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August 13, 1898.)
TERRIFIC TYPHOON IN FORMOSA.
GREAT DAMAGE AND LOSS OF LIFE. [SPECIAL TELEGRAM TO THE “DAILY PRESS"]
Daitotei, 8th August.
A terrific typhoon has swept over North Formosa. It is estimated that 1,000 houses have been destroyed and many lives have been lost. The foreigners are safe.
Much tea has been damaged,
THE STRANDING OF THE
"AMARAPOORA.”
THE CAPTAIN'S CERTIFICATE
SUSPENDED.
[SPECIAL TELEGRAM TO THE "DAILY PRESS,"
SHANGHAI, 9th August. The Marine Court of Inquiry held to inves- tigate the circumstances attending the strand- ing of the British steamer Amarapoora has sus- pended the Captain's certificate for six months. [The Amarapoora went ashore on the 7th May on the Pinnacle Rocks, near the S. E. Pro- montory, while on a voyage from British Columbia to Taku with a cargo of railway ties and timber. She was an iron screw steamer of 1,619 tons net register and 300 horse-power.]
HONGKONG SANITARY BOARD.
A meeting of the Hongkong Sanitary Board was held on Thursday afternoon, when there were present the Vice-President (the Hon. F. H. May, Captain Superintendent of Police, presiding, the Acting Director of Fublic Works (Mr. W. Chatham), the Acting Registrar-Geu- eral (Mr. A. W. Brewin), and the Medical Officer of Health (Dr. F. W. Clark), the last name acting as Secretary.
MINUTES,
The minutes of the previous meeting were submitted and adopted as a correct record. THE REGULATION OF PUBLIC LAUNDRIES.
The MEDICAL OFFICER OF HEALTH said the proposed amendment of bye-laws for the regu lation of public laundries was in revoking bye- laws 4 and 5 and substituting the following:- "No persons other than two caretakers may occupy any building or part of a building which is registered as a public laundry between the hours of 11 p.m. and 5 a.m. unless such persous are actively engaged in carrying on the work of the laundry." Bye-laws 4 and 5 were:-- Any room used as a public laundry shall not be used either as a dwelling or a bedroom, or for any purpose other than that of a laundry. No person other than a caretaker shall pass the night in a public laundry except such person be actively engaged on the work of the laundry."
f.
On the motion of the VICE-PRESIDENT, it was decided to recommend the amended section to the Government for adoption.
THE RETIREMENT OF MR. N. J. EDE.
The following letter from the Secretary of State for the Colonies to H. E. the Acting Go- vernor concerning the resignation of Mr. N. J. Ede was submitted-
"Downing Street, 7th July, 1998.
· Sir,—I have the honour to acknowledge the
receipt of your despatch No. 133 of the 12th May reporting that Mr. N. J. Ede has resigned his seat on the Hongkong Sanitary Board and is returning to this country.
** I have received with much satisfaction the testimony you have borne to the valuable ser- vices rendered by Mr. Ede, and I must express my regret that those services will henceforth be lost to the colony.-I have the honour to be, sir, your most obedient, humble servant,
"J. CHAMBERLAIN." The VICE PRESIDENT-I am sure the mem- bers will be gratified that Mr. Ede's valuable services have met with such well-deserved re- cognition.
A LODGING HOUSE QUESTION,
Correspondence concerning the alleged use of certain premises as common lodging houses wore submitted. The premises are situated at No. 5, Praya West, and are used by the oc-
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CHINA OVERLAND TRADE REPORT.
cupants for the purpose of putting up for a day or two such of their customers as come from up country.
The VICE-PRESIDENT—I move we take no further action in the matter.
The MEDICAL OFFICER OF HEALTH said the object of the Ordinance dealing with lodg ing houses was to prevent over crowding and ensure the sanitary condition of all such houses as were not occupied strictly speaking as family houses. Therefore in his opinion according to the spirit of the law these houses were not com- mon lodging houses; but the Attorney-General suggested that in view of the fact that they were not open to the public it would be wise to con sider the desirability of altering the bye law which required a board to be placed against the house with the words Common lodging house painted upon it.
The ACTING REGISTRAR GENERAL-said he did not think any one of the coolie houses in the colony was open to the public,
The VICE-PRESIDENT-I am inclined on the whole to move that no further action be taken in the matter at present.
The ACTING REGISTRAR GENERAL secouded. Carried.
MR. HILLER AND THE RECENT EPIDEMIC OF PLAQUE..
Mr. H. M. Hillier, Commissioner of Customs for Kowloon and district, wrote Dr. Clark, as Acting Secretary, as follows I have the honour to acknowledge the receipt of your letter of the 6th instant conveying the thanks of the Sanitary Board for the assistance rendered by me during the recent epidemic of bubonic plague in Hongkong. In reply I beg to express my satisfaction that, with the aid of the officers of the Kowloon Customis, I have been in a position to render assistance in fur.. thering the important work of the Board. It is also gratifying to me to have the opportunity of testifying to the hearty co-opération given by the Ta Ping Hsieh, Wang, the Kowloon Sui Li, and the Samshuipo Hsnu-ti Lin, who readily adopted and intelligently carried out the proposals made for the control of the epidemic in Kowloon and its neighbourhood."
The VICE-PRESIDENT-I move that we for- ward a copy of this letter to the Government with the request that H. B. M's Consulat Canton call the attention of the Chinese authorities to officers and conveying to them the thanks of the valuable assistance rendered by the Chinese
the Goverument. No doubt they did a great deal of work-gratuitous work-and work which was very valuable to the community.
The ACTING Registrar-GENERAL seconded. Carried.
THE VACCINE INSTITUTE AND THE SUPPLY OF VACCINE LYMPH.
The following letter from the Medical Officer of Health (Dr. Clark) to the President was sub-
mitted: I have the honour to direct the
special attention of the Board to a recommenda- tion contained in my annual report for the year
1897, that the Government should undertake to
supply the Tung Wah Hospital authorities with an
ample supply of vaccine lymph throughout the year and offer a small bonus of say 20 cents to the Chinese house surgeons at that Hospital for every successful vaccination performed by them, the results to be certified by the Government medical officer attending that Hospital. A similar offer might be made to the Chinese house surgeons of the Alice Memorial and Neth de Hospitals if
the Medical Superintendent would consent to certify the results. I believe there is no reason why vaccine should not be prepared in our Vaccine Institute throughout the year as is done in Saigon,"
Among the minutes appended were following:-
the
The Acting Registrar General—“ First ask Mr. Ladds how it is they succeed in Sai- gon whilst we fail in Hongkong. I should also like to know what is meant by being almost wholly dependent on our neighbours for the supply of lymph during an epidemic."
The Captain Superintendent of Police "Mr. Ladds does all this work for nothing, and I don't see why he should be saddled with it during the hot season. Why not obtain lymph from Saigon for certain months and let the Institute be open for the remainder of the year? Ask Mr. Ladds to report in detail.”
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The Medical Officer of Health T most strongly of the opinion that an effort should be made to manufacture vaccine lymph at the Institute in this colony continuously throughout the year, and from buffaloes not calres--as is done at Saigon. If this cannot be done the Institute had better be abolished and an order placed by the Government for the supply of lymph from Saigon by every French mail. At present we are almost wholly depend eat on our neighbours for the supply of lymph during smallpox epidemics, and. I do not think that this is creditable to a colony such as Hongkong."
In another minute the Medical Officer of Health said-"The question of the amount of lymph required is one which can only be answer- ed by practical experience. I should say that at first a supply of lymph enough to raccinate 100 persons a month at each of the Hospitals named would be ample. This would cost for lymph about $8 and for bonuses $60 a month provided that 300 persons a month wero vaccinated. If such a result could be seenred the benefit deri- vable would far out-weigh the cost. It is for Government to provide the necessary fands if they approve of the scheme.'
Dr. Lowson- The Medical Officer of Health exaggerates the importance of continnons summer supply. I strongly. object to our depending on a large foreign supply of lymph for continuance of which we have no guarantee. The mein causes of our present trouble are disease of the calves and disorganisation" Or rather want of organisation of the Vaccine Institute. Four years ago We had a supply of as good lymph as could he got in the world-so its preparation can be carried out in Hongkong. The Japan- esc wors compelled to stop summer preparation in Tokyo, owing to the high temperatura prin- cipally, and formed a summer farm at Nikko- 4,000 feet above the sea level. If we find we must have a summer supply it is not outside the range of practical politics that we may have a farm on Taimoshan in the future. The amount of money that has been expended on the Vaccine Institute has been ludicrously small compared with the importance of the subject. The preparation of lymph was begun and carried out by Mr. Ladds until he went on leave in 1895, and then there was no one who would or could carry it ont. Preparation thoroughly conversant with the subject
at present usually takes up a lot of spare time after an ordinary day's work, and in the case of Mr. Ladds has been done without any remunera- tion. In all the faccine farms I have visited in Japau. India, and America a large and competent staff has been appointed and the expenditure was commensurate with the importance of the matter. I think at the present time the Sanitary Board should pass resolutions impressing on the Government the importance of a proper supply of lymph for through the present Tung Wah vaccinators), the colony and surrounding country (distributed
proper basis. If the Government do this they and asking them to organise the Institute on a will probably find the saving of expenditure in pensate them for their outlay. At present I am treating future epidemics will more than com-
not in favour of the 20 cent payment. Medical Officer of Health's estimate correct p Where's the money to come from? and is the
The VICE-PRESIDENT proposed that a letter be addressed to the Colonial Secretary setting ply of lymph and of having it manufactured in out the desirability of having a continuous sup
the colony by an addition to the staff, and that Mr. Ladds give more of his time to the duties of superintending the Vaccine Institute. He did not know how much of Mr. Ladds' time this would take up,
The ACTING REGISTRAR GENERAL-I think it is too important work to be put aside until after office hours,
The VICE-PRESIDENT said it was very impor- tant work, work which took a good deal of time. It was delicate work and the man ought to be paid for it. Really, it was a pure proft to the Government. In 1894 there was a profit of $600, and that was when the thing was in very small way and working only half a year, There was no doubt about it there was some-d thing in the thing, and he did not see why when the Government ran a thing like this the