charging for Bills of Health "on a varying scale from five ($5) to ten ($10) dollars, the variance pre- sumably being made on account of the difference in tonnage of Steamers, or length of voyage, or for some other reason.
According to the "Schedule published by the Government, the Committee is unable to see "where the charge for Bills of Health is recognized by the Government. No “doubt these fees are collected by the Government Officials or their subordi- "nates in virtue of their public office held under the Government, and the "Committee would be glad to know whether the Government recognizes "these charges, and the varying scale on which some of them are based, as "the Committee has been unable satisfactorily to ascertain this from any "record or returns made of fees so collected, and their application by the
'Government."
CL
3. I caused a copy of this communication from the Chamber of Commerce to be forwarded to the Colonial Surgeon (Dr. AYRES), who was requested to furnish explanations. In reply a report was received from him, in which he stated that the right of the Health Officer and himself to receive fees for the issue of Bills of Health belongs to them in their capacity as private medical practitioners.