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1
June 22, 1901.]
circumstances, to prevent much unnecessary delay and consequent loss to the shipping.
I have the honour to be, Bir,
Your most obedient servant,
R. CHATTERTON WILCOX,
Secretary.
CHINA OVERLAND TRADE REPORT.
545
delivery of His Majesty's Mails would have | Government should insist that the Health been impaired. Had the Health Officer boarded Officer must visit the vessel immediately on the Coromandel immediately on anchoring and anchoring. granted pratique she should have been alongside the wharf by 10 a.m., and could have proceeded at daylight on the following day, working up to midnight only. There were 13 passengers for the Coptic, sailing at noon on the 13th April, several of whom were unable to proceed owing Peninsular and Oriental 8. N Co. to the detention, and a Military Officer for
17th May, 1901.
The Acting Colonial Secretary.
DEAR SIR,
(Enclosure.)
I beg to draw the attention of the Cham- ber to the pressing need there is for improvement in the manner in which the medical inspection of shipping-visiting this harbour is carried out, in the hope that the Committee will urge on His Excellency the Governor the necessity which exists for the ravision of a system which is entirely inadequate for the present-day requirements of this important centre of
commerce.
The main defect in the system is the fact that, notwithstanding Hongkong has attained the distinction of ranking as the third port in the World in point of tonnage, the duties of Boarding Medical Officer still remain in the hands of a private practitioner. I am as anxious of disclaiming any intention of casting a reflec- tion on the present incumbent as the Secretary of the Chamber was in his letter to the Colonial Secretary, dated 19th July, 1887, pointing out how necessary it was for the Boarding Health Officer to give undivided attention to the shipping duties, a necessity which increases with the growth of the port, but the disadvantages of the present arrange ment aro manifest. A Medical Inspecting Officer with private practice, however conscien- tiously he endeavours to perform his duties, must at times neglect either his private patients or his harbour work.
During the time quarantine was recently imposed on arrivals from Singapore, there were several instances of avoidable and wholly unnecessary detention to mail and other steamers and their passengers through the failure of the Medical Inspecting Officer to board the vessels on anchoring in the quarantine ground. The Government, realising hat the delivery of Mails was liable to delay from this cause, notified the Agents of the Mail Lines that the Mails and the Post Office Officials, who take charge of the Mails from Singapore, were to be allowed to land before arrival of the Health Officer, provided the Medical Officer of the steamer
certified that the latter were well and free from infectious disease.
The cases of the Royal Mail steamers Coromandel and Balaarat illustrate very forcibly the evils and possibly very serions consequence caused to Mail steamers at this port of call, where every hour is precious, through delay on the part of the Boarding Health Officer in attending to his duties.
The Coromandel with the outward Mail, passed Gap Rock at 4.16 a.m. on April 13th. showing Mail signal-lights, which were duly acknowledged. At 718
8.m. the vessel anchored in quarantine ground with the yellow flag flying, as there was a case of suspected chicken-por, which is
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Tientsin missed his passage per transport Formosa, which sailed in the afternoon.
The case of the Bullaorat is as follows:-The vessel's signals were answered from Gap Rock Station at 5 a.m. on the 26th April, and she anchored in the quarantine ground at 7.25 a.m., but was not visited by the Health Officer until 8.35 a.m. The Ballaarat had had a mild case of small pox on board, a native fireman who had been taken sick before the vessel arrived at Colombo, and was, I am informed, convalescent. This man was landed into hospital and the vessel was not granted pratique until 5.40 pm., giving her barely time to berth alongside the wharves in daylight.
This letter is not written with the object of criticising the Health Officer's methods in dealing with a vessel when in quarantine, but to demonstrate how absolutely necessary it is that the Health Officer should give his undivided attention to his shipping duties
Whether an official Boarding Health Officer be appointed or whether the duties remain in tne pr. sent hands, it would, I submit, be desir- able to give larger powers to the Masters of vessels carrying qualified surgeons; otherwise, to carry out the duties efficiently, a staff of boarding officers would be required.
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Dr. Clarke, the Medical Officer of Health advocated this himself in his Report on the Health of the Colony for the year 1897, as the following extract from the Quarantine Regula- tions proposed by him in the Report will show
dical Officer may, in his discretion, omit such
And provided also that the Boarding M. general medical inspection of the passengers and crew and of all other persons on board, upon the production of a certificate in the form set forth in the schedule attached hereto, duly signed by the master of the vessel and counter. signed by the surgeon to the effect that there has been no case of sickness of an infectious nature during the voyage, and that the said surgeon has seen every person on board during the twelve hours immediately preceding the visit of the Boarding Medical Officer and is satisfied that they are all in good health.”
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In allusion to this, Dr. Carke pointed out that all the Mail steamers, including P. & O., O. & O., N.P. C.P.R., M.M, N.D.L., and the Holt, Shire, Glen and probably other Lines carry surgeons. It will be seen that not many of the 13 steamers which enter this port daily will need å very prolonged visit" from the Boarding Medical Officer."
As already stated in this letter, the Mail Sorters, who in times of epidemic in Singapore would not improbably reside in an infected quarter during their stay there, are allowed to leave the ressel before she is boarded by the Health Officer, provided the ship's surgeon certifies they are free from infectious disease, and in accordance with Dr. Clarke's recommendation. I would suggest that this power be extended, and, provided the master of a vessel arriving from an infected port is prepared to sign a certificate, countersigned by the surgeon, that there is noɔ sickness of an infectious nature amongst the crew or the passengers, the vessel should be allowed to proceed direct to the wharves, or to her moorings, where the certi- ficate could be handed to the Boarding Health Officer, or perhaps to the Harbour Police.
I had originally intended to ask the representatives of the varions Lines concerned to co-operate with me in a joint appeal, but have been unfortunately prevented from doing so by pressure of work, and fully realising, as I do, the importance of quick despatch to Mail steamers and other vessels and that no avoidable or unnecessary de ay should be incurred when passing through this port, especially at this time of the year when fogs are so prevalent on the China Coast, I considered the purpose would be served more expeditiously and as effectually by placing the matter before the Committee of the Chamber, on which shipping interests are so prominently represented, and begging them to represent to the Government the necessity which exists for placing the medical inspection of shipping in this harbour on a more satisfactory footing without delay.
I am, Dear Sir,
Yours faithfully,
H. A. RITCHIE,
Superintendent.
R. C. Wcox, Esq.,
S-cretary,
Hongkong General Chamber of Commerce.
PROHIBITION OF CHINESE IMMIGRATION.
Hongkong, 3rd June, 1991.
SIR,
of Commerce in representing to the local Gor. We solicit the gool offices of the Chamber
in the trade by the prohibition of immigration ernment the hardship entailed upon all engaged of Chinese to the Straits as notified in the local Press of the 29th ultimo. Not only is such a vention, bat it is difficult to understand what drastic measure opposed to the Venice Con- good can possibly be expected from it. The
within ten days of its inception led to the accepted theory that persons suffering from plague show unmistakeable signs of the disease regulation that steamers arriving at Singapore from Hongkong within that period should be detained in quarantine until the ten days had elapsed from the commencement of the voyage, allowing them to laud in Singapore would and an examination of passengers befor consequently seem to be sufficient safeguard native passengers have to be passed by the against the introduction of the pest. Health Officer of the port before steamers leave the waters of this colony,
All
India was similarly prohibited by the Straits Last year, we are informed, immigration from Government, but representations to the Secre tary of State for India that it was contrary to the Venice Convention resulted in the restric tions being removed; and we suggest that it the same way the Government here be asked to at once represent the matter to the Soretary of State for the Colonies with a view to the speedy Hongkong. cancelment of the existing prohibition against
We are, Sir,
Your obedient servants,
David Sassoon, Sons, & Co.,
Agents Apcar Line of Steamers. H. A. RITCHIE,
Superintendent P. & O. 8. N. Co. JARDINE, MATHIS'N & Co.,
General Managers, Indo-China
8. N. Co., Limited. BUTTERFIELD & SWIRE,
́Ocean S. 8. Co.
| China Navigation Co. Agents N. E. L. Orient Line.
Taikoo Sugar Refy.
BRADLEY & Co.,
Agents Sban Steamers. MELCHIES & Co.
Agen's Nordd. Lloyd.
East Asiatic Co.
both con. tagious and infectious, on board. Not until 10.6 a.m. did the Health Officer board the Coromandel. As the Health Officer was doubt- ful whether the case, which was landed and sent to the Civil Hospital, might not prove to be small-pox, he insisted on all passengers being vaccinated before disembarkation, much to their dissatisfaction. After diagnosis at the Hospital the case was declared to be impetigo contagiosa (s form of ring-worm), and at 230 p.m. the Coromandel was granted pratique, bat it was not until 5 p.m. that she was able to In the case of a vessel arriving with infec- commence discharge at the wharves. By dint tious disease on board, I would beg to recommend of working all through the night the vessel for consideration the suggestion that arrange- succeeded in completing her discharge and con- ments should be made for telegraphing the fact | The SECRETARY. tinuing her voyage at 3.10 p.m. on Sunday, from Gap Rock from the South and Waglan April 14th. The limit of time according to Mail from the North. This could be done by Contract for arrival of the Mails at Shanghai | a simple code of signals arranged from was 2 p.m. on Wednesday 17th April. The the Mercantile Code flags. On passing Coromandel fortunately was favoured with fine the signal station the vessel would" fy weather and succeeded in saving her time, but fag, under the yellow flag, denoting had she encountered fog it would have been impossible to have done this, and the Company | would have been liablo to a fine of £500, and, what is a matter of more serious moment to them, their reputation for punctuality in the
letter which would signify that, say a suspected case of small-pox or plague was on board, as the case might lb, and the Health Officer would then know exactly how to act, taking lymph with him, if required. In such ensen
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Chamber of Commerce
Hongkong.
Hongkong, General Chamber of Commeros,
Hongkong, 6th June, 1901.
́I have the homour to transmit, for the consideration of His Excellency the Governor, copy of a letter addressed to liris Chamber by the Shipping Firms and Agenciou interested