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August 17, 1901.)
Turning to the blue-book let us consider after Mr. May's opening, Mr. Chatham's Momoran. dum. Our Acting Director of Public Works sudeavours to show, very hilf-heartedly it is true, that his department has practically accomplished everything Mr.hadwick recommended it to d. Sinc then, I suppose, it has slambared on its laurels. It has built waterworks, drains and markets, and no one will deny that the Public Works Department has accomplished much since Mr. Chadwick first aroused it. The money has been forthcoming and most people are prepared to carry out duties when the wherewithal is provided. The faults the community find with the P.W.D. are that it has not done enough for the money it ha spent, and it has not always done the work in the way it
should have been done, and it has also left un- done many things which it ought to have doar. Mr. Chatham writes exultingly about his waterworks-on the island; his strangely silent about Kowloon. Ha emphasises the fact that over two millions have been spent on waterworks since 1883. Well, most people will fail to see what the figures have to do with it, unless he wishes to be congratulated on economy, which is unlikely. The community provided the money, and have the right to expect the service; failing that they would have provided waterworks themselves to their own profit, us at Shanghai. Turu to Kor loon, and let Mr. Chatham ask himself if he can conscientiously rejoice over the wretchedly inadequate and dangerous system there, Far- thermore, will Mr. Chatham be prepared to state to the Expert that the system in Hong- kong is now fully sufficient and there is no danger of a water famine? Why, we have not got half enough water to keep this colony in au efficient sanitary condition.
Then Mr.Chatham tells us about drainage. Now in these matters of Public Works, Mr. Chatham, unlike his two confrères, understands what he is discussing. He is an engineer, and an able all-round man, whose opinion is much respected by his local nuofficial professionals. He does not attempt to discuss the Police, nor tell the Attorney-General that he is mistaken in his law; he does not eveu reprove the Medical Officer of Health on plague reports, nor show the Colonial Treasurer how to add up figures. Ho sticks to his last." and the only regret the community will have is that he allowed himself in a moment of weakness to figure a- a ranitary Sincho Panza to his colleague, U
of Police. The misfortune of the P.W.D. is that the Government has never allowed it to have half enough men to do the work demanded
from it.
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In referring to the drainage of the colony, Mr. Chatham had to consider that, as actig head of the P.W.D., he held a brief for the Government. He has therefore sought to prove that the present system is as Mr. Chadwick recommended it should be, throwing the onus of any shortcomings on the Expert; and further that the Government has dons its ut most to make the drainage as perfect as possible. Mr. Chatham is an interested witness, and his testimony must suffer on that account. Against his statement we have the signatures of eleven local civil engineers, men of high ability and of much local experience, who have endorsed the Petition which says that Mr. Chadwick's recommendations have uot been fully carried out; that his designs have been tampered with; that the Government has not done everything it should have done, and also that the present system is unsuitable (as was found to be the case in Bombay) to the place and the community.
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It is twelve years since Mr. Chadwick was last here, which is ample time to play ducks and drakes with his recommendations, and although Mr. Chatham discourses fluently to show that Mr. Chadwick approved of Mr. Cooper's methods, he does not answer the charge of the Petitioners, namely that the separate sistem" introduced by Mr. Cooper "is without the safeguards Mr. Chadwick recommended, viz., abundant water supply, flushing tanks at the head of each drainage valley, pumping stations at each end of the city to relieve the intercepting main drain and throw the sewage into the sea well clear of the city." Mr. R. K. Leigh, in his able report of 1888, said the proposed scheme of drainage, as described in the report undre consideration
CHINA OVERLAND TRADE REPORT.
(Mr. Cooper's) is diametrically opposed to that of Mr. Chadwick."
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Concernin the general belief that the system was not suited to the Chines popu. lation, I may quote the following from a Report of the Houss Connections Committee of the Bombay Corporation, which so well applies to Hongkong :-
145
In dismissing the drainage question, may I ask Mr. Chatham whether he considers the four large pipes discharging sewage on to the foreshore, a few yards from the road, at Des Vonx Road, Kowloon, giving rise to an abominable and dangerous nuisance on what should be the bost marine promenade there is, a sample of that superb system of drainage he Beginning with the incorrigible habits of the i professes to be so progd of ? people with regard to waste matter, they aw Mr. Chatham concludes : "From 1883 to that any system of houso connections, to work : 1898 a sum of 8185,000 was expendol under the with reasonable efficiency, must be devise and heading of Sanitary Works." He omits to based on these fabits. They found that down-mention that this expanse was chiefly incurred take pipes large enough to carry off all the through Mr. Prica laying down brick dtains water used in houses were constantly choked and pulling them up again in 1888 for pipe drains. with solid matter, and that syphons inten led to f
let e pople from foul gases were simply and the heading of Drainage Sewerage Work The total expenditure by the Government r.ceptacle for san 1, ashes, rags, &c., blocking the pipo nad e m-ing the water to run down the from 1889 to 1900 has been 8742,869. This is an walls and foul them They found, in fact, that average of $49,351 a year-does Mr. Chatham nearly every English device nga 14 prote the think this excessive for a colony such as oura people froni foul gasos was here converted into a ians of producing them.
Mr. May, in his Memorandum, dealing with the same subject, characterises the above statement about there being no flashing arrangements as untrue. His reason for this is that Mr. Cooper in 1891 reported that the sewerage works in the High Level District had been completed with manholes, ventilators and flushing arrange- ments." The "flushing arrangements Mr. May alludes to are somewhat different to those referred to by the Petitioners. These wonder. ful dushing arrangements of Mr.. Cooper's (which on sanitary grounds are condemned seldom act, bacause there is not usually suffic: ent water at the Peak to fill them-as a rule half a dozen coolies are requisitioned to pour water down the drains. Mr. R. K. Leigh, who in 1889 reported on the Peak Drainage, referred to this danger. At the meeting of the Sanitary Board on 30th May. 1901, two proposals were made by the Medical Officer of Health to meet the want of flushing the sewers and drains. This does not testify much to the value of the present wonderful automatic Hashers.
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with its continual extensions of residential quarters ?
Mr. Chatham nert alludes to Markets, and he refers to the Central Market as a monument to official enterprise and energy. It is a fine | building-though a few windows have been for
gotten-and they have not only one but several equal to it both in Singapore and Shanghai. The Central Market here is most remunerative, and we need not one only but half-a-dozen in place of the few miserable little squalid dens in other parts of the colony. Mr. Chatham omits to refer to the amount of pressure it took to move the Government to provid› suitable markets adapted to the needs of this rapidly. increasing community.
The Colonial Veterinary Surgeon in his report for 1889 gives some striking facts, especially in the matter of dates and Incomes. He said :-
In previous repɔrt», I have from time to time pointed out the urgent n'cessity of providing in- | creased market accommodation, but as yet with- out any result. I therefore proceed to give a few figures which I think should go far to further substantiate my reason for so doing,
In 1838, the Central, Western, Eastern, Tai- Therefore, if, as Mr. May alleges, there has been any prevaricating it has been on his side.ngsha, Wanchai, and Sokonpoo Markets were not on that of the Petitioners. As regards the rected. To these were added the markets of Peak Drainage, typhoid fever, previously un-
Sayingpoon in 1885, and of Shektongsui in 1875- being en increased accommodation of 98 stalls, known at the Peak, has followed the introne the luilding of the Central Market in 1895 tion of the separata system thero. Auy of the giving a further increase of 41 stills, or a total of medical signatories are prepare to state that 139 more than in 1839. But during this period→ the present condition of these drains is from 1839 to 1899--the Eastern and Taipingahan eminently calculated to promote the growth and Markets of 6 and 74 stalls respectively, wer distribution of the typhoid germs should they demolished, thus showing a loss of 3 ×tails to the accidentally find entrance therein. This equally total market accommodation of the City of Vic- applies elsewhere. Load complaints of the|toria duri the last forty years: although in
stanches were mad› in 1882, but the stinking storm-water drains which it was cla med would prove a remedy have considerably increased the nuisance.
Mr. May on the subject of drains makes an admission. He says:--
The statement contained in the same paragraph that the contents of the storm-water drains are nearly as foul as those of the sewers is true, and the only remedy appears to be a more efficient method of removal of night-soil and the more effective control of the hawking of vegetables, sugar cane and fruit in the streets.
Mr. May, with his characteristic impetuosity, forzets one important point, and even Mr. Chatham is curiously reticient about it, namely that the Mr. Cooper of unenviable renown claimed that his drains were self-cleansing. To expect desins to be self-cleansing on sonis of the gradients made would be verging on the miraculous, and if they were. as he alleged, then why do they need the frequent attempts at cleansing with chains
The so-called now “self-flashing” draja ex. tending from the nullah at the north-east corner of the garden of the Offlers' Quarters, Murray Barracks, is a case in point. This drain runs along Queen's Road East, Arsenal Street and Praya East, to Ship Street, a distruce of about 5,400 feet. It is a 12inch diameter pipe-drain, taking all the sewage of a very largely populated district, and has an inclinatión o' only 1 in 380!! How the designer expects any liquit of any kind, let alone thick and practically undilated sewage, to flow at all on a flat gradient one except himself is able to realis». sewers at home are laid at a flatter gradient than 1 in 100, excepting large main sewers which convey a good volume of liquid sewage.
no
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that time the population has increased from 49,730 in 1839, to 168 200 in 1899, and the revenue from marke 8 from $28,677.50 to $80,901.38,
I believe the cost of erecting the Western Market in the first instance did not exceed $0.437.1%. yet during last year the revenue derived
from its stall rents amounted to no less than
$23, 165.64.
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Mr. Chatham rofers to the Slaughter-House unsurpassed anywhere." It took the Govern ment exactly thirteen years to build this, and then only after Mr. Chadwick had again in- sisted on it. The Colonial Veterinary Surgeon in his Report for 1880 pointed out:
Shaukiwan and Aberdeen. – No proper slaughter- house has yet been provided for either of those two places, although Section 8 of Ordinanco 17 of 1587 reads that "a sufficient number of fit and proper slaughter-houses to meet the requirements of the colony shall be provided by the Govern ment." I first drew the attention of the Board to this matter as far back as 1800 in my Annual Report.
This ho repeated in his Report for 19), and further pointed out in connection with the ́un, arpassed anywhere” slaughter-honso that--
Since the erection of these buildings six years ago at a total cost of $116,318.00–including preparation of site, terracing, building of retaining wa 1, landing wharf, and Inspector's 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.
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The expenditure under this heading," for markets and slaughter-houses, says Mr. Chatham, from 1883 to 1900 has been $383,137," which is equal to 834,302.30 a year, to a population of about 300,000 not including the numerous ships of war and merchant vessels which continually use the market. What does
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