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sanction the immediate erection of Government latrines in place of some of the worst of the existing privately ownod ones. Any medical man would have no hesitation in declaring these (certain latrines he namės) a nuisance, only, as Mr. Ram says, it is no use closing them until others are erected to take their place. Personally I think water troughs, such as those at prosent in use at the gaol, would be pre. ferablo. if there is any objection to their being con- nected with the main sewers they might be led to empty into a largo water tight cess pit, not far from the latrine, which could be emptied once or twice in the twenty-four hours. I agree with your recommen- dations that this valuable report be sent to the Government.
The President agreed that the majority of the buildings were not suitable. The Board appeared to have little or no power to compel the owners to carry out the improvements suggested.
The PRESIDENT said the Board could not do very much more in connection with the subject until the Government constructed latrines and dealt with those privately owned. He proposed that the report be transmitted to the Colonial Secretary, and that his attention be called to the minutes.
The ACTING MEDICAL OFFICER OF HEALTH
seconded.
Carried.
work.
DRAINAGE WORKS.
THE HONGKONG WEEKLY PRESS AND
typhoid fever, and in the latter week one case of small por was reported.
[June 12, 1895.
observed to be amongst a poverty-stricken people who were poorly fid, badly housed, and who lived in overcrowded houses and overcrowded. The Board adjourned until next Thursday areas. The localities in Victoria where the dis- week.
ADJOURNMENT.
THE SANITARY SUPERINTEN. DENT'S REPORT FOR 1894.
The following are extracts from the Sanitary Superintendent's report for 1894, laid before the Legislative Council yesterday
DRAINAGE WORKS.
In addition to the work carried out by pro- perty owners of their own initiative a considera ble number of houses, which were found on inspection to be in an insanitary condition, have been redrained at the request of the Board.
a
sass was most prevalent were mainly coaupied by people to which the foregoing description is fairly applicable.
!
In 1887 when the Public Health Bill was under the consideration of the Legislature it was my duty to represent the conditions under which the mass of the people in the colony livad. These representations were sharply called in question. and the Officer Administering the | Government-Sir William Gordon Cameron-i- thought it desirable to personally investigate the matter. This he did in a very thorough... manner by a careful inspection of the worst dwellings in the Chung Wan, Taiping-shan, and Sai-ying-poon districts of the city, and his subse- quent speeches in 'Connail show very clearly what his opinions were. Had the Public Health Bill of 1587 been passed in the form in which it was transmitted to the Colonial Secretary by the Sanitary Board, and had the sanitary stait received reasonable support in enforcing its pró- visions. I am satisded that the heavy mortality from Bubonic Plague in 1894 would not have occurred. The most powerful opponents of the Bill belonged to those classes who have suffered most, financially, from the serious outbreak of their action in 1887 has met in 1894 with the Bubonic Plague, and I must confess I consider result it deserved.
I again consider it desirable to repeat the remark that in considering these statistics it is necessary to keep in view the circumstance that our population is not a normal one, but a popula tion in which the male sex in the prime of life largely predominates.
LAUNDRIES.
It is satisfactory to note that steady progress is being made in the re-drainage of Victoris. When the general inspection of all the house drains in the city, which began in December, in completed, and if the owners of such houses as are defectively drained are compelled to execute the work of re-draining their insavitary pro- Mr. J. R. Crook, Sanitary Surveyor, wrote aperties within a reasonable time, a much needed letter having reference to contractors undertaking improvement in the sanitary condition of the to carry out drainage works, and also recommend. town will be the result. ing that the Board should undertake such working the choking of the new pipe drains continue A considerable number of complaints regard. if requested by owners of property to do so.
The President, in a minute, was of opinion to come in. In almost every instance the choking that steps should be taken to revise the list of of the drain is caused by its misuse through gross contractors approved by the Board. In view of carelessness on the part of servants. Very frequent the importance of giving effect to the decisionsly the gratings over the inlets to the waste pires of the Board with regard to the drainage of and drains are either removed or so destroyed as premises at as early a date as possible it would to be of very little use in keeping solids of any size be well for the Board to consider the advisability out of the drains. I am quite satisfied that in of representing to the Government the desir a number of cases the choking of the drains is
Only three of the ten publio laundries have ability of soine arrangement being made under done maliciously, either out of spite to the land. which the Government will undertake to do this lord or to the Board. To some Chinese minds been let during the year, although the rental
sach malicious action seems to give infinite as low as $10 a month. That there is a strong pleasure, while from their point of view it goes artificial opposition to the using of these build- long way to prove their silly contention that ings by the public washermen is to me clear a water-tight house drain is not suited to their enough, but beyond the natural obstinaoy of manner of living. With the old form of blue Chinese workmen know of no reason for the briok drain such blockage simply converted the drain into an elongated porous cess-pool from position. It is quite true that these public washermen receive the tacit support of many which the sewage soaked into the surrounding of their employers in their obstinate op- ground on which the dwelling stood. The evil position. It is dificult to understand why results to the public health, which are almost | the vast majority of our leading residents of certain to arise from such sewage polluted foun- all nationalities should prefer to have their linen NIGHT WATCHMEN AT THE CENTRAL MARKET.dations, are well known and require no comment. washed in an evil-smelling puddle on the hill- A few householders actually carefully seal the side and dressed in the living room of their Mr. Ladds, Colonial Veterinary Surgeon, fresh air inlet to the house drains by fitting a washermen's servants, who live amongst and wrote recommending the appointment of night piece of white iron under the gratings. How sleep upon their clients' linen, rather than in the
The PRESIDENT remarked that most mem-ever, when the Inspectors point out the folly of
very peculiar preference exists it is very doubtful bers of the Board were of opinion that it was such action and explain the object of the inlet, public laundries. However, so long as such most undesirable, besides being contrary to the in most cases the tin-plate is removed and is not if much can be done to improve this branch of
the sanitation of the colony. law of the colony, for persons to sleep in the again put on. markets. There was some reason, perhaps, for thoir doing so, as unfortunately when the ques- tion of arranging the staff was considered, the subject of watchmen for securing the safe custody of the goods during the night was not called attention to. He therefore moved that a letter be addressed to the Colonial Secretary re questing the Governor to appoint two night watchmen at a salary not exceeding $25 a month. The ACTING MEDICAL OFFICER OF HEALTH seconded.
The PRESIDENT moved that the report be forwarded to the Colonial Secretary, with the request that the attention of his Excellency the Governot be called to the importance, in the opinion of the Board, of the Government making some arrangements to carry out drainage works on private premises..
The ACTING-CAPTAIN SUPERINTENDENT OF POLICE Seconded.
Carricil.
watch men at the Central Market.
Carried:
APPLICATIONS FOR CHAIR ALLOWANCES.
Six Inspectors of Nuisances applied for an allowance of $12 per month for the five summer months for chair and 'rioksha hire. They pointed out that in order to keep their districts in proper order their duty must be done in the heat of the day, and that foar Inspectors were al- ready allowed this sum
The overseer of drainage works applied for a similar allowance..
The Acting, Medical Officer of Health and the Acting Captain Superintendent of Police wrote minutes expressing themselves in favour of an allowance of $7 a month in each case. The Acting Colonial Surgeon was in favour only of actual expenditure being allowed.
It was resolved to grant the applicants an allowance of $7 a month.
MORTALITY STATISTICS.
The death rate for the week ended 25th May was 18.7 per 1,000 per annum, as compared with 74.9 in the corresponding week last year. For the week ended 1st June the death rate was 18.1 per 1,000 per annum, as compared with 96.1 last year. In the first week there was one death from
MORTALITY STATISTICS.
BAKERIES.
The bye-laws regulating bake-houses are being steadily and persistently enforced.
INFECTIOUS DISEASES.
2,552 deaths were recorded from bubonia plague and 25 from small-pox and choleraic complaints.
STAFF.
The death-rates recorded are. I feel sure. less reliable than usual, simply on account of the large number of people who left the colony tem- porarily during the prevalence of the disease de- signated Babonic Plague. However, the figures given are the only ones available for statis tical work of this kind, and I am of the opinion that the population of the colony on the 31st
Owing to prolonged ill-health the Superin- December was pretty much the same as if we had uever been afflicted with Bubonic Plague.
tendent was absent on leave from 1st January to: It is worth noting that in 1886 the total num-31st October, during which period the duties ber of deaths recorded in the colony was 5,100 of the ofice were efficiently performed by amongst an estimated population of 181,700 or, Mr. E. A. Ram. None of the Sanitary In- in round figures, the death rate for that year spectors had any leave of absence during the was 28 per 1,000, while in the exceptional year year, but two of them were ill and in hospital under review the total number of deaths recorded for several weeks. amount to 7,362 amongst an estimated popula. tion of 242,400, or a death-rate of 30.3 per 1,000.
With regard to death registration the re- marks I made in my report for the year 1890 are applicable to the present time, for nothing has been done-I refer to appointment of native medical practitioners trained to some extent in Western medicine-beyond a medical inspection of the patients in the Tung Wa Hospital to ensure that the recorded cause of death is the real cause from which death occurred.
The feature of paramount interest in these statistics is the large number of deaths recorded as caused by Bubonic Plague. As I was absent from the colony during the prevalence of this disease it is not, in my opinion, expedient that I should do more than briefly refer to one or two points that seem to me will be of some value to members of the Board. The disease appears, in at least one respect, to resemble typhus fever in so much as the great majority of its victims were
:
A large increase to the staff of Inspectors was sanctioned towards the close of the year, and the new men were appointed, but they did not take up their, appointments in 1894. The staff of Inspectors is now, so far as the number to the total population is concerned, equal to that employed in those large towns in England where municipal sanitary administration: la viewed as being most advanced. In Eng land it is now almost the invariable rule, that before a man receives an appointment as: Sanitary Inspector he must have passed the examinations of the Sanitary Institute. In Hongkong men with such a training are not to.. be had, and I have very grave doubts if it would « be a wise proceeding to get such trained man from home as vacancies occur, inasmuch as their utter want of knowledge of the Chinese peoplei and their habits and customs would, to my mind, more than counterbalance their superioz. training in sanitary matters.