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HONGKONG SANITARY BOARD.
The fortnightly meeting of the Hongkong Sanitary Board was held on Thursday afternoon. The President (Dr. J. M. Atkinson, Principal Civil Medical Officer) presided, and there were also present the Vice-President (the Hon. F. H. Hon. R. D. Ormsby (Director of Public Works), May. Captain Superintendent of Police), the Mr. E. Osborne Dr. Clark, (Medical Officer of Health), and Mr. C. W. Duggan (Secretary).
THE HONGKONG WEEKLY PRESS AND
Dr. CLARK seconded and the motion was carried.
is complete "
November 11, 1899.
ground for the purpose, and to make regula. tions for the proper conduct of these crema- REPORT OF THE VISITING SUR-COMMITTEE,
́tions?"
Dr. Clark to Sanitary Inspector Brett- Committee for the fourth quarter of 1899 was
The report of the District Visiting Sub-Report the exact position of this piece of Crown land. Is it enclosed in any way? What submitted. It dealt with No. 9. district, which
is done with the ashes, etc., after the cremation
of plague. The sub-committee make the fol both this year and in previous years has, as the sub-committee remarks, proved a very hot bed
Sanitary Inspector Brett reported:
The lowing observations with regard to the different between the road leading from the Naval Hos- position of this piece of Crown land is mid-way
pital to Happy Valley and 150 yards south of it. It is not enclosed in any way. The ashes are ap- parantly left on the spot when the cremation is Adished."
streets and lanes visited by them :~ LATRINE ACCOMMODATION IN THE CITY. Sai-Wat Lane.Went throngh this lane and The SECRETARY submitted a report by the noticed that nearly all the ground floors, which Manitary Surveyor on the latrine and urinal
are really basements, were now unoccupied ; last | accommodation of the city of Victoria and its year they were inhabited. The drains were chok- connection with the fouling of storm-watered with dirt and rubbish, thongh said to have drains. He added that the report had been been cleared and swept at noon. Some down supplied to the members and the press.
pipes from the upper floors were choked with filth, and the sullage water overflowing from the cistern heads and falling into the lane. Air very foul in this lane owing to this.
The Hon. R. D. O&MSBY proposed that the report be forwarded to the Government for favourable consideration, and that the Go- vernment be asked to call on the Public Works Department for a design and estimate for an underground latrine in a suitable losality and also provide the necessary funds for the construction of the 8808 next year. He was not sure that it would be possible to do this, but Mr. Drury took a Tory great interest in this matter, and he thought he would be very anxious to make such a thing a success. If it was successful it would save them a good deal of trouble in regard to sites for latrines and no doubt would prove an enormous convenience to the public.
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Second Street No. 105 ;-Two floors; 8 cubi- cles on first floor on which 25 adults and many children were living; rent of the first floor $7,50 a month; walls clean.
Sheung Fang Lane.-9 feet wide. Inspected Nos. 16, 18, 6, and 4. Found cubicles on all ground floors. The first floors have not the four feet space above the cubicles nearest eaves required by law-as usual the only window is monopolized by one cubicle excluding light and and air from the others. Plague occurred in Nos. 6 and 16 this year. All the houses in this lane were condemned as unfit for haman habita- tion, and have since been altered and much
Dr. Clark minut-d-" I think this had better be referred to the Board to request the Govern- ment to make some better provision for the oremation of the bodies of Hindoos."
Dr. CLARK remarked that he thought that if the Board asked the Government to refer the
matter to the Director of Public Works he would be able to make some better arrangement. He proposed that the Government be recom- mended to do this.
The VICE-PRESIDEN Seconded, and the motion was carried,
1
THE PROPOSED ASSISTANT MEDICAL OFFICER
OF HEALTH.
The Colonial Secretary wrote to the Secre- tary of the Board, ander date October 30th, as follows:-
"With reference to your letter No. 110 of the 29th ult., forwarding a report by a select com- mittee of the Board on the question of increas- Second Street, No. 78—Cubicles on all floors,ing the staff of the Sanitary Department, I am very dark, back premises wet and unwholesome owing to level below Third Street.
Tak Sing Lane-Inspected both floors of Nos. 5 and 7. Large sized cubicles, the one next the window monopolizing the light and air. No. 7 is a shoemaker's shop in which a number of young boys are employed. Plague occurred i No. 5.
Dr. CLARE, in seconding, remarked that he did not think the Board was in favour of every-improved by the owner, thing in the report-he was not in favour of the proposal to deal with the night soil from the Peak-but the report brought out very strongly one point which the Board had arged upon the Government for years past and that was the lamentable accommodation in the city. Here they were at the end of another year and no- thing had been done, No latrines had been built except one in Ship Street which replaced a previous one. He thought that forwarding that report would accentuate the fact that they wanted latrines, that they wanted them badly, and that they wanted them at once. They should again urge upon the Government the immediate necessity for the provision of further latrine accommodation in the city.
The motion was carried.
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Mr. OSBORNE thought the thanks of the Board and of the community generally were due to Mr. Drury for the very able manner in which he had gone into the question and drawn up
his report. He thought it was due to Mr. Drury, who had gone so thoroughly into the matter, that more than a passing notice should be taken of the report and that as many of his suggestions as were practicable should, if the Board agreed, be carried ont-òr that the Board should ask the Government to carry them out. They could not deal with the question of the removal of nightsoil just now, because he under stood they had only just recently renewed the contract for three years. But there might be other suggestions in the report which they might be ready to adopt, and he proposed that a committee consisting of the Director of Public Works, the Medical Officer of Health, and the Vice-President be appointed to consider what recommendations in the report could be adopted at present and what recommendations must await the new conservancy contract. He thought also that steps should be taken for the bringing up of the report again when the pre- sent conservancy contract was finished.
The VICE-PRESIDENT said he would have pleasure in seconding if Mr. Osborne would allow his name to be substituted for his.
*This was agreed to and the motion was carried.
*On the motion of Mr. OSBORNE, seconded by the VICE-PRESIDENT, a vots of thanks was accorded Mr. Drury for his valuable report. 7445. The Hon. R. D. ORMSBY proposed-"That the Board recommend the erection of a public latrine on a corner lot of Crown land in Tai- pingshan bounded on the west by Tank Lane and on the south by Bridge Street." He ad- ded that this was rendered necessary by the fast that the site previously selected by the Medical Omoer of Health and himself adjoining - Found Lane was objected to and the objections
Were upheld by Government.
*
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Ou Wy Lane-Inspected two houses.
Second Street-No. 40-On Wy Lane forms a back lane to the first floor Second Street and very clearly demonstrates the valus of back lanes. Plague occured No. 40.
Inspected a lane without a name in which a number of new three storeyed houses are being built. They seem to have insufficient space in the rear for light and ventilation. Saw two houses.
Inspected Sai-ying-poon Market, which is much overcrowded, dark sad low, but olean;
urgently needs whitewashing and general re- pairs.
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Centre Street, No. 26.-No remarks.
- Sai-Uu Lane No. 26.-Inhabited chiefly by street coolies, very dark and overcrowded, As certained that the rent of the front cubicle which got the light and air was $1.90 per month and the back ones $1.50. Seems very high for the accommodation afforded.
Tor Seem Street.-Inspected Nos. 21 and 23, First floors common lodging họase for meu, top floors brothels.
In all we visited 9 streets and laues and 17
houses, in four of which plague had occurred. We were chiefly struck by the overcrowding in all cases, and the absence of light and air in all the cubicles except the one next the window.
The Ordinance now before the Legislative Council will, if passed, effect great improvement in this District, by abolishing cubicles on the ground floors, and patting back from the win- dows 4 feet all other cubicles.
THE CREMATION OF HINDOO BODIES.
a
Papers were submitted dealing with the cremation of Hindoo bodies at Happy Valley.
Dr. Clark wrote the Secretary of the Board on the 24th Oot"The burning of the bodies of Hindoos at the Happy Valley is causing nuisance to the residents at Morrison Hill. Will you please ascertain who has charge of the land on which these cremations take place, as I | consider that they should be carried out before
6 8.m.
The last oremation took place in the afternoon about 4 pm.”
To this enquiry the Secretary replied on the 25th Out:- No one appears to be in charge of this piece of ground, which is apparently Government ground used by the people who perform the cremations. Would it be well to 3 get the Government to sat naide, a piece of
directed to request you to ascertain from the Board in detail why it considers an Assistant Medical Officer of Health necessary and to have a statement drawu up showing what duties that officer will have to discharge which cannot now be undertaken by the Medical Officer of Health."
Dr. Clark minuted-"I attach a rough abstract of the present duties of the Medical Officer of Health. I do not think it would be advisable to allocate any special branch of the work at first to the Assistant Medical Offeer of Health, as he should be capable at any time of taking full charge, and the local sanitary laws are so different to the home laws that it takes months of actual practice to acquire an accurate knowledge of tbem. The duties are more than one man can efficiently perform, at least in this climate,”
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Dr. Clark gives the abstract of the duties of the Assistant Medical Officer of Health as follows:-
To assist in performing the following duties: (1)—Directing and superintending the work of the Inspectors of Nuisances and of the Scavenging and Conservancy contingency.
(2)—Visiting insanitary, overcrowded, and unwholesome_dwellings, and to report in writing. the action necessary to be taken to abate the
nuisance.
(3)-Giving expert evidence when required in prosecutions for the abatement of nuisances,
etc.
(4)-Visiting premises and advising the In- spectors of Naisances as to the correct inter- pretation and applicability of the sanitary laws in doubtful cases.
(5)-Compiling the vital statistics of the colony and to report and advise upon all matters arising out of such statistics.
(6)-Examining all plans of new buildings and alterations to buildings with a view to due observance of all sanitary laws, bye-laws, and Government notifications.
(7)—Visiting dairies and cattle-sheds and to examine all persons and cattle therein, as pro- vided for in Ordinance 17 of 1897, with a view to the prevention of the spread of disease by contaminated milk.
(8)-Reporting upon the sanitary condition of opium divans, lodging houses, cattle sheds, bake- houses, laundries. basements, offensive trade premises, public latrines, eto,, with a view to the issue of licenses and permits.
(9)—To examine samples of food with a view- to their seizure, condemnation, and destruction if unsound.
(10) —Examining when necessary dead bodies found or reported as being upon promises, and to advise as to whether death has resulted from an infections disease.