-
185 (250)
2424,6
Q. Can you tell us the reason why the Chinese dump the dead bodies?
I —
A. Because of the fumigation of houses. Partitions are torn down, and sometimes things are broken. Though the Government does compensate, it does not compensate to the full amount. If it is their own things that have been lost or destroyed, they would not say anything. But it happens that there are several families living on one floor, and then it implicates people. Sometimes you dont wish to throw corpses into the street, but the people in the house will insist upon it. According to Chinese custom, the corpse is of the utmost importance, and now to-day on account of such important matter, they dont look after the corpses. It is only on account of extraordinary circumstances that they would do this. Everybody knows that I have these coffins, and the Tung Wa Hospital has them the whole year round, still there are so many corpses thrown out and it is for this
reason.
The Chairman. It happens through the trouble of fumigation?
A. Yes.
Q.-Well, thank you, Mr. Ho, we are very much obliged for your information. We wont take up any more of your time.
them.
A.-I want to say something more.
Q-Certainly. If you have any suggestions to make, we are only too glad to hear
A. Take a house with a drain. Sometimes the drains are stopped up. The In- spector goes to see them, but the Inspector should tell the tenant, so that he may clear them out. He does not tell the tenant, but be runs away and takes out a summons against the owner of the property. It is not the fault of the landlord. Then it troubles the land- lord, and he wastes a lot of time going up to the Court about it. If you told the tenant of the house,-it would be the best thing for the Government to prosecute the tenant, and if that were done, then drains would no: break so much, and would be not so much choked up. It is not the fault of the landlords. Then the tenant would be especially careful, and would not break the things, because if he did smash them, he would have to do it himself. The second thing is about the plague,-I wish to speak about the plague. According to what I think about it,--I know all about it, because I give away so much medicine every year for the plague,-it is not carried by infection from one person to another. It comes out from infection froin the drains. It is very bad this taking a person out from a house with the plague such a distance to the Hospital. Then the percentage of recoveries taken there is low. It has nothing to do with it, and why should you fumigate a house, and tear down the things? What should be done is this. To treat a man in his house, and send some people to wash out the drains, and then the bodies would not be dumped in the streets. What is required is that the drains should be flushed, and then nothing would be torn down. Besides, the sick men treated in their own houses,-the percentages of recoveries would be greater.
Mr. Fung Wa Chun.-Dont you know that His Excellency Governor Blake did that in Second Street, where the people were treated in their own house?
The Chairman.- First and Second Streets.
Mr. Fung Wa Chun.-And you know there were recoveries ?
A.-A better percentage than in the Hospital.
Q.-You saw the Report ?
A. Yes.
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