433
No. 28
95
HONGKONG.
COLONIAL VETERINARY SURGEON'S REPORT FOR THE YEAR 1894.
Laid before the Legislative Council by Command of
His Excellency the Governor.
SANITARY BOARD OFFICES,
HONGKONG, March 16th, 1895.
SIR-I have the honour to submit for the information of the Sanitary Board this my Annual Report for the past year, which also includes that for the last quarter of 1894.
The Secretary,
SANITARY BOARD.
I have the honour to be,
Sir,
Your most obedient Servant,
C. VIVIAN LADDS, Colonial Veterinary Surgeon.
REPORT,
INSPECTION OF ANIMALS.
No cases of infectious or contagious disease amongst animals imported for slaughtering purposes occurred during the year.
There was rather a short supply during June and July owing to the plague outbreak.
I believe it is not yet decided to erect Reception Lairs for animals as recommended in my annual report as far back as 1888. They were also strongly recommended by the late Retrenchment Committee.
The sheep and swine permanent depôts at Kennedytown were completed by the end of the year and handed over to the Sanitary Department on December 31st.
It has been stated by some members of the community that the plague epidemic was originally brought into the Colony by swine imported from Hoihow, but I have yet to learn that the disease is communicable to swine, or cattle, in any shape or form.
CATTLE DEPÔTS.
The health of the animals housed in these depôts during the year was good, but, as in 1893, their quality was not quite so good as it might have been.
The total number admitted during the year was 16,026, out of which 336 animals were rejected as unfit for slaughtering for human food.
SLAUGHTER HOUSES.
Victoria.-The new slaughter house at Kennedytown was finished at the end of the year and handed over to the Sanitary Department on December 31st.
Hunghom. -The building is in a good state of repair and amendment, and the number of animals slaughtered therein shows a considerable increase on the figures of the previous year.
Shaukiwan.-This slaughter house is still privately owned, although as far back as 1890, and again in 1891, I recommended in my annual report that a proper building be erected as laid down in Section 8 of Ordinance 17 of 1887.
The total number of animals slaughtered in the Colony during the year shows a small decrease on the figures of the previous year, this being due in a great measure, in the case of the cattle and sheep, to the absence of the Fleet during the greater part of the year; and in that of the swine to the exodus of Chinese from the Colony owing to the panic caused amongst them by the plague outbreak. This would, however, appear to have been of but short duration, the deficiency extending over the two months of June and July alone.