119
The Market Charitable Fund which originated in 1891 out of a sum of $1,600 which fell to the disposal of the Registrar General, is now closed, and the small balance of $1.28 which stood to its credit at the close of the year, has been trans- ferred to the Passage Money Fund. Arrangements are being made for the continued payinent of their pensions to five persons dependent on it.
The Passage Money Fund is used as far as possible exclusively for the benefit of women and children. The balance to the credit of the Fund is now $3.831.91.
22.
TUNG WA HOSPITAL.
I am glad to be able to report that by Ordinance No. 9 of 1904 the title of the Hospital to its investments in land has been established and power has been speci- fically conferred upon the Hospital to acquire land in future. This matter has been under consideration for some years, and the Directors for 1904 deserve credit for putting it through.
The statement of accounts for their term of office, which expired in December, shews a more satisfactory state of affairs than has existed at any time during the last ten years. There is now every prospect of the Hospital being clear of debt within the next three years. The rents from the Hospital property have increased by $4,000, subscriptions from guilds by $1,600 (several new guilds being found in the list of subscribers) and those from individuals by $1,900, whilst the sub- scriptions raised by the Directors themselves shew an increase of $1,200.
The attention of the Directors was drawn by the Officer Administering the Gov- ernment to reports of "squeezing" by the men entrusted with the duty of remov- ing dead bodies to the Hospital Mortuary, and the Directors have therefore engaged extra men to attend to this work, instead of leaving it to outside undertakers. They have also settled a scale of charges for removing coffins to the neighbouring districts of China.
The Po Leung Kuk is indebted to the Directors for arranging to house the inmates of the Po Leung Kuk for the three months that the Buildings were vacated on account of the epidemic of beri-beri.
The Directors of the Hospital and the Chinese Community generally were taken by surprise to find, when the occasion arose for using the Infectious Diseases Branch Hospital at Kennedy Town, that small-pox cases could not be received. It was most unfortunate that such a misunderstanding existed, but a study of the corres- pondence which passed between the Government and successive Chairmen of the Hospital, satisfied every one that there had been no breach of faith on the part of the Government.
23.
LEGISLATION.
The following Ordinances passed in 1904 more particularly affect the Chinese Community and this Department:-
No. 4 of 1904-The Hill District Reservation Ordinance.
No. 8 of 1904-The Wild Birds and Game Preservation (Amendment)
Ordinance.
No. 9 of 1904-The Tung Wah Hospital (Extension of Powers) Or-
dinance.
No. 10 of 1904-The Prepared Opium Amendment Ordinance.
No. 11 of 1904-The Protection of Women and Girls (Amendment)
Ordinance.
No. 13 of 1904-The Chinese Emigration (Amendment) Ordinance. No. 14 of 1904-The Sugar Convention Ordinance.
There is a considerable importation of live partridges from the neighbouring districts of China into Hongkong, and under Ordinance 8 of 1904 live partridges cannot be offered for sale unless under special licence from the Captain Supérintend- ent of Police.