Page
August 7, 1895.]
CHINA OVERLAND TRADE REPORT. that this Board, on the motion of Dr. Hartigan, | The Acting Health Officer. This system is not at seconded by Dr. Ho Kai, adopted the recommen-present, for obvious reasons, applicable to this city. dations contained in the committee's report. sideration of its applicability here will have to re- The Colonial Surgeon. Most interesting, but con- Notwithstanding these recommendations Wo main in abeyance for some years. are constantly receiving applications from private houses for the construction of water closets. Some of these were granted. I think it is imperative that we should have some rule of the kind mentioned in my resolution. If we grant permission to some 1 do not see how we can justly refuse it to others. I hope the Board will agree with me on this subject. I think it is the general opinion that water closets are undesirable, and I therefore move-"That the Board hereby lays it down as a rule not to grant permits to erect water closets in private residences unless under very exceptional cir. cumstances, being of opinion that the general introduction of water closets in the colony is undesirable."
The MEDICAL OFFICER OF HEALTH seconded the motion and said-I think it is desirable to lay down a principle upon which water closets should be allowed. There is no doubt the water system is the best, but I do not think. the colony is prepared for it at present. The outfall is not ready to receive the large amount of matter that would outer it if the water closet system were adopted.
The ACTING COLONIAL SURGEON-I am sorry that I have to vote against this motion. think it is a question which has been discussed very fully, and I do not think the motion at the present time is necessary. I do not think we should lay down a rule like this which our successors may revoke.
101
during my inspections were noted for action under varions by-laws. I move that the owners · of the houses on the list submitted be called upon to have them thoroughly cleansed and whitewashed with seven days.
Mr. EDE seconded the motion.
The Director of Public Works.-The only objection to the applicability of the system here is, I think, ita cost. I would, however, point out that the whole
The PRESIDENT said he did not think it was question of drainage was carefully considered and the system in course of construction decided upon in
necessary to bring this subject before the Board 1880; that so far there is not the slightest reason for the purposes of a motion, as most of the com- for believing that such system will not meet the re-plaints of the ordinary description of nuisancəs quirements of the colony, and I consider any idea of could be dealt with under the Ordinance. It departing from it should not at presont be counten.
was of course impossible to put the city in a Mr. N. J. Ede.-I am not in favour of applying of nuisances in the various districts had been sanitary condition all at once, but the inspectors this system to the colony until it becomes more uni- versally used and we learn something more about it, instructed to keep a sharp look out, and the and what the cost would be, especially as the main Secretary and Superintendent would do their body of material which goes to form deleterious atmost to enforce the Ordinance. sewage is carried away from here by hand. I think
The resolution was carried. should be given a fair trial before adopting a new also that when our drainage system is completed, it
and probably expensive method.
anced for one moment.
|
THE CONSTRUCTION OF WASHING TANKS.
The following letter from the Colonial Se- dretary was read:-23rd July, 1895-Sir.-In reply to your letter of the 19th inst. on the subject of the training of certain streams and the construction of tanks for purposes of washing,
am directed to inform you that this matter has got been overlooked, but that, owing to other works of a more pressing nature, it has hitherto not been possible for the Public Works Depart- ment to deal with it. The Director of Publio Works, however, states that he hopes to be able to prepare a detailed project before the end of the year. I am, &c., J. H. Stewart Lockhart,. Colonial Secretary.
CHOLERA IN JAPAN,
The Secretary-When I received these papers I at once saw they required careful consideration. Icon- equently put them aside to attend to more pressing again. This appears to me to be the position. Do affairs, and have only just been able to take them up properly constructed sewers kept in proper working order and with proper provision for systematic and regular flushing require to be regularly or oven irre- gularly deodorized. There can, I think, be but one answer to this question, and that is, no. Of courag this answer assumes that the house drains connected to the sewers are properly constructed, reasonably well looked after, and that there is a sufficient supply of water for domestic purposes. It is therefore per- fectly clear to me that this ingenious system of de. by the electrolysis of sea water is simply a contriv odorizing sewage through the production of chlorine ance to render as inocuous as possible the sewers and
Correspondence between His Excellency' the sewage of a defectively drained town. The cost of Governor and Mr. Gerard Lowther, British · The PRESIDENT said the report showed clearly establishing and working, such a method of deodori Legatiou, Tokyo, was transmitted by the Co- that the consenens of opinion was against water the cost of putting the drains of the town in proper zation would in a very short time be far greater than
lonial Secretary concerning cholera in Japan. closets. The report contained a series of ques-order. Apart altogether from these important factors
Mr. Lowther wrote on 6th May reporting that tions and answers, but some of the questions I have mentioned it must be borne in mind that the
ninety cases of cholera, of which twenty-six were not applicable to this colony. The harbour system is still in its experimental stage. Under proved fatal, had been reported by the tem- of Victoria was compared with the harbours of these circumstances I am of the opinion that it would porary Quarantius Board from the 19th to 30th Malta and Bombay, but analogies could not be simply mean a huge experiment paid for by the rate-board ships arriving at tho disinfecting station be folly to introduce the system here for it would April. Of these cases twenty-five occurred on drawn between these harbours. The harbours payers for the benefit of the promotors of this con- of Malta and Bombay were practically land trivance for the deodorization of sewers and sewage.
at Wada No Misaki, near Kobe, and nine at the looked, and there was scarcely any flow through The President said that
port of Moji. There were sixteen deaths at a copy of the them, whereas in Victoria harbour there was
May Mr. Lowther sent an official return of the Wads No Misaki and one.at Meji. On 18th rise and fall of something like eight. feet twice a day. He fully concurred with Acting Medical Officer's opinion that the Regulations were adopted, subject to the ap- water closet system WAS the proper to have; but it was not possible, for sani-effect:-
one proval of the Government, to the following tary reasons, to introduce water closets every. 1. All laundries must be registered.
a
the
minutes would be forwarded to the Colonial
Secretary.
THE CONTROL OF LAUNDRIES,
where. In most cares the houses were n t 2. All laundries must be in buildings lighted,
suitable for the introduction of such apparatus. and in many cases the occupants would not be sufficiently cognisant of the use of the apparatns, and it was quite possible that if a water carriage system was attempted to be forced upon them it would be, from a sanitary point of view, u failure. Seeing the progress which had been made throughout the civilized world he had no hesitation in saying that sooner or later the water carriage system would be adopted in the oity. He hoped that when new houses were erected the builders would see that suitable ac- comodation was provided for the fixing of water closets. Then of course there was the question of the water supply. They had, during the last few years and almost since the colony had been in existence-beeu threatened in the winter with a water famiue, and it was of primary importance" that the water supply should be constant and adequate. Steps were being taken to increase the water supply, and applications which had been allowed by the Board had not been allowed with out the provision of suitable tanks to afford a constant supply of water for flushing purposes. Ho agreed that the present was not the time to generally introduce the system of water closets.
Mr. EDE, in reply, said the question of the harbour had evidently been carefully considered by the Committee, and the Board adopted the recommendations.
The PRESIDENT-When this report was before the Board I pointed out that many of the
opinions expressed were of a prophetic nature.
The resolution was lost.
THE DEODORIZATION OF SEWAGE. Messrs. Paterson and Cooper, of London, forwarded copies of pamphlets describing the hermite process of electrical sanitation. The pamphlets were sent at the instance of Hou. T. H. Whitehead, and it was stated in the letter that the War Office authorities had decided to have a complete installation of plant for working the process at Netley Hospital.
The following minutes were appended :-
ventilated, paved and drained in accordance with the 1884 by-laws.
3-All laundries must be kept clean, and lime-washed at least once a year.
4.-Laundries must not be used as dwellings, or for anything else but laundry work.
5.-Nobody except caretakers or inen engaged on special laundry work shall stay all night in a laundry.
6-All laundries shall be always open to inspection by the officers of the Board.
Á schedulo embodying certain minor details to be specified in applying for registration was attached.
WELLS CLOSED.
Certain wells, about which the analyst had made a report, were ordered to be closed.
CASE OF PLAGUE.
A case of plague was reported from 8, Mac- donald Road, Kowloon, and the Medical Officer of Health, in a minute, said that it was probable that the case was contracted in an infected house on the Kowloon Peninsula.
INSANITARY DWELLINGS
A list of insanitary dwellings was laid upon the tablo.
The ACTING MEDICAL OFFICER OF HEALTH If the Chinese inhabitants have any seuse of pride the motion which I am about to move inst cause it a severe shock. The owners of stables and pig styes expect to be called upon to keep them clean, but to have to notify
the owner of a house inhabited by human beings that it is in such a dirty condition as to constitute a danger to health should stimulate every China- man to do for himself what now has to be done for him. It seems inconsistent to put the landlords to inconvenience and expense for the neglect of their tenants, and it is to be hoped that it will not often ba necessary. The principal insnuitary conditions noted were dirty Boors and walls, accumulations of rubbish, and rotten and saturated wood work, all excellent breeding grounds for disease poisons. The other conditions injurious to health which I discovered
number of cases. This showed that since the beginning of the year 364 cases had been re- corded, of which 130 had ended fatally. In a despatch, dated 19th July, the total number of cases recorded was 4,087, of which 2,165 ended
fatally.His Excellency wrote thanking Mr.
Lowther for the returns.
MORTALITY STATISTICS.
The death rate for the week ended 20th July. was 19.3 per 1,000 per annum, as compared, with The feature of most importance is the death 17 during the corresponding week of last year.
recorded from bubonic plagub in Kowloon.
For the week ended 27th July the death rate was 22 per 1,000 per annum, as compared with 18.1 during the corresponding week last year. The feature of most importance in the return is the death recorded from small-pox.
ADJOURNMENT.
The Board adjourned until Thursday week.
ANALYSES OF RUM AND GIN.
The following report was laid upon the table at the meeting of the Sanitary Board held on
the 1st instant:—
+
:
Government Laboratory, Hongkong, 15th July, 1895. Sir, I have the honour to report upon_two- samples of Naval" rum and one sample of gin sent on Tuesday, June 18th last, by the Sani- tary Board. I
letter accompanying these a request was detek that an examination should be made in or to ascertain if the spirits contain any:t ag jurious to health other than the ordinary ingredients of commercial rum and giu, and also the strength of the spirits."
1.-The following table shows the percentages of alcohol, free acid, and total solid matter:-
Percent Degrees Liquid.
under age of alcohol. proof. Naval Rum 42.29
A. Naval Rum
B. Gin.
Fres acid,
13
as acetio, .0386
Total Bolid matter. .462
39.69
18
.0084
.625
0075
.014
41.30
15 From the results recorded in this table it
will be seen that the liquids do not differ in composition in the particulars stated from genuine ram and gin, so that a number of obser-