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THE HONGKONG WEEKLY PRESS AND
Dr. CLARK said there was no objection to opening a grave. The only point was that they should know when a grave was opened.
Dr. Lowson thonght No. 8 (the bye-law in question) might be improved upou.
The VICE-PRESIDENT said he did not think was likely that the Board or any officer of the Board would act in an unreasonable way. The rule as to Chinese cemeteries was for seven years; possibly the same rule would be adopted else. where.
Dr. Lowson-I do not think so. These regulations are practically for the European cemetery in Happy Valley.
Hon. R. D. ORMSBY-Is this the first time the Board has seen these?
certainly a great engineering achievement which would be a credit to England or the United States. The insurgents have a guard of 40 men at the pumping station and an equal number at San Juan del Monte, but they do not molest American officers visiting the works. This matter of the water-works was satisfacit torily arranged by Merritt and Aguinaldo and there should be no more trouble in the near future. While Mr. Bassar, correspondent of Har- per's Weekly, was going out to the works the other day, the horse which he rode was shot in the left leg by a Mauser bullet which barely missed hitting Mr. Bass. While there is no evidence that he was directly fired upon, because he neither heard the report nor saw the smoke, the horse was certainly shot as cleanly and ac- curately as could be done by a skilled marksman. The insurgents are comparatively quiet but are dilling every day. Down at Camp Dewey, evacuated by the Americans, there are some 15 companies of rebels drilling every day. Aguinaldo says that he desires to avoid trouble with the Americans, and the Americans do not intend to bother him if he does not overstep the limits of endurance-unless orders to that effect come from America. While I am prone to stand up for Mr. Aguinaldo and his followers as having certain rights, I want to say to him that he will make the greatest blunder of his life if he thinks for one minute that American soldiers are not different from Spaniards. If he behave himself, he will be better off than
ever before. If he excites Uncle Sam's soldiers to war he will wonder what struck him. No typhoon, no earthquake, known in the annals of the Philippines, will give him an adequate idea. America stands ready to give the Philippinos liberties such as they never enjoyed before and make the common people happy and prosperous, but she will stand no humbug from Aguinaldo, who came here only by American help.
HONGKONG SANITARY BOARD.
Dr, CLARK-They have been circulated. This
is the first time they have seen them printed. They are not brought up to be made-to-day but simply for discussion.
The VICE-PRESIDENT thought there was no- thing like having discretionary powers in these
cases. He did not like the idea of their bind-
ing themselves down to strict limits. They were a public body and open to criticism, and if they began to make objectionable rules they would probably be kicked out,
Mr. OSBORNE asked if it would meet the case
•
if they added words to the effect, Such per mission shall not be withheld without reason. able grounds."
Dr. Lowson thought it was their duty to put down definite rules when this was going to hap-
pen.
Dr. CLARK said it was injudicious to disinter a small-pox case, and if they laid down a rule that such a case could be disinterred after the lapse of seven years they were running a certain amount of risk.
Dr. Lowson moved the postponement of the consideration of No. 8.
Mr. J. DYER BALL seconded. and this was carried.
Hon. R. D. ORMSBY thought the two hours' notice which it was provided should be given of the intention to inter a corpse was not suffi- cient.
The VICE-PRESIDENT-Perhaps you will be good enough to put something definite in writ- On Thursday afternoon a meeting of the Honging in the shape of a bye-law kong Sanitary Board was held under the chair. manship of the Vice-President (Hon. F. H. May, Captain Superintendent of Police), there being also present: Hon. R. D. Ormsby (Direc- tor of Public Works), Dr. J. A. Lowson (Act- ing Principal Civil Medical Officer), Mr. J. Dyer Ball (Acting Registrar-General), Mr. E Osborne, and Dr. F. W. Clark (Medical Officer of Health and Acting Secretary). PROPOSED AMENDMENT OF THE CEMETERY
BYE-LAWS.
Proposed amendments of bye-laws for the re- gulation and sanitary maintenance of cemeteries were submitted.
*
Dr. CLARK said the bye-laws had been printed and circulated. No. 1 was a new one. It said, Every cemetery shall be at all times open to inspection by members of the Sanitary Board and any of its officers who may be directed to make such inspections." This gave the right of entry to officers and members of the Board. Another of the amended bye-laws read:
A register shall be kept by the person or per- sons in charge of each cemetery, at or near each cemetery, and the date of burial, name, sex, age, and registered cause of death of each person shall be entered therein against the number of the grave in which the corpse is interred; such register shall be open to inspection by any mem ber of the Sanitary Board, or by any officer of the board who may be directed to make such in- spection, at any reasonable hour." The preseut bye-law compelled the, keeping of a register, but it did not give them the right to inspect it. Another of the new bye-laws read- "No grave may be re-reopened after a corpse has been interred therein without the written permission of the Medical Officer of Health or other officer duly appointed by the board for that purpose."
Dr. Lowson said the rule at home was that a grave should only be re-opened after seven years for the burial of another body.
Dr. CLARK-That was the rule here also. Dr. Lowson said people liked to be buried close together sometimes.
Dr. CLARK said they could get permission for the grave to be re-opened.
Dr. Lowson thought it should be stated after the lapse of what period the Medical Officer of Health or the official appointed by the Board should give permission.
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The following will explain why the Board propose to amend the bye-laws.
Mr. Vincent Lawford, secretary to Commo- dore Holland, A.DC., wrote as follows under date April 16th :---
"I have the honour to report the following circumstances in connection with the late P.C. Rew, R.N. Yard Police, whose funeral I at tended on Easter Sunday last. The man being a Roman Catholic was buried in the cemetery belonging to his creed in Happy Valley and on arrival at the grave, which was closely sur- rounded by many others, it was found that the coffin could not be properly lowered. On further exedrating to make room for it other coffins were laid bare and one-that of an infant-had to be taken out and replaced on the top of Rew's coffin. When finally lowered in the grave I do not think the corpse could have been two feet below the surface. \
On enquiring the reason of this apparent crowding I was informed by the officiating priest-Rev. de Maria-that the grave also contained the coffins of relatives of the deceased whose friends wished his body to be placed
there.
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testant cemetery is, I believe, under the control of the Director of Public Works, while I have the control of the Chinese cemeteries. Either all the non-Chinese cemeteries should be taken charge of by the Public Works Department, Parsee, Indian, etc.-transferred to my care, or the whole of them-Protestant, Catholic,
There is I believe a coloured watchman at the
Protestant cemetery who sees that interments are conducted in accordance with the law, but. there appears to be no such provision: at the
take control of all the cemeteries at Happy other cemeteries. Probably a better man could
Valley."
THE NATIVE PLAGUE HOSPITAL.—THE
GOVERNMENT TO PAY THE COST,
combe Smith, Acting Colonial Secretary, con- The following letter from the Hon. T. Ser- cerning the cost of the matsheds erected as a native plague hospital, was submitted:-" 1st September, 1898.-Sir,-In reply to your letter No. 137 of the 26th ultimo, I am directed by the officer administering the Government to inform the Sanitary Board that the special committee matter of the cost of the matsheds. had no power to bind the Government in the Ás, how- ever, in a time of anxiety and pressure the com- Tang Wa Hospital directors that the cost of mittee took upon themselves to promise the
the matsheds would be defrayed by Government His Excellency directs that the whole cost shall fall on the public revenue and be charged against the plague vote."
Dr. CLARK said he bad sent a reply and pointed out to the Colonial Secretary a matter which he had previously pointed out to him-that this sum of $2,000 odd was the sum which was to be charged for these mat-sheds provided they were returned to the contractors. He had given it as bis opinion that it would be exceedingly un- wise to allow the contractors to take them back again. There was a fresh bill to come in if the Government were prepared to retain the mat- sheds as their own property.
Dr. LowsON-If the mat-sheds are retained it means 31,500 extra.
On the suggestion of the VICE-PRESIDENT, it was decided to write His Excellency inform- ing him of the appreciation of the Board of bis decision in this matter.
THE VACCINE INSTITUTE.
following letter from the Acting Colonial Secretary with reference to the employment of two coolies at the Vaccine Institute was sub- mitted: 2nd Sept. Sir,-With reference to previous correspondence, I am directed to state that His Excellency the Officer Administering the Government sanctions the employment of two coolies at $10 and $8 a month respectively from the 1st proximo to assist the Superin-. tendent of the Vaccine Institute in the cultiva- tion of lymph and for so long as they are actually engaged in rendering such assistance, .e., for so long as the cultivation of lymph is continued."
The VICE-PRESIDENT-I sent this on to Mr. Ladds and asked him to state when he would begin work, and he stated that he thought they would be able to begin work in October. APPLICATION FROM THE ITALIAN CONVENT,
Application having been received for permis- sion to amend and retain water-closets at the Italian Convent,
Dr. Lowson, Mr. E. Osborne, and the Direc- I was also given to understand that the tor of Public Works minuted in favour of grant- re-opening of graves to admit coffins at the wishing the permission asked for, the Director of of relatives and friends was frequently allowed, provided none of those interred had died by plague or other infectious disease,"
Dr. Clark minute on April 22nd-"The Roman Catholic Cemetery appears to be under no one's control. A week ago I discovered that the body of a Chinese woman named Tang Shan, who died at 5, Holy Infant Lane, had been buried in this cemetery, and the burial certificate had been retained by the relatives and might well have been used for the burial of another body. I wrote the Director of Public Works about it, and he disclaims responsibility, and I had accordingly decided to address the Registrar General on the subject; but as the question is now raised it will be unnecessary to do so.
I beg to point out that in the interests of the mortality statistics and of the prevention of crime it is most important that these cemeteries should be under control. The Pro-
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Public Works stating "I am strongly in favour of granting the permission aske. The use of w.c.'s at this level is of advantage to all inhabitauts lower down to the harbour front, as the flow of water in the drain pipes will be greater and more rapid."
Hon. R. D. ORMSBY proposed that permis- sion be granted. He bad stated in his minute what he left out the last time he fought this question on the Board. It was then stated by the Principal Civil Medical Officer and sup. ported by the Medical Officer of Health that one of the reasons for refusing the application before them then was that the discharge from the pipes of the water closets on Kennedy Road went into the drains in Queen's Road, and from the remarks which fell from them it might be inferred by persons who did not under- stand the question that the discharge from these water-closets would remain in the pipes
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