June 3, 1901.]
5
CHINA OVERLAND TRADE REPORT.
455
manter, a matron and a miscellaneous lot of | be offered to the Chinese House Surgeons at coolles and boys, mostly untrained, and as able the Native Hospitals (Tung Wa, Alice Memorial and willing to attend and nurse sick Europeans and Nethersole) for all successful vaccinations, as they are to tell the truth twice consecutively? the vaccine to be supplied by the Government, Is it true that a European patient taken from with a view to increasing the number of the centre of the town, say at 11. a.m., by the vaccinated persons in the Colony, and thereby ambulance corps, arrives at a little after noon, reducing the mortality from this diseasO. and unless his own doctor attends, may by good| This scheme was specially - recommended by luck get medical attention about 5 p.m., or if the Sanitary Board, by resolution, in Augs not by 10 a.m. next morning?
1898, and has been urged by me in subsequent Annual Reports, but has, I regret to say, not yet been given effect to."
cession to Major Reid, R.A.M.C. Capt. Cleve- land's appointment will give great satisfaction to the many friends he has made in Tientsin.
A favourite eunuch of the Dowager's has recently arrived in Peking to view and really report on the exact state of affairs. Prince Ching is stated to have received him very warmly, as he says that all that he and Li Hung chang have written to the Court has been discredited, and now the ennnch will be able to report that what they have said is If there be at the Plague Hospital but one correct. The eunuch professes great surprise wardmaster and one matron? Somebody re- at finding the Palaces still standing and every-sponsible must believe them to be far above thing so quiet, as he says the wildest tales have ordinary humanity to be able to work twenty- been current in Hsian concerning the violent four hours a day for seven days a week. doings of the foreign troops.
THE "HONGKONG JUNTA:"
AGAIN.
The Manila Times of the 23rd ins!. gives-de- tails about a certain K. Engelskjon, a Norwegian, who was arrested on the previous evening and confined at Anda Sta ion, pending an investiga tion of the charges against him.
A preliminary examination was given him on the 23rd and it developed, states the Times, that Engelskjon was one of a party of six who have acted as spies for the insurgents The docu- ments in question consist of letters received from the Philippine Junta at Hongkong ad dressed to Aguinaldo and the leading native officers of the insurrection. Those letters had been sent by the Junta to him and some had been forwarded. Passes of all descriptions were among the documents. Some of these had been issued by Aguinaldo and nearly all the officials in the south had given him safeguards. Thes have been used for the past three years, and just what his business with the insurgents was has not as yet been developed.
At his preliminary examination Engelskjon stated that the reason that he did not inform the military authorities of his knowledge of the insurgent was because he thought that the United States was big enough to take care of itself.
Engelskjon was returned to his quarters at Anda jail and has expressed his desire to obtain legal advice to prepare his defence, which has been granted him. ·
Should further investigation prove as im- plicating as the first sight appears, Engelskjon may realise what it means to be convicted of being a spy in time of war, says the Manila
paper.
CORRESPONDENCE,
[We do not hold ourselves responsible for the opinions expressed by our correspondents.]
MUNICIPAL FREEDOM IN
HONGKONG.
TO THE EDITOR OF THE " DAILY PRESS,' 28th May. SIE,-Can you or any of your public-spirited readers enlighten auxious inquirers after truth on some or all of the following queries:
Is it true that there is no resident European medical man at the Kennedy Town Plague Hospital, and that the medico appointed is only able to attend once a day in regular routine, and further only when a case is very urgent, i.e. hopeless ?
Is it true that the night soil removed from private houses and public latrines is not disinfected before being carried away to be used for growing vegetables for European and Chinese consumption? This disinfection was
done in 1894.
After all these queries and one remark, Mr Editor, I should like to add two of the latter. Sydney Smith said something to the effect that to stop railway collisions it was necessary that a Bishop should be killed in one, a Bishop being his idea of a great dignitary. In the samne train of thought I began to wonder that before they adopted efficient measures to stop the plague it was necessary that some great local horrible, Mr. Editor, so I shall try to banish it. dignitary should The thought is too
at home, who will be interested in the answers There are one or two rather persistent M.P.'s
you or your readers can give. As the little tin gods that are located here are deaf and dumb, it might be more useful and save time and lives to in a place where he must listen and answer. put queries to the great Panjandram himself In the meantime, have the Hongkong rate- payers forgotten the old English constitutional Yours, etc., principle "Redress precedes supply?".
44
INQUIRER.
TO THE EDITOR OF THE DAILY PRESS.
30th May. SIR,-If any further proof is wanted as to the aversion of the Hongkong Government to reform, I think the undermentioned onttings from the Government Official Gazette, dated 25th May, will furnish it.
They prove that representations by competent Government Officers are ignored year after year, and that when remedies for the scandalous condition of things are suggested, a deaf ear is
turned.
No wonder the cost of living is high when we learn that the monopoly for slaughtering animals for food has been sold to a Chinaman, and that the market space is totally inadequate, ill-lighted, and with ridiculously inadequate supervision.
*
"Central Market. Owing to increase of trade, additional accommodation is required in the poultry section for the killing and plucking of fowls, etc. I first reported this matter to the Board on September 7th, 1898.
"Nothing has yet been done to improve the lighting of this market, although upon February 11th, 1899, I brought the subject before the Board and pointed out that it could be lighted much better and cheaper by gas.""
*
"It is a very great pity indeed that the new Western Market is not to be re-constructed upon its present site in accordance with many recommendations to that effect which have been forwarded to the Government by the Board,
* Saiyingpoon Market might be rebuilt and extended with advantage.
14
"Wanchai Market is too small, and might fronting upon Queen's Road, which would make be easily extended to cover the vacant space
room for a good many more stalls.
Shaukiwan Market also needs extension. In 1889 I recommended that thirty additional stalls be added."
*
**
“Additional supervision required. Проп July 17th. I recommended the appointment of an Assistant Inspector of Markets, ranking as a 2nd class Inspector, and pointed out that it was an impossibility that the supervision of these ten markets could be properly carried out by one Inspector, who is the only officer avail- able for such duties at present.
"The effectual supervision of the food supply of the Colony appears to me to be one of vital mportance to the health and well-being of the community. The magnitude of the work may be more readily understood when I mention that the total revenue collected as Market Rents during last year exceeded $80,000."
My recommendation was, however, not approved, hence I am obliged to do the best I can with the one Inspector.".
*
"The monopoly of slaughtering animals in the Colony is still in the hands of a Chinese contractor.
"On July 17th, I again represented to the Board that the Government Animal Depôts
We laugh at the Chinese methods of govern. / and Slanghter House at Kennedy Town could ing; but are we much better off? We shall hear of a monopoly for baking bread next. It appears that instead of reforming the Chinese we are copying their methods. Perhaps some of the missionaries who are at present out of employment might turn their attention to the Government.-Yours, etc.,
PROTEST.
[Our correspondent first quotes the paragraphs from the Report of the Medical Officer of Health, which deal with the excessive height of buildings, insani ary or obstruptive buildings, population and acute surface crowding. As these are quoted elsewhere to day we refrain from repeating them. The other paragraphs quoted are:---]
not possibly be efficiently supervised by one Inspector, upon whom devolved the entire responsibility of managing these premises dur- ing the whole twenty four hours of each day, seven days a week, and recommended the ap pointment of two 2nd class men to assist him.
As the slaughter-house is open day and night, work going on therein during the whole twenty-four hours, given three men, one Inspector could then do eight hours' duty daily, including Sundays, instead of one man being practically upon duty during the whole of the twenty-four hours as at present.
"I further pointed out that this small ad- ditional expenditure could easily be borne, as. since the erection of these buildings six years. ago at a total cost of $116,316.10, including preparation of site, terracing, building of re-
It is said that there are six resident Chinese physicians-sic. Is this true? Also that these gentlemen are picked for duty by shaking a pot with six slips of bamboo with the name of one of these physicians on each, and if the patient is able he chooses one slip-the physi... with one non-Chinese death) as a result of taining walls, landing “wharf, and Inspector's
cian whose name is drawn is the one to attend on that patient?
If there is no resident qualified medical man at the Plague Hospital, is it because the Government cannot afford the expense ? -
Is it true that a well known medico was offered the magnificent salary of $250 a month to undertake the resident duty at the Plague Hospital, and of course abandon his own practice P
Is it true that the Government, made surplus of about $550,000 over their imate for land sales last year ?
Is it true that the staff attendant on European sufferers from the plague consists of a ward-
Among the accidental deaths of Chinese will be found no less than twenty (together
the collapse of buildings, none of which were occasioned by fires. This appears to be a very heavy mortality from an obviously pre- ventible cause, and suggests that a very much greater amount of supervision over the actual work, both of construction and of the repair of dwellings, is needed in this Colony."
*The total number of vaccinations recorded last year was 4,406 as compared with 6,529 in 1899, and 7,051 in 1898. This appears to be a most unsatisfactory state of affairs, and I think that more encouragement should be given to this most important means of prophylaxis. In 1897, I recommended that a small bonus should
quarters they have returned in fees, after paying all working expenses, the handsome nett sum of $233,647.00.
"The two additional Inspectors asked for were, however, not granted, p
**khaukiwan and Aberdeen. →→ No slaughter-house has yet been provided for. either of these two places.
TO THE EDITOR OF THI
BJB-Would it not be need of freedom from
In the first place, yo the one hand stream
living