July 9, 1898.]
·NAVIGATION OF CHINA'S INLAND WATERWAYS..
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CHINA OVERLAND TRADE REPORT.
THE CONTAGIOUS DISEASES ORDINANCE.
The telegram from our Singapore cor- respondent published in another column is of a disquieting character. Reuter tele- graphed under date of the 24th June that "Mr. CHAMBERLAIN, speaking in the House of Commous, said it had been decided to "sanction the re-enactment of the Conta- Igious Diseases Ordinance in Hongkong." The telegram was so explicit and categorical as to leave hardly any room for doubt as to much interested in the subject as Hongkong, its correctness, Singapore, however, is as and the absence of any mention of that colony in the telegram has apparently put the local branch of the Straits Settlements Association on the qui vive. If the re-enact
·INSANITARY HOUSES.
(2nd July).
27
be
Router informs us, on the authority of a
The report of the Insanitary Properties statement made by Mr. CURZON, that the
Commission having now been considered British Government will insist upon the
and commented upon by the Sanitary Board Chinese Government revising the regula
the matter will no doubt be taken up by tions for inland navigation in a satisfactory
the Government with a view to the passing sense. It is to be hoped the Government
of the necessary legislation to give effect to will act up to its professions and not consent
the recommendations that have been made. to be trifled with by the Tsungli Yamen.
The Sanitary Board in its recommendations The regulations in question have been a
goes a little further than the Commission long time in preparation and an extraordin.
did, especially with respect to back to back ary secrecy has been observed with regard
houses, the erection of which they would in to them. They have not even yet been
apparently, that existing property of this future prohibit altogether. It is not intended, formally promulgated, at least not in the
descriptiou should be demolished, but that South, though it would appear that in the North something is known of their general
no more back to back houses should be allowed character, for the China Gazette in its issue
to be erected. This is a very desirable pro- of the 24th June says:- "The first steam-
vision and could not reasonably be objected "launch has left Chinkiang for Yangchowment of the Ordinance was to be sanctioned in to by property owners. Take, for instance, the "under the new Inland Navigation rules. Hongkong, why not at Singapore? A telegram block of buildings being erected on the site "She left yesterday after clearing at the accordingly seems to have been dispatched of the old Victoria Hotel. The Hotel was "Custom House; but we are sorry to learn to the London branch of the Straits Set- a straggling old building. The property. "that the voluntary concession of China to
tlements Association making inquiries, and changed hands some time ago, and the new "Great Britain in declaring her internal the result is given in the telegram from our
owners—a religious corporation--have elected waterways open to steam navigation is Singapore correspondent, namely, a denial to make use of the site for the erection of likely to be destroyed by the mountain of the re-enactment of the Ordinance in this objectionable from a sanitary point of view. that the home Government has sanctioned lofty back to back houses of a type most "unworkable regulations with which the gift, that otherwise would be a most
colony. We fear it can hardly be doubted There would have been no hardship in this "valuable one, has been smothered. Those
that the information of the Straits Settle-case had the erection of such houses been inents Association is correct. who are in a position to judge have no
A possible disallowed, and seeing that there is danger hesitancy in pronouncing the whole con-
explanation of the contradiction between of other European properties in Queen's cession, under the new conditions, to be the two telegrams suggests itself. The Road being similarly converted it is high absolutely worthless, a of no
Registrar-General year by year for some time the legislature took steps to prevent "value than the privileges which
time past has drawn attention in his annual it, otherwise we will have a second Taiping conceded by the Chefoo Convention with reports to the deleterious influence exercised shan growing up between Queen's Road and "reference to the four ports therein named,
by sly brothels on respectable Chinese the old Praya. Where back to back family life in the colony. Wherever a buildings already exist there may man goes he is liable to find the next room some hardship upon the owners if, when or the next house occupied as a brothel, rebuilding becomes necessary on account of and under such circumstances he naturally the age of existing buildings, they are not has a reluctance to bring his wife and allowed to erect a similar class of houses, family to Hongkong if he can conveniently but, as was remarked in an article on the keep them at his native place in China. Insanitary Properties Commission's report The Hon. J. H. STEWART LOCKHART While when it was first published, if property at home on leave may have been able to "of course, a regular Treaty Port." All represent this to the Secretary of State with to put up buildings of a manifestly in- that is definitely known here concern-
such force as to extract from Mr. CHAM- sanitary character we can see no reason ing the regulations seems to be that Hong-
BERLAIN a sanction for the re-enactment of why their fellow ratepayers should be kong and Macao are excluded from what the law as to registration, and upon a state- called upon to pay the cost of remedying ever benefits they, may confer and that a
ment being made to that effect in the House their mistake. The Government has as steamer from either of those ports desiring of Commons Reuter may mistakenly have much right to prevent the letting of in- to trade to non-treaty river ports would have jumped to the conclusion that registration sanitary property as it has to prevent the to proceed first to a treaty port to clear at implied medical examination, which is not sale of unwholesome food. The Hon. F. H. the Customs. It is unfortunate that the necessarily the case.
Mr. CHAMBERLAIN'S MAY at the meeting of the Sanitary Board draft regulations were not first submitted speech would of course be reported and
on Thursday expressed the hope that the to the various Chambers of Commerce with it is inconceivable that the Straits Settle-public would give its support to the measures an invitation for remarks and suggestions.ments Association should have made any necessary to carry into effect the Board's As Mr. BOURNE says in his recently pub-
error in the matter, for not only would they recommendations, and we think that hope lished able report on the Trade of Central have the published report of the speech will be realised. and Southern China,
them, but they would also "clear understanding between the Govern-in ordinary course make direct inquiries at
the Colonial Office. The disappointment, lished in another column, a member of our Upon receipt of Mr. DANBY's letter, pub- ment and the merchants, the Government "take rights,.as in the case of the ports of however, should not be allowed to stifle the staff visited the property in question, and "call on the Yangteze, in such a form as to agitation in favour of the re-enactment of
subsequently Mr. DANBY favoured us with be of no value, and the merchants do not the law as to medical examination, but, ou
an inspection of the plans and explained get the developments that their plans de- the contrary, should greatly stimulate it,them in detail. It would appear that Mr. and we would suggest that both the China MAY's strictures and our own-made chiefly Association and the Navy League should at
on the authority of Mr. MAY's statements once set the wires in motion to ascertain
were entirely undeserved, since the houses the real state of the case and, should it in the matter of light and open areas exceed unfortunately prove, as we anticipate, that even the recommendations of the Sanitary Reuter has made a mistake, to represent in
Board, An inspection of the houses, with strong and unmistakable terms the feeling the knowledge that they are in excess of of the colony on the lamentable injury the standard that the Board suggests should being done to the health of the army and be unde legally compulsory, will, however, navy, as well as to that of the mercantile satisfy anyone as to the very moderate na- marine and resident population, by the ture of that standard and the unreasonable withholding of reasonable safeguards.
ness of any opposition thereto. In fact the [From Ceylon papers since received it ap- Board might with
"the four ports being Tatung, Shashi, Nganking, and Hokow, which were de- clared for the landing of passengers
open "and the handling of cargo, but at which, "in consequence of the atrocious lekin regulations, not one package of cargo "has ever been landed from that day to this, except in the last few months "in the case of Shashi, which is now,
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Unless there is a
**mand." The Government is now more ready to listen to and act upon the represen- tations of the merchants than formerly, and we trust that in the present case the result may be to arrive at a really satisfac- tory settlement in regard to interual naviga. tion. The concession made by China is a very valuable one if it be acted up to in spirit and letter, but it is capable of being rendered almost nugatory by vexatious and restrictive regulations. Not having the
text of the regulations before us we are unable to criticise them in detail, but the exclusion of Hongkong and Macao from the benefits of the concession is certainly a blot upon them, and it would seem from the remarks of our Shanghai contemporary that they are in other respects unsatisfactory.
before
pears that the mistake arose through the omission of the word "not" from the tele- gram. What Mr, Chamberlain said was that it had been decided not to sanction the reintroduction of the Ordinances.]
owners have elected of their own discretion
(4th July.)
recommendations good deal further in las age have gone a than it has, for the houses now being erecte on the site of the old Victoria Hotel, al though in excess
s of legal requirements, are not as perfect from u sanitary point of