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December 9, 1899.1
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Ladies' Boom-Messrs. D. R. Crawford and A. Findlay Smith (Convener).
CHINA OVERLAND TRADE: BEPORT T
479
Supper, and Wine Hon. T. H, Whitehead, before this most important port and centre of | rate are one means, whereby plague, is disti Messrs. H. F. Carmichael, G.. L. Duncan, A. trade can rid itself of this dread scourge, plagas, seminated-and it is much wiser to attempt to C More, T. H..Reid, A. Rodger, J. Rodger, and from the danger of becoming periodically kill them off in times like the present, when the J. F. Boulton, W. D. Braidwood, T. Skinner, infected with other epidemic diseases, Hong-disease is not prevalent. Before doing this ask A. G. Gordon, A. F. Williamson, A. Ellis, the kong is in its infancy. It has a very the M.Q. H. for his opinion.”” Hon. Secretary, and W. D. Graham (Convener). large future before it, and it behoves us - men Dr. Clark minated"I am still of the opin
Decorations Mr. W. C. Jack, Lieut. A. C. J. | of the present day to do all we possibly canion that any attempt to materially reduce the Campbell, Mesara, R. Mitchell, W. Armstrong to make this port a healthy one. Other number of rats iù such a city as this will be. Allan Stewart, J. W Cumming, J. W. King-wise its development. cannot be so large futile. The attempt has already been made in horn, J. Kirkwood, Archibald Reid, the Hon. nor its future so brilliant as it ought to be. India and found to be impracticable. It can Secretary and Mr. D. Macdonald (Convener). The subject which is lealt with in the paper do no harm to set a few.rat/traper; but { that is Dancing and Music-Hon. J. J. Keswick, which was attached to this resolution is of course the most that can be said in favour of thei Messrs. W. Nicholson, A. Sinclair, G. W. F. a most difficult one, and my resolution simply scheme. We caught about a thousand rain this. Playfair, O. D. Thomson, J. A. Mackay, the aims at obtaining consideration from men who summer with traps and asked the Chinese to Hon. Secretary, and G. Murray Bain (Convener). have knowledge of sanitary matters and large assist. 200 posters were stuck up and 5,000 Oard Room-Messrs. T. F. Hough. D. E. business capacity, to see if some feasible scheme | leaflets were distributed, but they did not ap Brown, Hon. A. M. Thomson, the Hon. Seoro- could not be laid before the Government. The pear to respond at all to the appeal: It will be tary, and G. Murray Bain (Convener).
Trust which is suggested in this resolution would necessary to engage coolies (48 à month) to look be formed, I should imagine, not necessarily by after these traps one man for every two districts members of the Sanitary Board only, but would in the Central Division and one man each for Di be, or ought to be, a public body composed of trióts 1 and 19-as otherwise the tenants will the lending men of the city-inter-mixed with not bother to set and bait them. Raw meat is officials who have the necessary technical the only bait that appears to be'any use. The knowledge and capacity, and ought to be expenditure on the coolies must I think be such a body as would command the fullest sanctioned by the Government,” confidence not only of the Government but of the public. The advantage that such body would have over a purely governmental body would be that its funds would, I think, be augmented by sabsoriptions and donations, perhaps legacies from wealthy men who have the interests of this colony at heart. The Government is always regarded by the public as a sort of privileged body with a bottomless purse the strings of which it holds very tightly and which is filled with money which it is always loth, or somewhat loth, to use for the public benefit, I do not know why this idea has taken hold of the public mind, but such seems to me to be always the case. A public body such as I should like to see instituted would certainly be free from the disadvantages under which Gov-
The following gentlemen acted as stewards:- Messrs A. G. Aitken, J. Andrew, W. Arm- strong, G. Murray Bain, J. F. Boulton, . E. Brown, Lieut. A. C. J. Campbell, H. F. Car- michael, W. Chatham, T. P. Cophrane, A. Contts, D. R. Crawford, J. W. Cumming, C. W. Dickson, Peter Dow, G. L. Duncan, A. Ellis, David Gillies, A. G. Gordon, W. Douglas Graham. F. Henderson, R. H. Hill, T." F. Hough, W. C. Jack, R. F. Johnston, Hon. J. J. Keswick, J. W. Kinghorn, J. Kirkwood, Hon. J. H. Stewart Lockhart Dr. Lowson, James McKie, J. A. Mackay, A. McConaobie, Donald Macdonald. *. J. Main, F Maitland, R. Mitobell, A. C. More, W. Nicholson, J. C. Peter, G. W. F. Playfair, Archibald Reid, T. H. Baid. Dr Rennie, H. W. Robertson. A. Rodger, John A. Ross, C. Sherrington. R. She. wan, A. Sinclair, T. Skinner, Colin MoD. Smart, A. Findlay Smith, J. Grant Smith, G, Stewart, Alan Stewart, Capt. Taylor, W. Tay- lor, O. D. Thomson, Hon. Á. M. Thomson, John Thurbarn, Capt. The Hon. H. W. F Trefusis, J. M. Watson, W. M. Watson, Hou T. H. Whitehead, A. F. Williamson, David Wood.
HONGKONG SANITARY BOARD.
The usual fortnightly meeting of the Hong- kong Sanitary Board was held on Thursday after noon. The President (Dr. Atkinson, Princi- pal Civil Medical Officer) presided, and there were also present the Vice-President (the Hon. F. H. May, Captain Superintendent of Police), the Hon. R. D. Ormsby (Director of Public Works). Mr. E. Osborne, Dr. Clark (Medical Officer of Health), and Mr. C. W. Duggan (Secretary.)
THE SANITARY IMPROVEMENT OF TAL
COLONY,
The VICE-PRESIDENT-I beg to move the resolution which stands in my name and which reads as follows." That a Sub-Committee of the Board be appointed consisting of the Medical Officer of Health, Mr. Edward Osborne, and one other member to be nominated by the President, to consider and submit recommendatious for the formation by Government of a Trust to be endowed with a percentage of the assessed taxes, and of the premis on land sales, and with suitable waste lands, or otherwise, and to be charged with the duty, and invested with the power, of carrying out sanitary improvements in the city of Victoria, especially in the matter of the abolition of insanitary areas and overcrowding." The article in the Engineer which accompanied this resolution was brought to my notice about 15 months age by Mr. R. K. Leigh, architect, of this colony, and although I thought the article afforded food for very serious reflection by this Board I.did not bring it before the Board be. cause I was afraid that perhaps it might act as a tril thrown aeros, the track of the pro- gress of the Insanitary Properties Bill. Now that the Bill. thanks to His Excellency the Governor, who has taken so great an interest in the sanitary improvement of the town, has passed into law. I think that the time has come when we should endeavour to place before the Government some recommendations for the further sanitary improvement of this city. The Insanitary Properties Lill will effect a great deal, but it requires no sanitarian to sea that it cannot and will not effect that radical change for the bettor which is absolutely es• sential in a great many quartom of the city
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ernment sometimes labours. I think it osr. tainly would be a more popular institution, and therefore in such a matter as sanitary improve ment more likely to command public sym. pathy and support.
The President minuted: Forward to the Honourable Colonial Secretary for necessary authority to engage the coolies say for three months. The two districts at Kowloon should also be supplied. The traps can, I presume, be paid for out of the plague vote.”
Accordingly the Secretary wrote the Colonel Secretary on the 17th November:
"I have the honour by direction of the President of the Sanitary Board to enclose certain minutes on the question of the pro- pagation of plague by rats and the desirabi lity of killing off as many of these vermin as possible while plague is not prevalent. I am also to apply for authority to purchase 600 traps and to engage eight coolies at $8 a month each for at least three months to attend to the bait ing of the traps and other incidental duties. This amount and also the cost of baiting the traps may be defrayed from the plague vote."
Mr. OSBORNE--Amongst the papers on this subject there are some very interesting remarks Mr. OSBORNE-For the reason that I con. made by Dr. Manson in his inaugural address: sider the scheme proposed by the Vice-President to the London School of Tropical Medicine is the only practical method of satisfactorily on the relationship between rats and plague. dealing with the many difficult problems con Coming as they do from so eminent an author- nected with insanitary properties in this colony,ity as Dr. Manson, and considering that the I shall be pleased to give my services on the theory which he propounds, viz., that rats Committee, but at the same time I cannot re- convey infection, is also held by local medical frain from saying that in view of the procras. authorities, I think the Sanitary Board should tination, apathy, and indifference which charac- take steps to rid the colony as far as possible of torised the progress of the " Insanitary Proper- this dangerous vermin—not in a spasmodic ties Ordinance" from its inception in 1895 to half-hearted spirit, bat in a thoroughly sys- its becoming law four years afterwards. I do tematic manner, so that, even though we may not think the extended range of reform covered not, as Dr. Manson puts it, "contemplate the by the proposal before us will meet with much approach of plague with equanimity,” we shall sympathy or encouragement from the ruling at least have the satisfaction of knowing that powers. However, it is the duty of the Sani- we have not ignored the warning given us. tary Board to press forward such ɔneasures of Dr. Manson lays great stress upon the import- reform as will bring light, fresh air, and health sace of killing the rats before the epidemic is into the homes of the many thousands of our upon us. He says, "I would emphatically point fellow creatures who now struggle for life in out, to be effective these measures must be em loathsome places where darkness, dirt, foul air, ployed in anticipation. To prevent epidemio and disease preclude all possibility of a healthy plagne you must kill the local rats bufore they existence, and I think that if we steadily per- are attacked." The present, sir, is therefore severe in our crusade against these evils we may the time to not, not six months hence, when the hope in course of time, it may be years, to effect mischief has recommenced, and what I propose some real improvement, even though we fail to is that we should at once organise a rat hunt,ë attain the full measure of success which the distribute traps broadcast through the city free Vice-President's scheme would lead to. I have of charge, and offer a reward for every rat dead much pleasure in seconding the resolution. or alive. This plan I believe to be the bestj because it is hopeless to expect that we can get the rats by any other means than through thứ occupiers of houses, and the only way in my opinion by which this can be effected is to make it worth; the coonpiers” while to go to the trouble of catching them. I know that difficulties, will occur, and we shall be told rats will be bred or imported for the sake of the reward, but these difficultiek must bọ met as they arise, and I have no doubt that with the assistance of the Captain Superintende ent of Police they will melt away! like › most difficulties do when brought face to face with intelligent: determination. We are of course). powerless to not of ourselves, having no funds at our disposal, and all we can do is to suggest that Government should give effect. to: our recommendation. I therefore propose:-" Thak Government be asked to authorice the Sanitary Board to purchase and distribute rat trapë fres of charge to all applicants and to offer a reward of two cents (with power to increase the pries
The PRESIDENT-In putting this motion be- fore the Board I would mention that the Gov- ernment have been requested to furnish the Board with the Act which contains full provi- sions for regulating this matter of Trusts. There is ous other member of the Committee to be nominated by the President, and I think we cannot do better than nominate the Vice-Presi- dent, who proposed this motion.
The motion was carried.
RATS AS PROPAGATORS OF PLAGUR.
Papers were subm tted on the proposed des truction of rats, as being propagators of bubonic plague.
The President minuted:-"The present ap- pears to be a convenient time for killing off as many rats as possible. Accordingly purchase in the first instance 600 traps (they can be obtained at the gaol for 20 cents each), and request the M. O. H. to instruct each inspector to diss tribute 50 in his district. The people will have to be shown how to set them. Undoubtedly
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