July 30, 1898.]
“No. 9 health district was divided into three sections, and a search party consisting of one European police constable, one soldier, and two Chinese constables visited two of the sections each on alternate days. The remaining section in No. 8 health district and the remaining spc- tion in No. 9 health district were visited by a search party consisting of one European police constable, two soldiers and three Chinese con- stables each on alternate days.
"The total number of searchers employed was 45. There were 62 cases of plague discovered by the search parties. Of these 52 were alive and 10 dead. There were also eight cases of sus- pected plague removed to hospital which were pronounced not to be plague. All cases of plague or suspected plague, with the exception. of those found in No 9 health district, up to the 14th of May were removed in the first instance to the To Wa Hospital, where they were diagnosed by Dr. Chaug and forwarded, if pronounced plague, to the plague hospitals. After the 14th of May the cases in No. 9 health district were also forwarded in the first instance to the Tung Wa Hospital.
CHINA OVERLAND TRADE REPORT.
have not the means to take lodgings for them. selves, as their wages are so small and they may strike work. There are thus difficulties on both sides. Petitioners' business will certainly be seriously hampered by these restrictions. They, therefore, ask your honour to consider their difficulties and to address the Sanitary Board
on their behalf."
The Acting Registrar General, writing ou the 11th instant, said I have seen a number of the masters this morning. The master of the shop No. 16, Bridges Street, says the inter- preter to the inspector who visited the shop told hin that only one caretaker was allowed on the premises, and some of the other men said they had been told the same by the Captain Superintendent of Police this morning. Some of the men are afraid that they may have too many employés sleeping on the premises, and ask that their rooms may be measured and the number of inmates allowed painted up. Others want to know whether they are permitted to hang clothes up to dry in the cockloft above the dwelling-rooms, as in wet weather they have to bring the clothes back to the shop to dry. There was only one complaint made by the They ask that proceedings against them may public against the police engaged on house to be postponed until they are informed of the house visitation. On investigation it was found state of the law. They are all under the im- to be without foundation. There were two compression that some new regulation is being en- plaints against the soldiers which were appar- | forced." ently well founded and the men were removed from this duty. Otherwise the soldiers did their work in a very orderly manner. The search parties worked from 9 a.m, to noon, and from 2 to 5 p.m. Each party was allowed half a day
off duty once a week and 24 hours leave ouce a month.
"The sections into which the health districts were divided, with a memo. of the number of houses in each, are filed at the Police Office for reference in the future if desired."
The PRESIDENT proposed à vote of thanks to the Captain Superintendent of Police for the valuable assistance rendered by the police dur- ing the epidemic of plague. To show how the parties were organised he might say that there were practically no complaints made at all against them.
The DIRECTOR OF PUBLIC WORKS seconded. Carried.
THE LAUNDRYMEN AND THEIR GRIEVANCE.
A petition was transmitted to the Acting Secretary of the Sanitary Board from certain laundrymen concerning the occupation of pub- lic laundries for sleeping purposes. The peti- tion is as follows :--
|
"A petition presented by the washermen of Hongkong complaining that their position rendered insecure by the strictness of the law and the heaviness of fines inflicted on them, and asking that compassion may be shown on them and some beneficial measures devised, and that their petition may be forwarded to the Sanitary Board:
The following minutes, dated July 13th, were appended:
The Director of Public Works-"It seems very desirable that these people should know
what they may do and what they may not do The
regarding the occupation of the rooms. fines seem excessive for a first offence."
The Acting Registrar General-"I pro- pose to more that this petition be considered at the next meeting of the Board."
蓄着
The Captain Superintendent of Police There is a direct conflict of evidence. The prosecutors say the people were sleeping with the clothes. The defendants say they were not. I told them when they were in my office they must have been sleeping with the clothes and I expect they were. I should like to see the papers on which (as they allege) permis- sion was granted to occupy half the shop as a bed-room.'
The papers asked for having been circu- |lated the following minutes were penned on the
19th July:-
The Director of Public Works-"In my opinion the arrangement said to have been approved by the late secretary should be still allowed, namely, the washing room divided into two by a strong bamboo partition, and the men allowed to sleep in one; the clothes being kept in the other."
The Acting Registrar-General- "I think there will be less trouble in the end if the division of the floor into laundry and dwelling. room is done away with, and only two care- takers allowed to sleep on the premises."
The Captain Superintendent of Police" I agree with Mr. Brewin. It will require a new bye-law, however."
fi
A discussion ensued.
1.
The MEDICAL OFFICER OF HEALTH read the two bye-laws affecting this question and said that the late secretary read the word room not as meaning necessarily a floor and held that if a floor was divided into two rooms by means of a bamboo partition the front part could be used as a laundry, and the back part as a sleeping room. That as a matter of fact was the interpretation which had been put upon the law up to the present moment, and the prosecu- tions which resulted in a strike among the laundrymen were prosecutions for sleeping in the same compartment that the European
"Petitioners received the order of the Sabit- ary Board that the places used for washing and ironing clothes shall not be slept in, and on the 25th July, 1897, they received a reply to a petition by which it was permitted that their shops should be divided into two apartments, the front for work and the back as living rooms. After the partitions were put up the Secretary, Mr. McCallum, personally inspected the shops and approved of the arrangements. Petitioners have since observed this regulation. On July 6th a sanitary inspector without warning summoned the masters of washermen's shops at No. 8, No. 16, No, 22, and No. 40, Bridges Street, and charged them with allowing persons to sleep in the work room. No. 22 was fined $10 and the others $20 each. At the time of the inspector's visit on the night of July 5th, all the workmen were sleeping in the dwelling-clothing was in. rooms in accordance with the law. There was nothing on the ironing boards, but the inspector suspected people had been sleeping there. But the boards are damp and anyone sleeping on them would contract illness, and the workmen all know this and would not sleep there. Inquiries will prove that petitioners are not deceiving you, and that there is no reason for suspicion.
In case the workmen are not even permitted to sleep inside the dwelling-rooms the petitioners business will be seriously hampered. Rent is so high and materials so dear that it is im- possible for them to afford to hire other rooms for their workmen, and the workmen themselves
The PRESIDENT said it was clear there would have to be an amendment of the bye- laws. He saw that one of them said that there should be only one caretaker with the clothes, but it was contended that one caretaker could not be responsible for the safety of the clothes
and that there should be two.
103
The subject then dropped, it being under- stood that the amending by the bye-laws would be taken into consideration.
THE LOAN OF PLUNGERS TO PRIVATE
INDIVIDUALS.
Mr. R. F. Drury, Acting Sanitary Surveyor, reported as follows to the Acting Secretary of the Sanitary Board with reference to the loan of plungers to private individuals
Sanitary Board, June 14th, 1898. "Sir, I have the honour to request that you Board for their consideration. will lay the following proposition before the
要蓄
The blocking of traps and in consequence in the best of executed house drainage works is the flooding of yards and kitchens with sewage
a very common occurrence, even in English towns, but more particularly in this colony, where the populace are of less intelligent char- acter. These traps often remain blocked for some time, and it appears to me through two causes: first, that the public generally are not affective working of their house drains; secondly, aware that they alone are responsible for the
that the poorer classes wish to avoid the expense of clearing the drain even if they are aware of their responsibility. For the information of those who are in a position to do so I would state that drainage plungers, patterus of which may be seen at any time at the Sanitary Board Office, can be obtained at the small outlay of $3.50 for six inch and four inch combined plungers on one shaft and $2 for single plunger to fit six inch or four inch trap.
Tho ACTING REGISTRAR-GENECAL thought the word "room" ought to be read as floor and that the laundry employés should be obliged to sleep elsewhere. This might result in a slight rise in what they had to pay for their washing, but he thought the employés ought to be re- moved out of these rooms.
E
With regard to the poorer classes, I have asked the permission of the Captain Superin. tendent of Police, subject to the approval of the Board, to deposit drain plungers, which will be supplied by the Board, at the Police Stations in the villages and those east and west of the city and at the Sanitary Board Office in the central district, whence any person giving his name and address may obtain one on loan. These plungers are so constructed that they may be used with the utmost impunity by any person withont damaging the trap to be cleaned.
|
I consider that if the above suggestions are adopted there will be no further excuse for nuisances caused by stopped traps, the work of the inspectors of nuisances in this respect will be reduced to a minimum, and people offending in this respect will lay themselves open to sub- stantial fines if brought before the Bench, which may be done straight away, without notice to the delinquents, as a contravention of bye-law 11 made under section 13 of Ordinance 15 of 1894, and as action taken in accordance with bye-law No. 26."
The following minutes were appended:- The Director of Public Works-" The sur. veyor's scheme should have a fair trial. I am in favour of his proposals."
The Acting Registrar General-" I do not approve of any charge being made."
The Captain Superintendent of Police "I agree with the proposal except as regards the charge, I agree with Mr. Brewin that there should be no charge.'
The matter was allowed to stand over so that information might be procured as to the use made of the plungers at present at different police stations.
PLAQUE RETURNS.
A return from Formosa showed that for the week ended June 9th there were 47 deaths from bubonic plague in Formosa, there being 30 for the week ended June 17th. Since the outbreak there have been 1,193 cases altogether, of which 813 have died and 211 recovered.
A return from Bombay showed that from June 21st to July 4th 204 cases of plague were reported in the city of Bombay, there being 86.
deaths.
The mortality returns for Macao for the week ending July 17th showed that there were two deaths from plague.
A return from Amoy showed that from May 16th to July 12th there were 1,279 deaths from plague, there being 44 deaths on July 12th.
THE HEALTH OF HONGKONG. The Hongkong mortality statistics for the week ending July 16th showed that the death rate was equal to 157 against 16.9 for the pre- rious week and 20.2 for the week last year. The rate for the week ended corresponding July 23rd was 15.5 against 25.5 for the corres- ponding week last year.