466
THE HONGKONG WEEKLY PRESS AND
If it turns out that the disease is raging in Kowloon City there can be no doubt that that would form a probable source owing to its proximity to Kowloon, although we should think the danger of infection would be just as great, if not greater, in Hongkong than in British Kowloon, as there is quite as much com- munication between Hongkong and Kowloon City as there is between British Kowloon and Kowloon City. However that may be. both theories are well worth the attention of the anthorities.
£
mate-
The Dock Company in normal times employ about three thousand men and there is always plenty of work for the whole of them, but at the present time there are only just over two thou- sand hands employed. Fortunately it cannot be said that the trade of the colony is perceptibly interfered with by the shortness of dock hands, but if the rate of deserting from the works pro- ceeds as it has done lately the inconvenience to shipping must increase to rial extent.. The reason
why these nine hundred men, most of whom are employed on skilled labour, have left work is, it is said, that they look upon Kowloon. as a highly infected place. Many of the men have alleged illness as a cause of their absence, while others have plainly stated that not only are they afraid of contracting the disease and the treatment by the English doctors, but that many cases of plague occur in the district which never, for obvious reasons, come under the knowledge of the Sanitary Board officers. Many people, it is asserted, have, after being stricken with the disease, left their homes in order to die in their native. country, and it is further remarked that not a few dead bodies of persons who have been on their way have been picked up on the hill sides. It seems that the prejudice against the Western medical treatment is as deep rooted at Kowloon as ever, and even intelligent Chinese workmen have been heard to remark that English doctors poison the patients. If the men are told that they would die in Canton in greater numbers they would simply say "More better die in Canton than Hongkong." The Ching Ming festival has been alleged as a reason for the exodus, but as this festival commenced on the 4th April it cannot explain the present absence of the men.
5.--The information I gave the President was of the two kinds, one referring to the many rumours in circulation as to certain cases, which looked more than "suspicious," and others which I knew of and had seen myself, as to the retention of certain illegal cocklofts and-the pulling down of certain legal cocklofts; the former information was private and confidential, and the latter was not; and it was to the former cases only I naturally assumed the letter of the President of the 15th instant referred.
6The President has evidently mixed the two cases together. I regret to see from the Board letter to the Government that no enquiries have as yet been made by him as to the truth or otherwise of the first information I gave him.
7-Had he asked me to accompany either himself or a responsible officer to the places mentioned to him I should have been only too glad to have done so.
8.-I venture to think you will find all my references to Nos. 88 and 90, Bonham Strand (two of the large hongs in Bonham Strand referred to in my latter) verified eventually.. As, however, legal proceedings are about to be commenced in these cases against the Board, it would be out of place for me to make further reference to them now beyond mentioning that the President is again wrong in his letter to the Government in stating that "Mr. Danby fails to give the number of premises occupied by his clients, so that further enquiry as to alleged damages done to his client's cargo and stock in trade is not practicable." I can imagine no reason for Mr. Cooper making such a statement on the 21st instant, seeing I took the Secretary of the Board and Mr. Ede to the very premises referred to on the 9th inst., and pointed out to them, on the spot, the verandah floors from which I saw dirty water falling on my client's valuable merchandise.
"there
9. In the matter of the alleged illegal cock- lofts in Wing Sing Lane, I accept your version as to what you said on the occasion of our visit there on the afternoon of the 9th inst. as cor- rect. I most certainly heard you say was no doubt they were illegal." I did not, however, hear you qualify the statement shortly afterwards, It may interest you, however, to be informed that about the middle of last month (you will no doubt find notes of the case in your
-MR. W. DANBY AND THE SANITARY office) an Inspector visited thèse premises aud
BOARD.
A REJOINDER BY MR. DANBY,
The following letter has been forwarded to Mr. H. McCallum, Secretary of the Sanitary Board, by Mr. W. Danby :---
Hongkong, May 26th, 1896, Dear Sir,-Adverting to the published account in the local papers of the proceedings at the meeting of the Sanitary Board on Thurs- day last, the 21st instant, I have the honour to request that you will lay this letter before the Board at its next meeting.
2. Before proceeding further, however, I wish to assure you and the Board that the letter of mine referred, to at the meeting, and published in the China Mail of the 14th Instant, was (as Mr. Ede stated at the meeting) published in good faith and pro bono publico. I still adhere to the statements made therein, and have nothing to withdraw.
3.-I desire most emphatically to protest against the remarks in reference to myself, both in the minute circulated to the Board by the President and yourself, and also to the statements made about myself by the President at the meeting, and to the "animus" shown by him towards myself.
4-I think it my duty to state that when called upon the President on the 11th instant was not received courteously, and had to remind him that I had called upon him as President of the Sanitary Board" in refer- ence to certain information I had received, and which I had every reagon at the time (and still have) to believe to be reliable, and that I thought "I was doing him a good turn" by informing him of these reports, which was done with a view to him (as President of the Sanitary Board) causing enquiries to be made as to the truth or otherwise of them; as he, owing to his official position, could better and more easily do so than myself, a prívate individual, even had I
eltinclined to do so,
ordered all the cocklofts to be removed; the owner protested against doing so, and referred the matter (through others) to yourself, who gave instructions for cocklefts to remain, and they are there now. If those. cocklofts were legal, the Inspector had no right to order their removal, and with all respect to yourself, if they were illegal, neither you nor the Sanitary Board had any right to allow them to remain.
10-I have read very carefully the copy of Government Notification No. 373 you sent me, which to my mind places the illegality of these cocklofts beyond all dispute.
11.-The Notification states, among other things, that "No permission will be granted for the continuance of cocklofts, unless the top floors of such cocklofts do not extend over more than one-half of the floor area of the room, and has a clear space above it of not less than 8 feet, and below it of not less than 9 feet measured vertically. In the case, however, of cockloffs on ground floors, that do not comply with these conditions, po permission will be granted for their continuance except for storage purposes only." (It will be interesting to know if any permission has been given by the Board for these cocklofts to be used for storage purposes only.)
12.-Now, sir, you saw me on the 8th instant, in the presence of Mr. Ede, measure the height from the ground floor of No. 7, Wing Sing Lane to the underside of the cockloft in that shop; the height was 7 feet 7 inches. I also pointed out to you and Mr. Ede at the time that there was a Chinese bed on the cockloft, which we all saw through the railing of the cockloft; it was then you stated that the “cockloft was certainly illegal," and you were You did not tell us, correct in your statement. however, and the fact only came to my know ledge subsequently, that you were already acquainted (or ought to have been) with the existence of these alleged illegal cocklofts, and that they were in existence, owing to your own
1896.
instructions, after an Inspector had given orders for their removal.
13.-In your minute to the Board, I note you still say they are legal for some reason-or other.
14.-For the information of yourself and the Board, on Saturday afternoon last F ascertained the respective measurements of the ground floors of the first seven shops on the east and west sides of this Wing Bing Lane côm. mencing from Queen's Road Central, and also made a note of the purposes for which the cocklofts were being used, and the respective number of beds found on each of them."
15.-I have embodied this information in the following table, which I think explains itself. The table is signed by Captain Burnie as correct, he having verified my measurements, &c. (in my absence), yesterday morning —
|
Wing Shing Lane. Measurements of certain houses therein.
Purposes for which cocklofts used.
5 Beds and baggage.
4 Beds and tables.
4 Beds and baggage.
3 Beds and fixed shelves.
2 Sleeping mats and blankets rolled up.
2 Beds and baggage.
6 Beds and baggage.
5 Beds, tables, and baggage.
6 Beds and a little baggage.
4 Beds and baggage,
&
-
8
of
of cocklofts.
shop.
shop. Below. Above.
cubic ft.
30.0
13.6
14.0 - 7.5.
6.0
12.10
21
31.2
15.3
14.0
7.4
6.2
13.6
3
No cocklofts.
33.5
15,9
14,6
7.7.
6.4
12.6
No cocklofts.
35.6
15.6
14.0
7.8
6.5
12.6
No sockloft (used as a godown.)
16.0
7.3
12.10 7.4
5.9
12.6**
36.10
19.6
13.10
7.7
5.9
12.6
41.0
15.0
13.8
7.8
5.6
12.6
45.0
21.0
14.9
7.11
6.3.
12.6
49.8
21.7
14.7
7.9
6.0
12.7
4
36.0
15.9
14.7
8.4
5.9
12.6
24
26.6
18:10
14.2
7.10 5.9
12.6-.
2
3 Sleeping mats ditto.
No. of
house.
Length Length Height Clear height
of
of «ock.
lofts.
Adults
Width. at 400
(The figures in Red [i.s., adults at 400 cubic feet] are my own.)
I, the undersigned, certify the above measurements, and the number of beds I saw on the floors of the respec- tive cocklofts at about 10:aïm, on Monday, the 25th inst.,
E. BURNIE. as correct.
17.-The Board will notice from this table that out of the fourteen houses referred to there- in eleven are in my opinion strictly “illegal,” The other houses in the and three "legal." lane are all of the same class and used for somewhat similar purposes.
reasons
الهم
18-I should be glad to know if the President these and yourself are still of opinion that cocklofts are legal, and, if so, your such opinion, so that for the future owners of property may know the interpretation, you and the Board place upon Notification No. 373.
wwiringg
19. In the matter of your letter of the 11th instant, that you gave the occupiers of Nos. 91 no need and 103, Bonham Strand, addressed to “The Cleansing Gang," stating there was to cleanse them for a few days, you and the President go off at a tangent from the point as to referred to in my letter and "quibble whether the policeman threw the letter on the floor or placed it on a desk. I never me any reference of any kind to this subject in my letter; what I said is, that, on your letter
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