May 5, 1900.}
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CHINA OVERLAND TRADE REPORT.
The Hongkong Odd Volumes Society
into prominence. The document which I refer to is a memorandum suggesting the formation | originally instituted for the purposes
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of a strong committes for the purpose of im. proving the sanitary condition of this city, That memorandum is signed by Mr. May, Dr. Clark, and Mr. Osborno, the first two of whom have had considerable experience in grappling with the plague, and can therefore claim to speak with some authority as to the needs of this place, even jai sod **You will find that document. and the covering letter to it, published in the newspaper of the 15th February, and I hope that you will read it for yourselves, because it is well worthy of
perusal and study.
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debate and discussion, and criticism is almost always valuable,
coolies, said that in addition to the
further east, so that the extension other large work
was generally recognised at home the colony must necessarily
large works that it was really a to provide proper housing and
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« My object in addressing you has been to call you into consultation with me concerning these defects in only local matters, and to induce you to take some active steps towards the amend-modation for the worker, and he ment of those defects.
ease of the Brimingham corporation whic carrying out large water works in out a complete camp, providing sanitary huts ou well drained ground. -
If a considerable body of you are in earnest, depend upon it something can be done,
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We are all of us, I fear, a little too apt to noglest these public questions and to look upon Hongkong as a place to which we come for a limited period of years with th
the object of soraping together a certain sum of money and then retiring, and we do not much care perhaps whether we leave any perrianent trace of our presence behind or not. I hope and believe, however, that some of you will not let these questions drop until some effective remedies be round for dealing with them.
In the words of Ruskin, I would say to each. one of you, "Improve the existing state of things you have to do with; to improve them, yon must know them; and, as you improve them, you will improve yourself.”
Broadly speaking the scheme which is sag. gested is that an influential body of men should be constituted into a Trast, with power to borrow money, to acquire land, and to sell or dispose of property. That Trust body is to have power to deal with an unhealthy area by preparing a scheme for its improvement, and for the formation of such streets and open spaces as may be necessary for such improve. ment. It is also proposed that the Government should contribute sunuslly to the Trust 5 per ceut, of the rates collected and 25 per cent of the premia derived from land sales in each Mr. FRANCIS ibanked- Mr. Pollock for his year, and further that the Government should paper, adding that it was such a papër as any make over to the Trust for a fixed period of 99 one who knew him would expect from him--a years such portion of the reserved area of Tai-carefully thought out and sensible paper by a pingshan as lias not been sold, so much of Tai Kok Tsui Bay as has not been sold, and half the available building area on the south side of the Shankiwan Road between the Eastern ex- tremity of the Queen's Recreation Ground and Shankiwan Village, this latter area to be first laid out in blocks sad each alternate block to be assigned to the Trust. The Trust is also to reclaim, where it seems expedient and to lay out the above areas in building sites, streets and open spaces and is to lease such sites for periods which may extend to 99 years, at the end of which the properties are to revert to the Government. Such are, in outline, the main provisions of the Trust scheme, and it seems to me that they are well worthy of consideration though, no doubt, they would require some mo- dification în matters of detail.
To mention one matter fonly, which is dealt with by the above scheme, it would be a great point gained to have some of the premia from land sales set aside sanually for a useful public purpose, instead of having them all treated, as they are now, as regular annual income.
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man who had evidently given close attention to the questions with which they had to deal in this colony. He was very much pleased, and he supposed Mr. May would be also to hear that the methods which he and Mr. May adopted in 1894 in connection with the committee of the Sanitary Board which dealt with plague with the approval of Mr. Pollock and he were those which now after some years met presumed also with the approval of many other persons, They did their best in 1894 to institute s careful and effective search, and succeeded to a very great extent in removing patients in the earlier stages. They had considerably fewer dead bodies « found in the streets; considerably fewer cases in which they were not able to trace the locality from which they came; and this was only offerted by getting really abnormal number of searchers. They had the assistance of Volunteers from the civil community and had practically the whole strength of the Garrison placed at their dispo sal. With reference to the suggestion that Possibly the best practical steps for the Go- districts affected with plague should be cleared vernment to adopt now with regard to that out and the inhabitants taken elsewhere, that Trust Scheme would be to follow the same course was precisely what the Sanitary Board did in as it has adopted with regard to the food ques- respect of Taipingshan. That was Mr. May's tion, that is to say, to appoint a strong repro-individual suggestion and was carried out by sentative Committee to consider the scheme. his own vigorous hard work. Some 4,000 people I have already made some suggestions with were removed from the Taipingshan district, regard to the housing of the poorer Chinese, and and yet he believed they had not more than six I now pass on to make a few remarks upon the cases of plague among them after their removal housing of the Europeans in the lower posts in to the new district, whereas before their removal the Government service. Can it be believed there were cases-sometimes three or four--in that whilst on the one hand our Police are pro- every house. These outbreaks of plague ser vided with lodgings, on the other hand our sani. iously affected the commerce of the colony, tary and market inspectors and overseers are and if a rival port had to be opened trade might left absolutely unprovided for in the matter of be diverted to it, and then nothing they could accommodation, many of them living scattered possibly do would bring it back again, As about in the crowded Chinese quarters of this Mr. Pollock had said, there was hardly city? Surely this is a matter which only re- anything more intimately connected with quires to be realized, in order to be remedied. the sanitation of the colony than the Surely it will prove easy enough, at no consider question of house accommodation. Within able increase of expense beyond the lodging allow the last 15 days he had been consulted by people ance made to some of these men, to provide these residing in one of the most central streets in Government employees with proper buildings the city in consequence of their rents having in which they will be able to live together and been raised 100 per cent. A man who hitherto develop some degree of comfort and esprit de had paid $30 per month for his shop had had corps. Why should not lodgings be built for notice that his rent would be raised to $50, and them on the upper part of the unbuilt-on por so on. As he was coming down in the car that tion of Taipingshan ?
morning he was told that the German Basil Mission boarded out a number of children. Chinese families had been in the habit of receiv⚫ ing children for some time. These families had paid about $4 per floor but their rents had been raised to $28. When the landlord was questioned he said that owing to the influx of people into the distriot he was able to get $58 per floor if he wished. There was but one re medy for this state of affairs. Ordinary coon- omic conditions which made competition remedy did not apply to this colony, and the Government should step in in some Ishape or form. (Hear, hear.)
Finally I want to say just a few words more to you by way of conclusion,
I sincerely hope that you will not imagine, because I have ventured to, perhaps somewhat dogmatically, give you my opinions as to the remedies for some of our local troubles, that I am so conceited as to suppose that my sugges- tions are insusceptible of improvement. The most I can claim for myself is that I have spent some time in thinking over these problems of
It may
into
be the case that many important ations have escaped my notice, glad indeed to have any hich I may have fallen, pointed out
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Mr. A. 8. Hamilton-Smithe, touching on Mr Pollock's remarks as to the influx of
Board's limewashing crusade, declared that in- Dr. HARSTON, in alluding to the Sanitary stead of putting a stop to the plague it was the means of spreading it. When a house was or. dered to be limewashed the furniture all over the place; dust wa the people went about with 1 got abrasions in the lower extremitie inoculated at once by plague bacilli, The Sanitary Board would do far more good cleansed these places with some strong antiseptio instead of limewashing (Hear, hear.) -
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they were
they
Were
Dr. CLARK said he was fully in accord with almost every thing Mr. Pollock had Most of the subjects touched upon subjects which had been thought on members of the Sanitary Board and others in- terested in sanitation, Dr. Harston had sprung
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most startling theme upon them. It had generally been laid down in Indi1 as an axiom that lime-washing was one of the best prevent- atives of plague, and, if, as Dr. Harston sug gested, it was rather the the plague it behoved
means of propagating the Government to at once reconsider the mat. Board and ter, to go fully into the qu
question, and if they procedure for the future. He wter the had been
in the past to their that every house which they knew fected with plague was thoi and disinfected with the disnifectants. He took it, Harston's suggestion applied lime-washing done twice a year of tenement houses. He did ther Dr. Harston would sugg Sanitary Board should thoroughly disinfect every such house in the colony year. However, this was a matter which could be discussed, and he had not the slight that the Sanitary Board would be glad if Dr. doubt
Harston would give them more · fully his views on the subject. Mr. Pollook-tonohed upon the presence of night soil able matter in the drains. He to understand that the drains referred to by Mr. Pollock were the storm drains. Of course the sewers were constructed to carry night soil, vegetable refuse, or any other noxious matter, but the storm draina, were not so constructed, having untrapped ontlets every hun. dred yards or so into the public streets. This drainage, the wisdom of which it was now was the result of their dual system of
too late to discuss. The only thing to do, was to make the system as perfect as poss and to prevent as far as possible the intro
ible
duetion of foul matter into the storm drains. Mr. Drury had suggested the payment of the coolies on delivery as an inducement for them to carry the night soil to the bosts instead of emp. tying it into the drains. As to hawkers, if they refused to allow them in the streets they would be increasing the price of food supply in the colony,which was one of the most dimonit pro- blems they had to deal with.
well. into
Dr. HARston remarked that onl
the pro vious day he was talking to a member of the Sanitary Board and this gentleman tol him that the very houses infected with plag Wanchai had been limewashed by the Board. The Sanitary Board might throw the money spent on limewashi the street. If they were going to do anything let them use strong antiseptics.
Mr. FRANCIS in allad question, said the by the Governme food to certain. provided by Ordinance of food could only the result was that
The Hon. FHMÄ had all listened wit and had derived a :