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HONGKONG SANITARY BOARD, 2
A meeting of the Hongkong Sanitary Board was held on Thursday afternoon, the President (Dr. J. M. Atkinson, Principal Civil Medical Officer) being in the chair. There were also present the Vice-President (the Hon. P. H. May, Captain Superintendent of Police), the Hon. R. D. Ormsby (Director of Public Works), Mr. J.Dyer Ball (Acting Registrar- General), Mr. E. Osborne, atid Dr. Clark (Medical Officer of Health and Acting Secre- tary).
GREETINGS FROM MR. N. J. EDE. A letter was read from Mr. Ede, who is now in London, in which he said that as the Board would be considering the subject of refuse destructors shortly he was sending them, the latest work on the subject. He sent his kind regards to his old colleagues on the Board,
On the motion of the PRESIDENT, seconded by Mr. BALL a resolution thanking Mr. Ede for his gift was passed.
THE PLAGUE AT CALCUTTA,
A telegram dated Jan. 16th was read stating that six cases of plague had been reported in Calcutta during the mouth.
THE COLONIAL VETERINARY SURGEON'S REPORT. The report of the Colonial Veterinary geon for the year 1898 was submitted. ·
THE HONGKONG WEEKLY PRESS AND:
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EAST POINT DAIRY FAHM FHER: FROM
THE FOOT AND MOUTH DISEASEça el al A communication, dated January 12th, was read from Mr. G. V. Ladds (Colonial Veterinary Surgeon) stating that East Point Dairy Farm may be declared open again on Friday next, the 13th instant.
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The Water CLOSET QUISTION AGAIN. ▲ renewed application for permission to retain water-closets at the Ice Factory, East Point, was shibuiitted: It was stated that the water used would be the salt water used in the condensing machinery,197 ⠀uda mw bout of
The PRESIDENT It appears that the present closets have been in use since January, 1881. Since then they have not caused any nuisance as far as I can ascertain.
Mr DYER BALL-There was no authority for their being put in was there?
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Dr. CLARK-They were put in before the Public Health Ordinance was passed,
The PRESIDENT There was of course no Sanitary Board in those days to grant permis sion,
The VICE-PRESIDENT moved that the appli. cation be refused. He thought the out-fall was a very undesirable one indeed. It was only a bight of the harbour in which the tide did not flow as strong as it did outside. Anyone who had smelt the foreshore along Praya East at Sar-low water must know that it was a foul fore-
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[January 21, 1999. -
enough. Mr. Cooper showed moreover that provided the population went on Intreming at the rate of five thousand a year? aư) it had been doing in past years in 1910 they would appe at a state of affairs when the entire available sites for impounding water with which if would' be possible to supply the city would be itakuni lup. That was to say that there would be no more room to impound water for, the city of Victoria and the hill district, 19He fami at the same time that of course the
the population might not increase so very fast or that on sanitary grounds it might not be permitted to increase. In face of these facts he thought it? would be madness to allow more water closets to be erectedt ved seeds an ind
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MOLITIO
The Hon. R. D. ORMSBY, interrupting, sag- gested that Mr. May's remarks were out of order- He added that he was talking on a abject which he could not answer, tour, JO TIFIQUE 913 74 TheVic-PRESIDENT, continuing, sald bigu argumenta were entärály on the point) Hatops. posed this application on two grounds-on sanitary grounds and on general grounds of: public policy. These were the grounds on which water closets had been opposed in th city in the past, and these were the very grounde upon which the Board some years ago laid down a policy which in his opinioh it would be well to adhere to. He therefore begged to pro.. pose that the application be not grantedas de ?
Dr. CLARK seconded basmoy, shore, which proved that there must be de Mr. OSBORNE said he agreed with what Dr. CLARK said that with regard to posits there which were distipetly undesirable. Mr May said as regarded the Board Shaukiwan Market Mr. Ladds made по
définite policy, but he did not, In fact he had been in bonses along the Praya having a mention of the fact that five, additional East below Blue Buildings when at low think that because old members of the stalls were added 12 months ago. They water the fore-shore bear was distinct nuisance. | Sanitary Board laid down what he considered were only temporary it was true, but still The more feoulant matter which' was deposited to be a wrong policy they should adhèrë (Lödit). they had been added. Mr. Ladds also referred into the harbour the more foul that fore-shors today. (Hon. R DI Ormsby - Heary hear:) ICAs » to the fact that in April-last he drew attention became. The question of water was his first regarded European private houses generally, as to the close proximity of the Chinese mortuary at objection. His second objection was on the he had said before he was opposed to the generale Kennedytown to the Inspectors' quarters: His general grounds of policy. It was a very good introduction of the water closet system, bec
because observation rather suggested that nothing had thing for a public department to have a policy, he felt doubtful as to the water supply, but the been done. As a matter of fact it was not Governments, both imperial and colonial, had character of the buildings in this colony was decided that the mortuary should be closed, suffered much through having no policy, and a undergoing such a change and those buildings but the nuisance was abated by taking away all Board such as theirs was likely to suffer too and were becoming so vast and so large á cònudurss the coffins which were smelling. The Board make mistakes unless it was guided by a defin."'of people existed under: one roof, that the dhật... had already approved of plans and work was ite policy. He thought a 'recent lucident would water carriage, system became almost impres actually commenced for a new mortuary show this. It was not many months since they ticable. If they were to remove all the water, level and The VICE-PRESIDENTI beg to ask whether refused an application from the military au closets from all the buildings on this level the Board has any information regarding the thorities to allow water-closets on the Caine substitute for them the band carriage system site of the New Western Market referred to Road level for barracks to be occupied by be thought the population down there would by Mr Ladds. Two months ago the Govern European soldiers and their wives, and within rise as one man against them!⠀ Aginge ment consulted the Board and some of its a very short time the Board contradicted itself the stench on the foreshore, those of them wh61. officers on the subject but we have heard by allowing a private householder to have water remembered the old Praya had a lively r9881. € nothing about the matter since. The members closets on the bry same level. Decisions such lection of, the stench down west; where he be in of the Board and those officers of the Board as that were distinctly undesirable They lieved there was not a drain, discharging from who were consulted advised against the site in brought ridicule upon the Board, and left thea water-closet,, so that the stench was, there Taipingshan and it is a matter of interest to the pubie in a state of complete uncertainty as to whether they had such drains or not, and consi Board to know whether anything has beed what the Board would allow and as to what dering the enormous boat population and the large definitely decided in the matter.
the Board would not allow. If it was number of people on ships who emptied right to refuse water closets to the military refuse into the harbour, he did not think the authorities it was right to refuse them to Mr. addition of a few more would make anŷWITËNor Belilios, and in any case it would have been ence. As regarded this particular instahod the better to have refused them to Mr. Belilios. water-closes hat existed before. They did not The question of water close's in this colony seem to have been a nuisance to anyone, They was a very big ope. On sanitary grounds alone were not connected with any other, drains in he was distinctly opposed to them. We had the colony. They had an ample flush of water been free in this colony from various symotic from these refrigerating machines, and he had diseases which abounded in the nighbouring therefore, much pleasure in supporting the up- colony of Shanghai and in other places where plication; n kahlag an llaw an 19712 01 Finin there was much feculent matter in the sewers, The Hon. R. D: ORMSHY said he did not wish * and the best thing they could do was to pro to interrupt the Vice-President/in his remarks,pe ceed on the lines adopted in the past, and then but he thought they were not quite germaines.. there was a probability of their keepingofree to the subject. The question of water did, not from such diseases: Looking at the matter come in, and to bring it up in that case might from the point of view of water supplyn he lead to erroneous Ideas getting into the press thought it eminently desirable that there should on the subject. He did not come there, "repared be as few water closets as possible in the colouy with an answer on the water question, but he In the present instance this argument did not thought all the objections raised by the "Videot apply, because the water which it was proposed President on that head could-be smetao As FrÖl- to use, could not be consumed in the watersugarded this particular application. he thought...o supply of the colony. If his memory did not fail him the late Director of Pablic Works had a mest exhaustive report bmlthe water supply of the colony, showing most conclusively that given a total consumption of 15 gallons of water per head which he might remark in the bill district was exceeded to a very considerable extent the water supply from certain works which he recommended in 1896 should be taken in hand in order to forestall the possible shorts ness of water in 1899 would not be more than enough in fact it would not be entirely suffi. cient for the population which he assumed would exist in the city and inthe hill districts in 1899. They were in 1899, and according to Mr. Cooper the water supply was only just
DriCLARK The Board has not been consulted at all in the matter."
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Mr OSBORNE said he should like to ask whether it was with the province of the Board to consider and take action upon any of the suggestions made by Mr. Ladds or whether it was the Government's place to take action without any recommendation from the Board. Mr. Ladds made a nutaber of sug gestions which he thought should not be passed over, marlin atá la tan in fuer
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The PRESIDENT The Board can make any recommendation that they think fit:**
On the motion of Mr. OSBORNE, Seconded by the VICE PRESIDENT, the consideration of Mr Ladds's report was adjourned until the best meeting, Mr. Osborne remarking that he had not had time to go into the report fully THE PROPOSED WASHING TANKS
#led TANKS AT TÀI HÀNG VI LAGE.
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Plans of the proposed washing tanks at Tai Hang village were submitted:
Mr OSBORNE said-he-happened to know that the Chinese of this, vol ny would not wash clothes unless they were standing in the water They had been rained from their infancy to wash clothes in this manner, and there was a great deal to be said in its favour. There was less Inbour, and if they proposed building tanke they should built them in such a manner that the Chinese would approve of them and use them.
Dr. CLARK said the washering, could stand in the tanks proposed, thongführe 6.1 not think it was advisable that they should do so.
The matter was left over.
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it would be very unfair of the Board to refuse it, because the water-closets had been in exist, suce 17 years. If it had not been that ther were about to be re-constructed on a better plan he believed they would not have ordered their removal › in and didntes oda
Dr. CLARK-Oh yes; we have ordered - their removal, rain ando tuodlik dungury hemoli
The Hon. R. D. ORMSay, continuing, Maid. they had been in existence, for over;:17,,"} years and it was proposed to improve They would only be used by three; individuals, and he did not think that that make much differého kamaraniSI used by some 30,000 persons daily for the charge of water closets ont of ships and hosts,
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