June 3, 1901.]
CHINA OVERLAND TRADE REPORT.
451
cluded his report with this singularly modest | for strong and complete measures of sanitation,, to protect it, and he (Dr. Clark) questioned but most prophetic paragraph: He trusted and I trust that they will be undertaken for very much whether, as the Vice-President had that even should the suggestions be found the immediate benefit of the public health with- suggested, the opposition was a true indication undesirable or impracticable his report ont waiting for the necessity to bé demonstrated of public opinion. He thought that public would show the necessity for strong and by the irresistible logic of a severe epidemic." opinion generally was in favour of Banitary complete measures of sanitation, and he The logic came twelve years later, when the Reforms, and, although public opinion might trusted that they would be undertaken for the necessity for these reforms was demonstrated not always be represented by public representa- immediate benefit of the publi health without by an outbreak of bubonic plague in epidemic | tives, yet he thought the public would be with waiting for the necessity to be demonstrated by form. Almost all these matters were crying the Board, and was with the Board in the the irresistible logia of a severe epidemic. needs in Hongkong nineteen years after this question Almost all of these matters were crying needs report was written. His resolution was only question of the improvement of the sewers. the height of buildings and in this of Hongkong more than 19 years after the a repetition of Mr Chadwick's recommendation. He certainly did not wish what he had said to above report had been written, and in moving The sewers and drains of the City were most be taken as an indictment against the Govern the resolutions standing in his name, he was offensive. He thought they would all admitment. only, reiterating the recommendations of one that, and he suggested that it was quite possible opposition to the Government reforms, and he It was the result of the persistent of the highest authorities in sanitation in Great | that the Reclamation scheme had had something thought it was time some drastic measure was Britain.
to do with this. The sewers and drains ought resorted to whatever the opposition might be. to be flushed, and the large quantities of water that ran to waste down the hillside and down the nullahs ought to be utilised to a large extent for this purpose.
Mr. E. OSBORNE, in seconding the first re- solution, remarked that as regarded open spaces in the city what Dr. Clark had recommended was only what every prudent man would do.
With a slight modification the first motion of Dr. Clark was agreed to.
On the second motion, that of recommending the Government to utilise all the fresh water which ran to waste in the trained and un-trained nu lahs of the city by building dams and form- ing tanks for the automatic flushing of the sewers and water drains, Dr. CLARK said they must take to heart the importunate widow. The recommendation, which he now brought be fore them, was made by Mr. Osbert Chad wick in 1862, in a report which was present ed to both Houses of Parliament by com- mand of Her late Majesty. Previous to this report the late Dr. Ayres, Colonial Surgeon, had, in 1875, submitted a similar report on the sanitary condition of the Colony, but unfortunately, he appeared to have very soon lost heart and given up the struggle. What the Sanitary Board must do, Dr. Clark contended, was to importune for these sanitary reforms, which had been pointed out over and over again during these past five and twenty years. As an illustration of what he meant, he might tell the Board that Mr. Chadwick, who was sent as Sanitary Commissioner to consider the sanitary con- dition of the Colony, made the following recommendations. He recommended that continuous back alleys should be insisted upon. They had not got that yet in this Colony. He recommended that six hundred cubic feet of air space per head should be required in all rooms sub-divided by cubi- cles. The present law only required four hundred. He recommended that the ground surfaces of all dwellings should be concreted. This was not required until after the great epidemic of 1894. He recommended the formation of an improvement fund to carry out larger sanitary schemes, such as the purchase of insanitary properties and their demolition, and the acquisition of all privately owned pub. lio latrines. A similar scheme was recom. mended by the Board, on the initiation of the Vice-President a year or two ago. He recom- mended the erection of model dwellings. The Board had this matter again before them now. He recommended that alt roads and drains should be prepared before any building lots were sold. The speaker (Dr. Clark) fancied that the residents of Conduit Road might have something to say on this subject. He recom- mended flushing tanks for sewers to be filled by the flow in the nallahs should be erected. This was the subject matter of the present resolution. He recommended that all existing public latrines should be acquired by Govern- ment and be completely reconstructed and greatly increased. The increase in number was practically commenced last year. He re- commended that urinals also were greatly needed. There were still but four inadequate urinals in the whole City. He recommended that the nuisance caused by hawkers squatting in the public streets should be abated. This subject has also been recently discussed by the Board. He recommended that the Marketaccora- modation should be increased, as it was lamen- tably deficient, and finally he recommended that public bath-houses were much wanted, and that they should be furnished with a good supply of hot water. Mr Chadwick concluded his report with this singularly modest but most prophetic sentence: "I trust that even should the suggestions be found undesirable or impracticable my report will show the necessity
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The PRESIDENT pointed out that there were great difficulties in the way, as the time of Bushing was during the dry season, and it would be useless for them to make provisions for flushing during the wet season.
The streams that could be utilised in the dry season were few and comparatively small, and, of course, there was always the difficulty of multiplying the number of the drains, which would in the ordinary way be conveyed from the different points to the different inlets to the drainage system.
would ensure from wrangling over the past; Mr. OSBORNE remarked that very little good they had to look to the future. The Govern ment had the strength, if they cared to use it, to carry through any measure they pleased, in spite of opposition, and he was certain that any measure which they proposed do stamp out plague would have the support of the com. munity.
The resolution was seconded by Mr. CHATHAM, and carried.
THE FLUSHING OF THE DRAINH. Dr. CLARK moved his third resolution on
the question of the flushing of the sewers and storm-water drains of the city with sea water pumped from the harbour to suitable storage tanks.
that in the case of sea water, it had to be Dr. BELL seconded and the President remarked pumped up to a certain height before it would run down. The capital cost of such a scheme Would be something like $300,000 and the expenditure about $10,000 a year. The cost was too great for the results which would be
attained.
the extremely able report of Mr. Cooper on Hon. F. H. MAY referred to what he called the water supply of the Colony. That gentle-
man was a man who when he put his hand to paper generally knew what he was writing about. He said if they wished to flush their owers they should turn on more fresh water, and not salt water, and he (the speaker) had great confidence in Mr. Cooper, and believed in what he said. He therefore opposed the resolution.
The Hou. F. H. MAY thought that the observation of the Medical Officer of Health was more or less an indictment against the Government, at least it might be interpreted as such. As a result of these reports by Mr. Chadwick, a tremendously drastic measure was drafted, known as the Public Health Bill, 1887. If that measure, the original draft of which he perused some time ago, had been adopted, the Colony would have been in a better position to-day than it was, and in a better position than it would be for some time to come. If they referred to the proceedings of the Legislative Council, they would find that it was emascu- lated by the opposition of unofficial members of the Council, backed, he had no doubt, by public opinion outside, who thought that matters were going a little too far. After the plague epidemic of 1894, when it was desired to increase the Sanitary legislation, they had the Closing of Houses and Insanitary Property Act of 1894. The backbone was taken out of that Bill, in the Legislative Council, also by the unofficial members. In both these bills there were stringent provisions to restrict the height of houses, and everybody who knew the City know that its greatest curse was its surface crowding. Even a strong man like Mr. Francis Cooper, the strongest man that the Public Works Department had ever seen and the strongest man the Colony had ever seen, even Council the original restrictions for the exces- he was unable to get through the Legislative sive height of houses in 1894. Then they came to their last measure, the Bill of 1898; and they knew, as well as he did, that, had it not been for the opposition in a certain quarter, that Bill would have been better than it was. There were three times in the
Dr. CLARK-Nearly every coast-port towa history of the Colony since 1887, since the in Great Britain finds it worth while to pump report of Mr. Chadwick was written, that sea-water for road watering and flushing." AI the Legislature had endeavoured to legislate the spare fresh water that they could collect upon that particular point and had failed. would be required in a very few years for the They all knew that it was very difficult in large population that would occupy the Prays Sanitary legislation to legislate in the teeth of East Reclamation-estimated by the originator public opinion, and when those at the Legisla-of the scheme at 150,000 persons, tive Council, who were supposed to represent public opinion, opposed it, it was not surprising the Government made concessions and gave way. If any member would take the trouble to look up the original deed, and compare it with the bill on the Statute Book, he was sure they would be surprised,
Mr. OSBORNE said that if Mr. Cooper was responsible for the separate system of drainage then, he was sure very few people would Vice-President anent Mr. Cooper. The endorse the remarks that had fallen from the separate systems of drainage would be very excellent no doubt under certain circumstances, but under the circumstances that prevailed in Hongkong, it was a nuisance and a curse. The only way in which these drains could be flushed
then he was sure that no gentleman at the in the dry season was by salt water, and if they waited till the securing of more fresh water, Board would live to see the day when flushing by fresh water would take place. The whole of the present water supply would shortly be required for domestic purposes...
The Hon. F. H. MAY-I have very great. respect for Mr. Osborne, but if I were to cross-examine him on Mr. Cooper's and Mr. Chadwick's report I would be surprised to find he knew anything about it at all:
The motion was then put to the meeting and carried. Dr. Clark, Dr. Bell, Messra. E. Osborne, Chan A Fook and Fung Wa Chuen voted in its favour, and Hon. W. Chatham, Captain May and Mr. A. W. Brewin voted against it.
Dr. CLARK said he had read very carefully Hansard's reports on these Bills, and he was fully aware where the opposition came from, and that was why he said they must be impor- tunate. They must be persistent and ask and Dr. CLARK then moved That the Govern ask until they got what they wanted Their ment be requested to consider the adrimability repeated requests for a refuse-destructor was of trapping all inlets to the storm-water drains, one illustration of this. They all knew where in view of the fact that the “ Report the opposition came from Such opposition latrine and urinal accommodation of the city did not exist only in this Colony, it came from and its connection with the fouling of the the same quarter all over the world. A man storm-water drains forwarded to the Govern when his pocket was affected, naturally wished - ment in 1899, showed that the contents of the
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