December 30, 19 1.]
Maintenance of buildings..
CHINA OVERLAND TRADE】REPORT.
...$ 2,700.00 | a difference of three inches only, I don't see why the same argument should not apply to 10,000.00 four inches or five inches, or even six inches. 500.00 In fact, I don't see where you are going to apply the limit, and as far as I am concerned 2,000.00 I shall certainly vote against the request.
Maintenance of macadamised roads
in Victoria Maintenance of Praya wall and piers Maintenance of waterworks, city and
hill district
Drainage works, miscellaneous ..
4.000.00
Total
$19,200.06 The CHAIRMAN-If any hon. member wishes any explanation of any of those items the Director of Public Works will be glad to furnish it.
Hon. T. H. WHITEHEAD--It appears that there is a very large expenditure in excess of the estimated cost for the maintenance of macadamised roads. How is it that there has been this excess?
The DIRECTOR OF PUBLIC WORKS-It is very well known, as being a subject of general comment, that the roads have been in bad condition for some time past, and every effort has been made to bring them into a satisfactory. state. It has been necessary to undertake very large repairs under that vote in order to bring them into anything like a satisfactory condi- tion. Then again the increase of the vote bas not, I think, kept pace with the increase in the surfaces of roads which it is necessary to maintain. The Praya reclamation, as every- one knows, has added an immense area to the road surface of the Colony, and my opinion is that the vote has not been correspondingly in creased, when the extra cost of labour and material is taken into account, with the increase of area. These are the only explanations I can give so far.
THE CIVIL SERVICE VOTE.
The Governor recommended the Council to vote a sum of thirty thousand seven hundred and twenty-eight dollars and twenty-seven cents ($30,728.27) to meet the cost of increases of salaries of the subordinates in the Civil Service during the current year.
The recommendation was approved. This was all the business.
HONGKONG SANITARY BOARD.
A meeting of the Hongkong Sanitary Board was held on the 23rd inst. in the Board Room. Present:-Dr. J. M. Atkinson, Principal Civil Medical Officer (President); Hon. A. W. Brewin, Registrar-General (Vice-President); Dr. F. W. Clark, Medical Officer of Health; Mr. F. J. Badeley, Acting Captain Superintendent of Police; Lieut. Col. Hughes, R.A.M.C.; Mr. E. Osborne, Mr. Fung Wa Chún, Mr. Lau Chupak, and Mr. G. A. Woodcock (Secretary).
AMENDMENT OF DRAINAGE BYE-LAW.
An amendment of Drainage Bye-law No. 30 was the first item in the orders of the day for the consideration of the Board.
Mr. OSBORNE-I beg to move, sir, that this mendment be referred to the leading architects in the Colony for their consideration and opiuions. I think it would be as well if all alterations of the laws connected with the drainage of private premises were referred to them before being finally passed by this Board. It would save a great deal of trouble, perhaps,
in the end.
Dr. CLARK sconded, and the motion was carried.
QUARTERLY INSPECTION COMMITTEE'S. REPORT.
The fourth report of the Quarterly Inspection Committee was laid on the table.
A. QUESTION OF CONSTRUCTION. Correspondence relative to the height of the floors at No. 21, East Street was laid on the table. This matter was before the Board at its meeting ou the 12th inst., and on the motion of the PRESIDENT was referred to the next meeting of members.
Mr. BREWIN repeated the remarks he then made, and said that as the floors in question were only three inches below the statutory height they should be allowed to remain.
In opposing the application of the owner in this respect, Mr. OSBORNE said-If we grant this request we shall bring no end of trouble on ourselves in the future. The maximum, or the minimum height, rather, has been set, and everyone knows it.
Mr. BREWIN-It has been altered lately. Mr. OSBORNE-If we are prepared to grant exemption in this case simply because there is
Mr. FUNG WA CHUN-I think this is only¦ a conditional concession. The house, as the Vice-President has informed the Board, is only to be used as a godown-not as an ordinary tenement house.
Mr. BREWIN-As a place of business. After a pause, Mr. BREWIN said-I beg to move that the motion I made at last meeting be adopted-"That the owner of this house be informed that the mezzanine floor on the top story of No. 21, East Street be reduced to one half the floor area, and that otherwise the floors be permitted to remain as they are, so long as the house is occupied as a hong and the first floor used simply as a godown.”
Mr. FUNG WA CHUN seconded, and the motion was carried.
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Regarding the absence of a backyard to the premises, Mr. BREWIN next moved That the house be exempted from the necessity of providing a backyard,"
This motion was seconded by Mr. LAU CHUPAK and also carried.
THE DEATH RATE.
The mortality statistics showed that during the week ended 14th inst. the death rate throughout the Colony was 236 per 1,000 of the population per annum, as against 30.6 in the previous week and 23.2 in the correspond- ing week of the preceding year.
LIMEWASHING.
Dr. CLARK submitted the limewashing return for the fortnight ended 14th December, which bore that in the Western district there had been 2,171 houses cleansed during that period.
RATCATCHERS FOR KOWLOON.
The Board next considered a recommendation by Dr. CLARK that the authority of the Gov- ernment should be obtained for the employment of fifteen ratcatchers for Kowloon.
On the motion of the PRESIDENT seconded by Mr. OSBORNE, the recommendation was adopted by the Board.
RATS IN DWELLING HOUSES.
510
slightest provocation from the German side. killed a German officer and a baker. All the above German soldiers were unarmed and a German guard had not yet arrived on the scene. When the latter did arrive, the only person it used its arms against was the frenzied Afridi.
The Indian guard following up, fired into the German lines, undoubtedly with the inten- tion of shooting the Afridi, and the German soldiers engaged close by in building a church, who did not know what had previously occurred in the Indian barracks, could only suppose it was firing at them. The Indians then tried to force their way on to the strongly enclosed site occupied by the German commissariat, doubtless with the idea of seizing the madman, but in such a manner, that the German soldiers hastening to the spot from where they were engaged in building the church, and suddenly seeing a German officer lying there in his blood, could only imagine an attack was intended.
They consequently seized the Indian guard, but not before some casualties had occurred, and even these injuries would not have been sustained by the guard if it had not resisted its
arrest.
We have the honour to be, etc.,
VON ROHRSCHEIDT.
Major-General,
Commanding German Troops. O'M. CREAGH, Major-General, Comdg. British Contingent,
China Field Force.
Tientsin, 11th December, 1901.
CITY HALL ANNUAL MEETING.
The annual meeting of shareholders in and subscribers to the City Hall was held on the 23rd inst. in the Ante-room, Hon. J. J. Bell- Irving, Chairman of Committee, presiding.
The Hon. SECRETARY (Mr. F. B. L. Bowloy) submitted the report, which showed that a new Committeeman had to be elected in place of Hon H. E. Pollock, K. C., resigned. In repairs and alterations the sum of $703.44 was spent upon the City Hall building, during the year ended 30th Jane last. The number of performances in the Theatre exceeded all Dr. CLARK further recommended that the various entertainments being muca in excess of previous records, the audiences drawn by the Board obtain authority to insert advertisements average seasons, and had it not been for the in the local (English) Press inviting house- death of our lamented Queen, which for a time holders whose premises are infested with rats checked the gaiety of the season, the receipts to communicate with the Medical Officer of would have been far above the average. The Health, who will send ratcatchers to the house expenditure on repairs was not heavy. As to and endeavour to rid it of them.
the Library, it continued to be increasingly Mr. OSBORNE moved that the recommendation | appreciated and the experiment of keep- The PRESIDENT seconded, and the motion to be quite a
ing it open in the erening might be said success. The Free Lending Collection attracted a number of readers, but a better supply of books is urgently needed. Sixty-two is at present the number of borrowers, and the Collection now includes 532 books. The number of visitors to the Library during
be forwarded to the Government.
was carried.
WORK OF THE CLEANSING GANG.
During the fortnight ended 21st December, the cleansing gang have dealt with 973 houses, as compared with 691 during the previous fort. night. The number of flors fumigated was 2007, and the number of floors cleansed 2259.
Taking the twelve working days, this represents an average of almost 27 floors per gang per day, as compared with 2 floors during the previous fortaight, and shows that, now that the work is in full swing, it can be accòm- plished more expeditiously.
This was all the public business.
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THE CASE OF AMOK AT TIENTSIN.
We reprint from the China Times the follow ing official account of the recent case of amok
at Tientsin:-
་
TO THE EDITOR OF THE “CHINA TIMES.
the 12 months was 19,05) no 1-Chinese and 6,097 Chinese-more than double last year's
numbers, Regarding the Maem, several in- feresting specim ons have been added, including gifts from His Excellency Sir H. A. Blake,
.C.M G., Capt. F. Wall, Messrs. E. S. Pereira, W. Goldenberg, Lee Lin Shang, C. H. Gale, A. P. Samy, H. P. Tooker, R. Č. Edwards, J. M. de Jesus and Basil Taylor. It is much to be regretted that lack of space and funds and of scientific supervision prevent the develop- ment of the Museum, while the ravages of the limate render it difficult to keep the specimens in good condition. The Museum is, however, (much appreciated by visitors to the Colony,
both Chinese and non-Chinese, the number of visitors during the 12 months under review Sir, In your issue of the 10th December being non-Chinese 9,047 and Chinese 106,172. you published an article on the very deplorable The balance in the hands of the Hon. Treasurer, calamity caused by a frenzied Indian soldier on when the accounts up to 39th June, 1901, were the 9th inst. As this article contains so many closed, was $5,019.98, showing a gain on the errors, which might be construed by your year's working of $2,291.45 Most of the readers as a partial impeachment of the Ger-balance carried forward has since been expeaded mans, we would ask you to be so good as to ou repairs and improvemen's. publish the following account in the next issue fund on fixed deposit with the Hongkong and with a view to their rectification.
Shanghai Bank is $13,512.55, apa which interest amounting to $311.70 hal accrued up to 24th June, 1901.
The reservu
The whole business clearly depends not so much on an unfortunate error on the part of the Germans as on a mistake, to use the word The CHAIRMAN said-Gentlemen,-The re- so frequently employed by you, on the part of port, which goes fully into the details of admin. the Indian soldiers. As he enquiry has alreadyistration during the past year, I propose to con- confirmed, the frenzied Afridi "without the sider as read. From a financial point of view