12
No. 1903
HONGKONG.
REPORTS OF THE MEDICAL OFFICER OF HEALTH, THE SANITARY SURVEYOR, AND THE COLONIAL VETERINARY SURGEON, FOR THE YEAR 1902.
Laid before the Legislative Council by Command of His Excellency the Governor.
SANITARY BOARD.
J
Members.
J. MITFORD ATKINSON, M.B., D.P.H., Principal Civil Medical Officer (President). Hon. W. CHATHAM, M. INST. C.E., Director of Public Works."
Hon. FRANCIS W. CLARK, M.D., D.P.H., Medical Officer of Health,
F. J. BADELEY, B.A., J.P., Captain Superintendent of Police. CHARLES MCI. MESSER, B.A., J.P., Acting Registrar General.
EDWARD OSBORNE, J.P.
Colonel G. A. HUGHES, D.S.O., M.B., R.A.M.C.
FUNG WA CHÜN, J.P.
LAU CHU PAK, J.P.
SANITARY BOARD OFFICES, January 20th, 1903.
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 1902.
AREA.
the
The portion of the Colony within the jurisdiction of the Sanitary Board comprises (1) the island of Hongkong which has an area of 29 square miles and on which are situated the City of Victoria, larger villages of Shaukiwan, Quarry Bay, Aberdeen and Stanley, and several smaller ones; and (2) that portion of territory on the mainland between the shore and the first range of the Kowloon Hills- extending from Lyeemoon Pass on the east to Laichikok on the west, with a sea-frontage of about ten miles and an area of 18 square miles. The City of Victoria is built on the northern shore of the island with a frontage to the sea of about five miles, while the Harbour, which separates it from Kow- loon on the mainland, is rather less than a mile and a third wide at its narrowest part and somewhat over three miles at its widest part.
The domestic buildings of the City of Victoria number 9,234 (exclusive of Barracks and Police Stations), of which 920 are non-Chinese dwellings, while there are also some 130 European dwellings in the Hill District.
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This shows an increase of 48 non-Chinese dwellings as compared with the previous year, and an increase of 140 Chinese dwellings. The plans of 808 new buildings and of alterations to 1,833 exist- ing buildings have passed through my hands during the year, with a view to seeing that they complied with the Public Health Ordinances of the Colony; these figures however include, as in former years, many alternative plans, and amendments to rejected plans. During the previous year plans of 1,369 new buildings and of alterations to 1,497 existing buildings were received, so that the records of the past year show a considerable decrease in the number of new buildings planned, and a fairly large in- crease in the number of alterations to existing buildings. The number of new houses completed during the year has been 898 as compared with 796 during the preceding year; many of these are of course houses which have been rebuilt.
CLIMATE.
The average monthly temperature throughout the year has been 73.4° F. as compared with 72.1° F. during 1901; the maximum monthly temperature was attained in the months of August and September when it reached 81.8° F., and the minimum monthly temperature was recorded in the month of February being 59.5° F.