341
No. 24
97
HONGKONG.
REPORT OF THE SECRETARY, SANITARY BOARD, FOR 1896.
Laid before the Legislative Council by Command of His Excellency the Governor.
SANITARY BOARD ROOM, HONGKONG, 15th June, 1897.
GENTLEMEN,—I have the honour to submit my eighth annual report concerning the work done by the Board during the year 1896.
BOARD MEETINGS.
Fifty-two meetings were held during the year.
BYE-LAWS.
The following bye-laws were made by the Board during the year, viz :--
a. For the periodical cleansing and lime-whiting of premises in the Colony.
6. For the regulating of Bake-houses.
c. For general sanitary purposes as provided for under section 13 of Ordinance 15 of 1894.
d. For the sanitary maintenance of opium-smoking divans.
The following bye-law was amended by the Board, viz.:—
Bye-law No. 21 of the bye-laws made on the 19th day of March, 1895, under the provisions
of Ordinance 15 of 1894,
The following bye-laws were revoked by the Board, viz.:—
Bye-laws Nos, 8 and 9 which were made on the 18th day of October, 1894, for the licensing,
etc. of nightmen.
The following bye-laws were made by His Excellency the Governor in Council on the represent- ation and recommendation of the Board, viz.:-
1. A bye-law for extending the provisions of Ordinance 17 of 1887 to the villages of Shau- ki-wan, Quarry Bay, Shui-tsing-wan, Wong-kok-tsui and the whole of the villages on the Kau-lung Peninsula.
2. A bye-law for regulating the landing of cattle and sheep that are imported into the Colony.
DRAINAGE WORKS.
This branch of the Board's work is dealt with in detail by the Sanitary Surveyor in his report for the year. From his report it will be seen that very considerable progress has been made in the systematic inspection of the house drains in the Colony, aud in getting the necessary work of re-drain- ing those houses, where the drains have been found to be in a defective and insanitary condition, accomplished. This very necessary work would have been practically completed, so far as the City of Victoria is concerned, had the Assistant Surveyor not found it to his advantage to resign his public appointment, and resume his private practice. His place has not yet been filled and as a result, since his resignation in July, only such inspections have been made as could not be postponed.
I append a tabular statement showing-
1. The locality in which the houses are situated where the house drains have been found to
be in a defective and insanitary condition.
2. The number of houses so found in each such locality.
3. The houses so found for which plans for re-draining them have been submitted, and
4. The houses so found at which the work of re-draining has been completed.
It is satisfactory to be able to record that the malicious choking of house drains, which was so prevalent some three years ago, has practically ceased. Such choking of these drains as now takes place is, I feel sure, in the main, duc either to ignorance or to carelessness, and chiefly to the former
cause.