June 3, 1901.]
Dr. CLARK-I consulted the Crown Solicitor yesterday, and he says that the Board has absolute power to close up the premises. However, no harm could be done by allowing the shops to remain open during the day-time.
Dr. BELL-How about the tailor's shop? That place seems to me to be a mass of plague from one end to the other. I should be inclined to shut the place up entirely. If coolies are to be allowed there all day, squatting about, they are as much likely to get the infection as if they were there all night too. I should be in favour of shutting the whole place up, and clearing everybody out
Mr. OSBORNE Could we close up the back premises and just leave open the shops?
Mr. FUNG WA CHUEN-Have there been plague cases in everyone of these houses?
Dr. CLARK-No. There are fourteen houses, but they all communicate.
Mr. OSBORNE-It will be a very serious matter for those people living in Beaconsfield Arcade and carrying on business there if we close up the whole place entirely. Although I quite believe in drastic measures where there are great evils, I think we should perhaps do better if we were to close the place only between the hours of sunrise and sunset, and if possible the whole of the back quarters, leaving open only the front quarters, where light and air can enter, so that p ople could still carry on their business. Those who are wise will clear cut of their own accord. Then, if we found there were any more cases of plague after these measures had been enforc. d, say for three or four days, we might close the place entirely. I would move as a resolution that the whole of the premises be declared unfit for human habitation, and that the whole of the back quarters and the Chinese tailor shop be closed at once, but that, in the meantime, if no more cases of plague occur, people carrying on business there may continue to do so, until a further case of plague arise, between the hours of sunrise and sunset.
Dr. LABK-Oar statistics this year show that, amongst the Chinese female cases, a heavy mortality occurred among seamstresses.
Mr. OSBORNE-Were any of those cases out of that tailor's shop
Dr. CL BK-Not that we know of. Mr. Fuso WA CHUEN thought the tailor's shop should be closed because of people getting clothes from it.
The PRESIDENT-It seems to me to put these people in a very awkward position. They may be desirous of going in order to protect themselves, and, unless we declare the place closed, they may be liable to
It is pay rent. a hardship for these people to be compelled to move their business in this summary fashion. but, on the other hand, they will probably be able to find other premises, and they would be relieved of any further responsibility in con. nection with the present premises.
Mr. OSBORNE-With all due defereuce, I don't think we are called upon to consider that question at all. Whatever the arrange. ment between the landlord and tenant, we are here to act only in safeguarding the public health. Whatever the results may be, that has nothing to do with us. We are not called upon to consider that at all.
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CHINA OVERLAND TRADE REPORT.
plague, under section 7 of the Disinfection of Premises Bye-Laws continued in schedule B of Ordinance No. 13 of 1991.
Dr. BEIL seconded, and the motion was carried unanimously.
PEEL STRɛet and WELLINGTON STREET.
Dr. CLARK reported-I have the honour to report that at least fire cases of plague hare occurred, since the 20th inst, at Nos. 15, 17, and 19, Peel Street, which are old houses com- municating directly with each other, and I attach a certificate recommending that the premises be closed. The premises are full of cubicles, partitions, etc., which, althongh not illegal, render the premises very insanitary. and I consider that the owner should be required to clear out the whole of these accessory fittings and either burn them have them thoroughly disinfected and ex posed to sunlight and air freely, and that then the Sanitary Board will be in a position to thoroughly cleanse and disinfect the placs. I have also to report that at least four cases have occurred at No. 63. Wellington Street, since the 23rd inst, and that these premises should also by racated, and I attach the necessary certificate accordingly.
or
On the motion of Dr. BELL, seconded by Lieut. Col. tiUGHES. the recommendation of Dr. Clark was agreed to.
CHINESE OPEN AIR THEATRICALS TOPPED.
Mr. OSBORNE-In accordance with notice. I beg to move that the Government be asked not to give permission to Chinese to hold open-air or mat-shed theatrical performances during epidemics of plague. I believe that, at the present moment, there is more than one hugs mat-shed theatre at Yaumati. and others in other parts of the Colony, and I think there are some in the city, I believe that those in the city close somewhere about midnight, but those at Yaumati, I believe, continue throughout the whole night. They are attended by thousands of Chinese, many of them of a very undesirable class, the riff-raff of the community, and also by a large proportion of young people, who but for these theatres would probably be simply taking an evening walk, or, perhaps, asleep in their homes. We know from experience that these large accumulations of people generally end n an early outbreak of plague, and, for that reason, the Government stop. ped the Chinese from coming to Hongkong from Canton and the surrounding country to our races, and it was generally believed, and I think rightly believed, that that measure staved off present and previous outbreaks of plague. What holds good for the races also holds good for theatrical performances. Amongst these thousands are bound to be inany, some at all events, who have either tho plague on them or whose clothing is infected with plaque, and I think we should ask the Government to pnt a stop, as far as possible during plague epidemics, to any large gathering of Chinese people. It will, perhaps, more than anything else bring it home to these people what plague means in this Colony when they find that their amusements are stopped. I would not give that as a reason for doing it, but I think that where a large number of otherwise healthy people intermix with unhealthy people, cases of disease are bound to occur, and I think these performances should be stopped.
Dr. BELL-I think the house ought to be shut up day and night, maskee the tenants. We have got to do our business from a sanitary The PRESIDENT-With regard to Yauma'i, point of view, and I think that place is so I am aware of one such place there, and notice infected that it should not remain open. You has been served on the people to have it removed will get a certain amount of infection there in within, I think, seven days. The permit in the day time, and if the place is bad you want connection with it was given before there was to shu: it up. I think you ought to close the anything in the nature of an epidemic of plague. building both day and night.
Had it come forward at the time when thero was an epidemic, it would not have been issued. I am not aware of other mat-sheds. I will second Mr. Osborne's motion.
Mr. FUNG W▲ CHURN-I think the amend- ment is rather strong, because, if we close up this place day and night, we will have to close so many other places. The Hongkong Dis- pensary had a number of cases. It would be a very serious thing to close up day and night.
Dr. CLARK-Tho bye-law says distinctly that the Board has power to close. Personally, I was inclined to allow such businesses as the gunsmith shop to be carried on, but there are no half-mesɛNTES. If we are to close, we must close entirely.
Mr. FUNG WA CHUEN-I suppose you refor only to mat-sheds?
Mr, OSBONE—Only to mat-shed and open-air theatres, not to the regular Chinesa theatre.
Dr. CLARK-I think Mr. Osborne refers also to open-air demonstrations such as tжok place at Wanchai the other day.
Mr. 08в0% NE-
Yes.
The motion was then put to the meeting and carried unanimously.
THE FREE BATHS FOR COOLIES—A QUESTION
OF SOAP.
Mr. OBBORNE-Well, sir, seeing there is no way to qualify the step we are taking, I beg to propose that the Board order the premises known as Beaconsfield Arcade to be closed Dr. CLARK-I think the Board might take during the prevalence of the epidemic of bubonic this opportunity of informing the Government
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that the free baths for coolies have been a greater success than was anticipated. Crowds of coolies swarm round them, and the only difficulty is that they cannot get enough warm water. think the Government might double or even treble the number of baths. There is another matter to be mentioned, and that is the supplying of soap. left to the Sanitary Board to supply some- I think it might be thing in the shape of carbolicine-some- thing that will give a lather. At present the coolies only get a rab-down with clean water. We cannot provide soap, because every coolie who took a bath might walk off in proud possession of a cake. would do to have a tub of carbolicine handy-- (Laughter.) I think it
the coolies could always then have a lather. I move that the Government be asked to incroase considerably the number of these bath-houses throughout the Colony, and that it be left to the Sanitary Board to provide something in the form of soap.
Mr. OSBORNE seconded.
The PRESIDENT-Can you give any idea of the districts generally where they should be increased.
Mr. OSBORNE-Everywhere.
The PRESIDENT--One district, though, may require them more than another. Is it not the case that in the western district the bath- houses are most used?
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Dr. CLARK-I'll find out.
Lieut. Col. HUGHES-I think some means ought to be taken to carry off the dirty water, because now it oozes out into the street and accumulates there.
The PRESIDENT-I may explain that these bath-houses have been rushed up in a great hurry. Care was, however, taken that they should all be placed over concrete surfaces, 80 as to obviate any trouble such as Lieut -Col Hughes seems to indicate. With these surface3 it would be possible to tak) a bucket of water and give them a good scrubbing. Perhaps the Sanitary Board would see that was done.
Dr. CLARK's motion, on a show of hands, being taken, was carried unanimously.
This was all the business.
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A meeting of the Hongkong Sanitary Board was held on the 30th ult, at the Board Room, the Hon. W. Chatham (President) in the Chair. There were also present the Hon. F. H May (Vice-president), Dr. Ball (Acting Prine pal Civil Medical Officer), Mr. Brewin (Registrar Officer of Health) Mr. Fung Wa Chuen, Mr. General). Mr. E. Osborne, Dr. Clark (Molical Chan A Fook, and Mr. Woodcock (Secretary),
THE LIGHTING OF THE CENTRAL MARKET. The Secretary read a letter from the Govern- ment informing the Board that a section of the Central Market had been experimentally fitted up by the Electric Light Company with a lamp over each shop, and requesting the Board to report on the experiment after it had received a fair trial. The communication added that the Director of Public Works had also sub- mitted a proposal to heighten 92 windows in the ground floor at an estimated cost of $3,100, a sum which His Excellency the Governor in- tended to recommend the Legislative Council to vote for the purpose.
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The PRESIDENT said he did not know whether
any of them had visited the market to see the additional lights which had been placed over the shops He had visited the market himself, and had found that in a butcher's shop just inside the main entrance they were using lamps for carrying on book-keeping. market was well lighted.
Útherwise the
Dr. CLARK observed that the market had a double light now. The one which had been placed as an experiment could be readily switched off.
The PRESIDENT: We will defer the con- sideration of this matter till the next meeting.
VENTILATING CHINKSË HOUSES.
The Secretary read a minute from His Excellency the Governor on the subject of ventilating Chinese hou.es. The Governor said that no information accumulated up to the present moment had enabled the Govern. ment to assume with any confidence the source from which it was plague originated, or the means by which propagated. Much the largest proportion of the reported cases had occurred in houses noted as being in a fair sanitary con-
ا.