597
No. 40
93
No. 163.
HONGKONG.
PAPERS RESPECTING THE RECONSTITUTION OF THE SANITARY BOARD.
Laid before the Legislative Council by Command of His Excellency the Governor.
MY LORD MARQUESS,
(Governor to the Secretary of State.)
GOVERNMENT HOUSE, HONGKONG, 18th May, 1895.
I have the honour to transmit herewith the Report of the Committee to enquire into the Medical Establishment of this Colony.
2. As the reorganization of the Medical Establishment is intimately connected with the question of the constitution of the Sanitary Board, I propose before dealing with the Committee's Report to place before your Lordship my views generally on the necessity of effecting a change in the arrangements at present in force for carrying out the sanitary work of this Colony.
3. Your Lordship is already aware from my previous despatches that this important question has been engaging my attention for some time. In my des- patch No. 201 of the 4th September last, forwarding the Report of the Retrench- ment Committee, I informed you that I concurred generally in the views of the Committee, which urged the consideration of the question whether the Sanitary Department should not be placed on a different basis and all the sanitary arrange- ments and powers placed in the hands of one thoroughly competent officer who should be personally responsible to Government for all matters connected with the health of the Colony, and for the carrying out of all sanitary laws and regulations," and I stated that I was in favour of a fixed personal responsibility.
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4. As your Lordship will remember the Retrenchment Committee was com- posed of the Acting Chief Justice, two Unofficial Members of Council-Mr. CHATER and Mr. KESWICK-and Mr. JACKSON. I have again consulted these gentlemen as well as Mr. McCONACHIE and Mr. BELILIOS, and they are all unanimously in favour of the Government being directly responsible for the sanitation of the Colony.
CL
5. Mr. KESWICK states:- "As matters now are there is practically no pro- perly constituted sanitary authority, and from its very nature it is impossible that "the Board as now existing can adequately fulfil those functions expected of it, "and that it can be held fully responsible for any efficiency in the sanitation of the Colony. The state of sanitary matters exposed last summer at the outbreak of "the plague sufficiently bears out these views which, I believe I am right in asserting, "are shared by the public at large."
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6. Mr. MCCONACHIE, while concurring in the views expressed by Mr. KESWICK, states :- "The main fault to be found with the present Board is the fact that the responsibility for their actions cannot be pinned down to the Government or any "one in particular."
The Right Honourable
THE MARQUEss of Ripon,
Her Majesty's Principal Secretary of State
for the Colonies,
$.C.,
&C.
&c.