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August 27, 1898.1
staff at the Consulate stated that though the plague was diminishing it was still existent. Subject to the approval of the Consuls he felt inclined to report: The plague is showing signs of ceasing to be epidemic and of begin- ning to be sporadio."
Mr. F. Cass, Belgian Consul, wrote:-"Amoy is as free from plague as it has been-no reliable cases reported for some weeks."
Mr. F. Leyburn, Danish Consul: antine should be removed at once. The place is as healthy as it ever was, and more healthy than usual."
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CHINA OVERLAND TRADE REPORT.
181
MACAO MORTALITY RETURNS. A return from Macao for the weeks ended Angust 7th and August 14th showed that during the former week there were 45 deaths and during the latter 51, none being due to plague.
HONGKONG MORTALITY RETURNS. The mortality return for the week ended August 13th showed the death rate per thous and of the population to be 171 against 15.8 for the previous week and 25-1 for the corres- ponding week last year.
did a great deal of good. It assisted the com- | (inclusive) there were 172 plague cases in the munity much in combatting the plague, city of Bombay and 147 plague deaths. and it was not a question of the Government paying; it was a question of the money coming out of the public funds, which were already contributed in a very large proportion by the Chinese community. So it came to this, that the money they were expending was the Chinese community's money. He certainly thought it -Quar-would be very unfair to ask the directors of the native hospital to bear the whole cost of the Chinese plague hospital, which was not started simply to fall in with their particular prejudices, but which was started on the recom- inendation of that Board in the public interests and in the interests of public health. There- fore, he thought the cost should be borne by public funds and not by private funds. He begged to move that a further letter be addressed to the Government pointing out the facts he had just stated, and that if there had been any fault in this matter it was accepted by the sub-committee, and that they if anybody were responsible for misleading the directors of the Tang Wa Hospital, and that they begged the Government to reconsider their decision and pay the whole cost of these mat-sheds.
Mr. Dunne, French Consular Agent:- I be lieve the sanitary condition here is as healthy as it ever is. I think clean bills of health might now be granted."
The following minutes were appended :- Mr. E. Osborne-"I think the proclamation should remain in force."
The Acting Director of Public Works "The statements are all somewhat vague and indefinite. The proclamation should remain in force."
The Acting Registrar General-" Agree." Dr. CLARK read a telegram received that day from H. B. M. Consul at Amoy which stated that there had been a decrease in the daily average of plague deaths.
On the motion of Dr. Lowson, seconded by the VICE-PRESIDENT, it was decided to recom- mend the Government to revoke the pro- clamation.
WHO SHALL PAY FOR THE MAT-SHEDS.
Correspondence concerning the cost of erecting
certain mat-sheds at Kennedytown as a native plague hospital was submitted. The Govern- ment had declined to pay the whole of the cost. but had expressed their willingness to pay half, suggesting that the directors of the Tung Wa Hospital should pay the other half.
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The VICE-PRESIDENT said there was no doubt the confusion in regard to this matter arose through the sub-committee of the Board appointed to select a building and a site for a native piague hospital originally fixing on the cattle depôt. In their report the sub-committee recommended that all the works in connection with the buildings should be carried on at the cost of the Government, the Tang Wa Hospital authorities to bear the cost of the general management of the place. Therefore they started originally with the proposal that the Government should put the building in a fit state for use and that the Tung Wa Hospital authorities should supply the necessaries for the patients. After that agreement had been come to with the Tung Wa Hospital Authorities, an objection was raised on medical grounds to the cattle dépôt. The Principal Civil Medical Officer feared the cattle which were to remain in one part of the building might contract the plague, and thereupon the Tung Wa Hospital authori- ties were given three mat-sheds at the bottom of the slope on which Renuedytown Hospital stood. These three mat-sheds were totally in. adequate for the purpose of a hospital, and two additional large mat-sheds were utilised. For- tunately the epidemie did not assume such large proportions as some of them feared it would, and the accommodation provided was perhaps a little in excess of what was required. The same hap. pened at Kennedytown Hospital. They provid ed a mat-shed there which was not required at all. The sub-committee, of which he was a member, with Dr. Clark and Mr. Brewin, would admit that the Tung Wa people were led to beliere they would get the building supplied by Go- vernment, and he took the responsibility upon himself to say that the sub-committee led tliese people to believe that such would be done. There was no time when they got down and saw that some additional mat-shed accommoda- tion would be required at Kennedytowa to start a correspondence with the Government as to who was going to pay for it. The idea was to open a native hospital with the least possible delay so as to allay the public mind and to cope more effectually with the epidemic which was threatening the colony in a very serious degree, Therefore, the Tung Wa Hospital authorities were authorised to go right ahead with their mat- shed and were led to believe that the Goveru- ment would pay the cost. Personally he really did not see that it mattered two- pence one way or the other who paid. He thought himself that the native hospital
Dr. CLARK said that as a member of the committee he begged to second that, but he should like to point out that part of the Colonial Secretary's letter which stated that at the interview with the Executive Council on April 17th the directors of the Tung Wa Hospital undertook to pay all expenses in connection with the plague hospital. There was no question, however, that the Board, and certainly the sub-committee, led the directors to understand that the Government would bear the expense of providing them with a hospital. In fact the Board by resolution recommended the Government to do so. Subsequent to that re- commendation there was an interview between the Executive Council and the directors, and at that interview it was the impression of the Colonial Secretary that the directors were given to understand that they would have to bear the expense themselves. He did not think it was unreasonable to ask the Government to pay the money. The Government offered to pay half, but they did not say who were to own the mat-sheds. Were the Government to claim ownership because they paid half or were the directors to be allowed to have them? It would raise a very awkward question, so he thought it would be far better for the Govern- ment to pay the lot.
Mr. OSBORNE thought it would be a distinct breach of faith with the Tang Wa Hospital people if the Government did not find the whole of the money.
Mr. BREWIN pointed out that a meeting of the Executive Council took place on the 22nd April and in his letter of the 25th April the Colonial Secretary made no reference as to who should pay but said that the matter should stand over. So that looked as if on the 25th no decision had been come to by the Executive Council.
Dr. Lowson said the position he took up was this. There was not quite that harmony on the Sanitary Board that there might have been on several questions at that time. If the matter had been left to him he thought he could bare reduced the expense which the sub-committee incurred. For example, they had room on the 15th April for about 120 patients in the Ken nędytown Hospital. The Tung Wah people could have had some of this accommodation. There could have been a sort of amalgamation of the European and Chinese methods without having any friction at all. He thought the Tung Wa people should be very well pleased that the Government had stopped forward and offered to pay this $1,500 He proposed as an amendment that the Tung Wah people should be asked to pay the other half.
The Board then adjourned.
THE KOWLOON SURVEY.
OPPOSITION BY NATIVES. The Hon. J. H. Stewart Lookhart has com- pleted his inspection of the Kowloon territory and returns to England at the end of the pre- sent month to report to the home Government.
We hear that on Saturday, at Kam Tin Hu, between Deep Bay and Taimoshan, the natives when they saw the surveying party approach beat gongs and shouted "ta" and "foreign devils." About a thousand of the villagers res- pouded and shut the gates. The Hon. J. H. Stewart Lockhart gave orders to bring up two Maxim guns and seventy blue-jackets, from the Plover, and on the arrival of this force the villagers were given ten minutes to open the gates. The demand was promptly com- plied with, the natives being overawed by the display of force, and the surveying party went
on with their work.
THE TYPHOON AND FLOODS IN FORMOSA.
[FROM OUR OWN CORRESPONDENT.]
Twaintia, 20th August. Once during the summer, for several years in succession, Formosa has been visited by a terri fic typhoon, accompanied by floods, which have wrought great havoc on the villages in the low- lunds. These storms have been increasing in force for the last three years, until with the pre- sent summer, North Formosa became the un- willing host of a typhoon and inundation which, if the hackneyed phrase be permitted, was by far the greatest storm witnessed "during the life of the oldest inhabitant."
Heavy rains fell during the early days of the month and on the 5th we had a cloudy day with light rains. On the 6th the rain had increased and a rather stiff wind blowing in gusts, to- gether with a falling barometer, gave evidence of an approaching storm of unusual severity, By five o'clock in the evening the Tamsui river had risen level with its banks and was sweeping. along with a terrific current which no small boat cared to encounter. Shipping of all kinds had earlier in the day sought shelter either higher up river or in some of the creeks away from the main stream. A large Japanese schooner was, however, unable to get away and it was left strongly moored to the river's bank not far from the Foreign Club.
At
With darkness the storm increased in fury and the river gradually spread itself along the streets of Twatutia, and eventually even entered Taipeh City, which is on considerably higher land. By midnight the principal streets had been converted into roaring streams four or five feet in depth. From then on until 4 a.m. the water rose inch by inch and the wind increased until it was blowing with typhoon fury. four there was 5 feet of water on the bottom floor of the writer's residence and the narrow street in front was an angry river of over 6 feet in depth, surging along with such rapidity that - it dashed waves up against the house, adding greatly to our anxiety. And as if wind and water were not sufficient, fire broke out in two No one seconded, and the motion was carried..different sections of Twatutia and also in Tai-
AN APPLICATION REFUSED.
The Board were asked to grant permission to erect some houses in Lower Lascar Row at a height of 47 ft. 6 in., which was 7 ft. 6 in. higher than the bye-laws allowed, seeing that the street was a 20 feet street, but on the motion of the VICE-PRESIDENT seconded by Dr. Lowsox, the application was refused.
THE BUBONIC PLAGUE AT BOMBAY,
A return was submitted showing that in the city of Bombay from July 19th to August 2nd
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peh to add its horrors to the situation.
About 4 a.m. the wind changed and with it- the water began to slowly recede and by noon one was quite able to wade about certain of the higher streets without the aid of a boat.
Unfortunately most Formosan houses are built of sun-dried mud bricks. The Chinese use mad because they can find nothing cheaper and not because this commodity possesses any spe- cially valuable qualities. For single storied structures, in dry weather, they are probably