HONGKONG.
395
No. 20
1901
REPORTS OF THE MEDICAL OFFICER OF HEALTH, THE SANITARY SURVEYOR, AND THE COLONIAL VETERINARY SURGEON, FOR THE YEAR 1900.
Laid before the Legislative Council by Command of
His Excellency the Governor.
SANITARY BOARD.
Members.
Hon. R. D. ORMSBY, Director of Public Works (President).
Hon. F. H. MAY, C.M.G., Captain Superintendent of Police (Vice-President).
Hon. J. H. STEWART LOCKHART, C.M.G., Registrar General.
FRANCIS W. CLARK, M.D., D.P.H., Medical Officer of Health.
JOHN BELL, L.R.C.P., M.R.C.S., Acting Principal Civil Medical Officer. EDWARD OSBORNE, J.P.
FUNG WA CHÜN, J.P.
CHÁN A FOOK, J.P.
WILLIAM HARTIGAN, M.D., D.P.H.
JAMES MCKIE, J.P.
Major H. H. BROWN, B.A.M.C.
To the President of the Sanitary Board.
SANITARY BOARD OFFICES, March 19th, 1901.
SIR,-I have the honour to submit for the information of the Board the following Report upon the health of the Colony for the year 1900.
AREA.
At the latter end of the year the Sanitary and Building Ordinances of the Colony were extended by Ordinance No. 30 to that portion of territory between the shore and the first range of the Kowloon Hills, extending froin Lyeemoon Pass on the east to Laichikok on the west (having a sea-frontage of some ten miles), thus making the total area of the Kowloon Health Districts about 18 square miles, and bringing within the jurisdiction of the Board that collection of dirty and insanitary dwellings known as Kowloon City.
The island of Hongkong has an area of rather more than 29 square miles and the City of Victoria is situated upon its northern shore, the buildings extending along the sea-front for a distance of four- and-t
i-a-half miles and up the hill side almost to the city limit of 600 feet above high-water mark.
The domestic buil ngs of the City of Victoria number 8,600 (exclusive of Barracks and Police Stations) of which 738 are European dwellings, while there are also some 130 European dwellings in
the Hill District.
This shows a decrease of 14 Non-Chinese dwellings as compared with the previous year and an increase of 693 Chinese dwellings. The plans of 1.319 new buildings, and of alterations to 3,186 existing buildings have passed through my hands during the year, with a view to seeing that they complied strictly with the Public Health Ordinances of the Colony. During the previous year plans of 634 new buildings, and of alterations to 772 existing buildings were received, so that the records of the past year show great activity in building operations throughout the Colony, which has been occa- sioned in part by the alterations required by Ordinance 34 of 1899.
CLIMATE.
The average monthly temperature throughout the year has been 71.6° F as compared with 71.9° in the previous year and 72.2° in 1898; the maximum monthly temperature was attained in August when it reached $3.1° F and the minimum monthly temperature was recorded in the month of January, being 55.6° F.
The highest recorded temperature during the year was 97° F on August 19th and the lowest was 37.5° F on January 9th.