146
Mr. Chatham think of this in comparison with the income of $233,647, for the slaughter-house alone, which, of course, should be devoted to maintenance, extension, improvements and new slaughter-houses !
In neglecting to build more markets and slaughter-houses, which this officer points out are required, the Government is not only ignoring most profitable sources of revenue, but their want of action is tending to increase the cost of food.
The Acting Director of Public Works in answering the complaint of the Peti tioners as to the Government neglect in that providing latrines naively remarks "the provision of these conveniences has not been entirely neglected" [the italics are mine] and he gives certain information which shows that the Government has a&tually provid ed nine latrines for a population of 280,000, most of whom are Chinese.
Mr. May also provides a page on latrines, the only portion of which need be referred to is his statement concerning the Leighton Hill latrine. To give an idea of what Mr. May considers to be a truthful statement, I append the following :
X.O.H.
The need for addi-
tional public latrines and urinals is becoming more and more urgent every year, and yet no ddition has been made during 1899 to the num- ber of such conveni- ences, either in the city or elsewhere in the
colony. One small pub lic latrina has, it is true, been erected at the south end of Ship Street, Wanchai, but merely to replace a private latrine
A
few yards distant and which was to have been demolished at the end of the year. The old wooden latrine with two seats on Leighton's Hill Road has also been replaced by an iron structure with six seats but there are still only 29 latrines throughout the entire city, with but 689 seats for a Chinese male population of al. most 120,0 0. More over, only 12 of these
latrines have been erect- ed by the Government, the remainder being privately owned, and therefore not free. (1899 Report.)
MR. MAT.
In 1897 the Board
made formal application that sites for 13 latrines be reserved in the re- sumed area of Taiping shan in accordance with the approved plan for the laying out of the area.
These sites are still
reserved, but owing to the fact that very little of the resumed area has been taken up for build- ing purposes only one of the latrines has been built.
THE HONGKONG WEEKLY PRESS AND
|
[August 17, 1901.
Government might reasonably include in its{ These figures are no doubt very impressive, 1902 estimates the cost of an engineering_do- they represent an enormous expenditure, much pntation to Singapore and Macao" to learn how | waste, and a vast amount of public dissatisfaction. roads are really made and kept. The doctors, Deleting the items Waterworks and Talping- dentists, and 'rickisha-repairers would probably shan Hesumption, the real expenditure on Sanita protest, but their opposition could be overcome tion during the past 18 years is $1,691,666; not against it the income, and compare it with even with firmness.
the past and present Sanitary requirements of the colony, together with the revenue of the Go vernment for that period. It means an annual. expenditure on Sanitary works for the 18 years of $92,864, and the surplus revenue for the year 1901 is estimated at a million !
Under the head of Miscellaneous Sanitary Works, the Acting Director of Public Works writes:-
In addition to the works alrealy described, several others of minor importance have been carried out. They include 10 public laundries, 20 tanks for washermen to car y on their operations in, under sa itary conditions, a Vaccine institute, and a Disinfecting Station, the combined cost of
which amounts to $38,081.
Any one acquainted with the villages of Tai- kok-tsui, Mong-kok-teni and Fun Tsun Heung as they existed six or seven years ago, would and difficulty in recognising them again to-day. It may safely be asserted that a revolution has been wrought in these and other villages.
Proceeding with the Memorandum we find that reference is made to "Enclosure No. 2." drawn up by Mr. May. Unfortunately there is not sufficient space at my disposal to deal with the whole of the Memoranda, and I must there- fore limit myself to a few of the flagrant mis- statements made by the three Officials, I believǝ Mr. Osborne is now engaged on a Memor- andum which he will send in to H.E. the Gov- eruor, refuting the Official statements, although Mr. Chatham declined to give Mr. Osborne the information he asked for essential for his purpose.
Mr. Chatham omits to mention that the small row of cottages erected as Public Laundries came into existence just nineteen years after Mr. Chadwick recommendations thereon; and
With regard to Mr. May's "Enclosure No further that the Chinese reasonably declined to use them owing to want of water which was con- |2," it is only necessary to deal with one portion, stantly failing, a necessity for which the Govern. namely The Public Health Ordinance of 1887. ment absent-mindedly made no regular provision This is practically the backbone of Mr. May's for. Then the Government draws attention to case, and he has very ingeniously juggled with the condition of the villages. Burely we were the facts to suit his side of the question. It is not supposed to erect insanitary villages; the impossible to quote all the matter bearing Government apparently congratulates itself on this, for it would fill pages. Several assertions have been made to the opposition because it did not!
The Vaccine Institute is generally not work-provided by the Daily Press, which have been ing, and during epidemics of small-pox the already dealt with in the leading columns of Was this paper. Practically, Mr. May endeavours to Saigon serum was used by medical men.
make out that the Public were strenuous not the disinfecting station also needed?
opponents of this Ordinance.
Mr. May seems to have had a hand in the
Mr. May quotes portions of a Memoran- next paragraph, or perhaps the Editor-in-chiet thought it time to assert himself. As this dum by Dr. Ho Kaf protesting against the Dr. Ho Kai was, of course, simply will be dealt with elsewhere it need only be measure. mentioned that the "elastic revenue which the exponent of Chinese ideas, and the fact that prohibited back alleys and the formation the Sanitary Board was unanimously against of B Fund to carry out large Sanitary him should have been sufficient for the Govern. Schemes" did not prevent the Government ment. Mr. May is correct when he says the from increasing the military contributions or Unofficial Members of Council, with one excep- their own salaries. The present "care to tion, wore opposed to the measure, but they is evidence that the were as unrepresentative of th› community then Those Unofficial Members provide public lanes Government on this, as ou other matters, is as they are now. was built
represented the landlords, not the public. necessary waking up to its past neglect.
Now, on the 21st January, 1887, the Høn. A. P. MacEwen asked the following question in the Legislative Council:—
The Board asked at time for A the same latrine to be erected at Leighton Hill. It was erected in 1899. They also asked for a latrine near Ship Street and for one at Tai-kok-tsui, The former (after formalities complied with) in 1899 and the latter, which took the form of a mat- shed structure, pending the further development of the village, in 1898.
the
had
been
In 1898 the Board re- commended the erection
Mr. Chatham alludes in glowing terms to the Taipingshan Resumption, and apparently claims this enterprise on behalf of the Govern- ment. I refer him to the speech of the Supt. of Police of 1891 given previously. If evidence could be taken in this matter there is little that Government could congratulate itself over. The place was formerly a hotbed of disease, of 2 latrines. Provision paying a hundred per cent, and was winked at was made in the Eby the Government for years, and was only resumed by the Government through fear of the ultimate consequences and the emphatic pressure of public opinion. The Public alone are to be thanked for this improvement, not the Govern. ment, and a reference to the newspaper files of that period will abundantly convince one of this.
mates for 1899 for two latrines and two wore erected during the lat ter year as shown above, It will be noted that Mr. May forgets to mention that the latrines in his third para. graph replaced others. This is one of numerous instances of the suppression of the truth in the Memorandum.
by the unanimous opinion of the medical men of the colony. It may convince Mr. Chamberlain, but it will not satisfy this community, who in spite of the flexibility of the Government's conscience and its spathetic indifference will get what they require. Ample evidence has recently been afforded of the Government's alarm on this score.
Mr. Chatham's concluding statement that the Government has done everything possible in the In the Government's analysis of the Report way of the sanitary improvement of the colony is not in accordance with the Official statements prepared for Mr. Osborne and presented at the last Sanitary Board meeting it is consoling to quoted in the Petition and the repeated plead- note that “$12,000 for additional latrines is to beings of the Medical Officer of Health, supported inserted in the Estimates for 1902." Why this sudden burst unnecessary (!) extravagance ?
In the matter of Roads Mr. Chatham dis- creetly says little and Mr. May, mirabile dictu, is altogether silent. What Mr. Chatham says, is, however, gratifying, for it is evidence after all that the question of roads, not their condition, does come with the scope of official responsibility. Now can the Acting Director of Public Works for a moment put aside his official mask and con- scientiously state-before a Justice of the Peace —(1) whether there is a road on the lower levels worthy of the name? (2) That if there be is it kept in a condition in any way equal to a road at Singapore, Macao and even Shanghai? (3) That although the traffic on the lower levels is almost entirely limited to jiurickishas and bicy- ales, why is it the main roads are in an abominable condition, and in wet weather several are absolutely dangerous? Seeing that for years past the P.W.D., has never been able to keep in fair condition the very few roads it possesses, the
ture, says: --
Waterworks
*
|
When the new ordinance for amending the laws relating to public health in the colony of Hongkong will come before the Council?
In doing so, he said—
Sir, You are aware that the time and attention taken up in preparing a bill entitled “The Public of the Sanitary Board for months past have been Health Ordinance." I think it is desirable It should be brought before the Council by yourself (Hon. W. H. Marsh, C.M.G.) without waiting for the new Governor."
This is scarcely "Unofficial Opposition," and in spite of his urging, the Bill was not introduced until three months later.
In proposing the first reading of this Bill, the Attorney-General, the Hon. E. J. Ackroyd, made some very drastic comments on the condition of the colony then. In introducing the Bill he said :-
It should be well known that th⋅ presofration of life and health in great measure depends upon the faithful prosecution of sanitary works,
He then quoted from Dr. Ayres Report of 5th April, 1875, and said that if any members of the Council had any doubts about the necessity of legislation regarding sanitary matters he would only urge them to read Mr. Chadwick's report, which he also extensively quoted. He went
on to say :-
In concluding hip part of the book, Mr.
The necessity of the Ordinance and of the Chatham, who unblushingly appends his signa-execution of the sanitary works can be doubted by no one after reading Mr. Chadwick's Report ; In conclusion it will be well to summarise the and the Government wonki be guilty of gross expenditure on the works mentioned during the | negligenc⚫ in one of its primary duties were it after this warning to neglect any longer the past 18 years:
$2,130,083 | presecution of thee much-needed works.
1,027,869 | We can prolong life and keep sickness and disenso 583,137 from our midst. It has been shown that muitary 42,479 | works have mved thoumads of human Hvos and 38,081 | have greatly diminishod sickness. The work is dificult and the task arduous, but let us approach 925,973 | it with confidence-confidence that if we man- fully persevere to the end succem will wait upon $4,749,522 us and our reward will be a great one.
Drainage and Sewerage Works Markets, Ac.
Public Latrines
Miscellaneous Minor Works Taipingshan Resumption and Im-
provements
Total...
T
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