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THE HONGKONG WEEKLY PRESS AND
The premises are only occupied at night by obtain work elsewhere at the same rate of pay the employés of the shop, who are 26 in number, if dismissed. Consequently it was a very diffi and to outsider is erg allowed to sleep there. cult matter to keep the markets in a proper
and The business of the shop is preparing and sell-sanitary condition. He thought that in order ing birds'-nests. Out clients, however, strongly to get good work doue the coolies should ba object to putting up the board outside their better paid and divided into two classes, the premises as required by bye-law No. 9 of the bye-first class to be composed of those men at pre- laws relating to common lodging-houses, Our sent paid $7 and 88, to be raised to $9 a month; clients say that it would spoil their business to and the second class to be made up of those put up such a board, as the premises are not in cuclies who now received $5 and $6 per month,
The total increase! reality a common lodging-house, and no outsider to be raised to $7 per month. can come there and demand a lodging.“
under this scheme would be 8612 per annum. The following minutes were appended :-
A petition dated September 13th from the Medical Officer of Health-"In my opinion foremen scavengers for an increase of pay was bye-law 9 of the Common Lodging-house Bye-submitted. It was signed by A. Delgado, laws should be repealed. The late Acting ReJ. L. Rocha. D. Santos, J. R. Castilho, F. gistrar-General has already informed the Board | Malhbund, and A. Kador, and ran as follows :- that there is no such thing as a common lodg- "Your petitioners are now receiving a salary ing-house, such as we understand it at home, in ‚of $30 per month. Most of them are married the colony, ... no house at which a casual tramp men and do not receive any compensation what- can obtain a bed for one night only on payment soever besides their present salary, but a deduc- of a small fee, and in that case there is no ob- tion from their salary for the widows and orphans
On ject in requiring the exhibition of a board. fund has been made during the last two months, the other hand, a reference to Ordinance 4 of Your petitiouers would humbly and respectfully 1895, section 2. will show that many pre-point out that their present salary does not mises are legally lodging-houses upon the cover the cost of living in the present posi; exterior of which it is most unreasonable tion of the colony. The price of meat and
has risen to require the exhibition of a board hearing other provisions
considerably. and with regard
house rent. 10
where the words registered lodging-house, and as the law was enacted mainly with a view to they used to pay 88 a month they are prevent overcrowding I think the object will paying $12. Your petitioners would humbly be secured best by the repeal of this ob- and respectfully point out that the price of noxious bye-law. It is quite unnecessary to everything having been so much augmented have this board posted up for the information they find themselves hardly able to support of the Inspectors, as they all have lists of the their families and are compelled to become in- lodging-houses in their districts, while as re. volved in financial difficulties. Your petitioners gards the second paragraph of the bye law that beg most respectfully to solicit the favour of your board has been done, away with for more thau kind assistance and generous consideration of two years past, owing to the fact that they this petition, and trust you will grant an were moved about from house to house, and the increase or an allowance per month in order numbers are now painted on the walls.
that your petitioners may be able to meet their monthly expenditure of house reut, household uccessities, etc."
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The rest of the members of the Board also minuted in favour of the repeal of the bye-law and the granting of the application.
Op the motion of Dr. CLARK. seconded by Mr. DYER BALL, bye-law No. 9 was repealed.
CHINESE CUSTOMS OFFICIALS AND THE RECENT EPIDEMIC,
to the Correspondence having reference assistance rendered by Chinese officials ia Kow. loon during the recent outbreak of bubonic plague was submitted.
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now
The following minutes were appended .-- Mr. E. Osborne-If this application h granted others of a similar nature will doubtless follow, and I therefore think the question of increased pay to compeusate for the enhanced cost of living should be considered as a whole and in reference to all the Sanitary Board's servants."
the Government.“
The Vice-President--" This class of are having a bad time of it and should be com- Dr. CLARK said that at the previous meetingpensated along with the Chinese employés of of the Board he reported that he had received an intimation from the Colonial Secretary that the Viceroy of Canton had informed him that the Chinese officials in question had been re- commended for distinction and the Board ex- pressed the hope that Mr. Hillier would b informed of the decision of the Viceroy. The Board had learned that Mr. Hillier had been so informed.
PETITIONS FOR MORE PAY.
Correspondence having reference to the pay of the Chinese employés of the Government was submitted. It arose out of a petition pre- sented to the Colonial Veterinary Surgeon, and dated April 20th, from all the scavengers of the various markets in Hongkong requesting that an increase may be made to their wages. The petition states ---
¦
The Acting Principal Civil Medical Officer The money is not sufficient. Anyone knows that. Agree with Mr. Osborne and other members
The VICE-PRESIDENT-I think the best thing we can do is to forward these to the
Government.
The Hou. R. D. ORMSBY-Has the sum to be included in the estimates for next year?
Dr. CLARK-Yes.
The VICE-PRESIDENT-These things should be dealt with as a whole.
[September 24, 1898.
A WANT AT SOKON PO.
A report from the Medical Officer of Health was submitted concerning the need for an ad- ditional public latrine at Sokonpo.
On the motion of the VICE-PRESIDENT, seconded by the Hon. R. D. ORMSBY, it was decided to recommend the Goverumout to place the latrine proposed to be erected at Kennedy- town at Sokoupo.
APPLICATION FROM THE HON, C. P. CHATER. Messrs. Leigh and range, civil engineers and architects, applied on behalf of the Hoa, C. P. Chater. C.M.G., for permission for a trough water closet in each of the four blocks of offices now being erected on the new Praya Reclama- tion. Marine Lots 102 and 103. They add that they propose that the closets shall be similar to those at the Hongkong Club with prope; flush- ing cisterns and to be fixed to the approval of the Board's surveyor.
On the motion of the VICE-PRESIDENT, seconded by the Hon. R. D. ORMSHY, it was derided to grant the application.
HONGKONG MORTALITY· STATISTICS..
The Hongkong mortality statistics for the week ended September 10th showed the death rate to be 2011, against 191 for the previons week, and 206 for the corresponding week last year. The rate for the following week was 17·9, against 235 for the corresponding week last
year.
MACAO MORTALITY STATISTICS,
The mortality return for Macao for the week ended September 4th gave the number of deaths The number for the following week was
as 42.
48.
THE PLAGUE AT BOMBAY,
A plague return from Bombay showed that the number of plague cases reported in the city of Bombay from August 16 to August 29th was 344. there being 308 plague 'deaths.
This was all the business.
THE KWA. GSI LEBELLION..
ARREST AND EXECUTION OF THE REBEL
LEADER.
News has been received at Canton by wire that the leader of the Kwangsi Rebellion, Li Не Lop-ting, has been captured and executed. Wat- ported some time ago to have taken refuge with a number of his followers in a mountain fastness as Ng-ma-shan, where he was hemmed in by the troops under the com- mand of General Son. He would appear to have found a way out, but only to rush to his destruction, for it is now stated that he was captured and executed about ten days ago, together with his two aides-de-camp named Lu and Chau and three hundred followers by a military officer named Fong Kwai-ting, in Ling-shan district, Leinchow
prefecture, Kwangtung, whither he had fled in the hope of His head is ex- escaping General Sou's men. pected to reach Canton in a few days.
NURSES' MEMORIAL FUND,
Mr. OSBORNE said the question of the pay of the Sanitary Board's officials required a consid: erable amount of consideration. He understood that the European inspectors of the Sunitary
At noou Board received less pay than some men of the
on Saturday, 17th September, a same class in other Government departments, meeting of subscribers to the fund which has and if the Sanitary Board were to have their been raised for the purpose of erecting a memo- work carried ont properly and efficiently therial to the late Sisters Gertrude and Frances, meu must be paid properly.
The VICE-PRESIDENT-Before you joined the Beard the inspectors applied for an increase of have the matter pay, and the Goverumeut under consideration.
who died of plague, was held in the Chamber of Commerce Room, City Hall. The Rev. R. F. Cobbold presided, and he was supported by Mr. T. Jackson, hon. treasurer.
"Petitioners have been employed as scavengers in various markets for many a year. Recently there has been a sudden increase in the cost of living. The price of firewood, rice, oil, meat, vegetables, etc., bas augmented by nearly double. Petitioners wages are at the present time hardly sufficient for their own expenses on food and
The CHAIRMAN read the notice convening clothing and as a consequence their parents, wives, and children have to suffer hunger aud The Hon. R. D. ORMSBY said they had à ¦ the meeting, and asked Mr. Jackson to submit
men-five Portuguese i a statement with regard to the accounts. cold. Petitioners, therefore, humbly request ¦ petition from these
no report as to that you will take the foregoing circumstances ; and one Indian. They had
sup- into consideration and graciously grant some what their duties were, and he would
gest increase to their wages, so that their families may not suffer hunger and cold.”
The Colonial Veterinary Surgeon. in a let. ter dated May 11th. said that had the market scavengers not raised the question of their pay it was his intention to have done so himseli. Since the present scale of pay was fixed there had been a considerable increase in the cost of living which even affected men of this class, and he found it very difficult to keep goed men, and even bad ones would not stay long. The whole staff of coolies in his department were insubordinate and did not perform their work efficiently, as they knew that they could easily
¡
that before they went further the Secretary be asked to prepare a concise re- port on the subject, stating what the duties of these individuals were and whether their claim for more pay was good or not. With regard to the men receiving 830, they all said it was not enough, but there might be a good deal say on the other side 8330 a month was not lad pay for a coolie, and, he did not know what these meu were and what their duties were. He moved that the report be suggested should be prepared.
to
The VICE-PRESIDENT seconded, and the motion was carried.
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Mr. JACKSON --The recount was supposed to close on Wednesday night, but we got $25 extra on Thursday, bringing the total amount sub- scribed to $2,336. I may say that was a very general impression that subscriptions should be limited to about $10 each, or I have no doubt a very much larger sum would have been got. You will have noticed from the statements pub- lished from day to day in the newspapers how widely spread were the "subscriptions, there being a great number of names for small amounts.
This we think is the very best way to show the sympathy of the community with the deceased sisters and their friends. It is for me now to hand over to the Chairman the memorandam showing the amount.
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