March 1, 1902.]
THE ADEQUACY OF THE MEDICAL DEPARTMENT STAFF.
(Daily Press, 28th February.) There was laid before the Legislative Council yesterday afternoon the report of the committee of enquiry into the adequacy of the staff of the Medical Department here. It will be news to most residents in the Colony that some time during last autumn (for the date is not specified) H. E. the Governor appointed such a committee of enquiry, consisting of the following gentlemen:-Deputy Inspector General DREW, R.N., Colonel HUGHES, D.S.O., R.A.M.C., Dr. F. O. STEDMAN, M.D., B.S. (London), Messrs. C. S. SHARP and R. L. RICHARDSON. The first meeting of this committee was held on the 4th November last and the report now before it is dated the 31st December. Four meetings in all were held and the evidence was taken of Drs. J. M. ATKINSON, J. BELL, F. W. CLARK, J. H. SWAN, and R. M. GIBSON, In the commission to the five gentlemen appointed to conduct the enquiry, the Government laid it down that special re- ference was to be made to (1) the numerical strength of the staff of the Medical De- partment; (2) the position and duties of the Principal Civil Medical Officer. Working on these lines, the committee proceeded to take the second question first-on the ground that it is essential to determine the position of the Principal Civil Medical Officer before dealing with his staff and in the report the answer to this question comes first. The verdict at which the committee arrived was this:-"We are of opinion that "the Medical and Sanitary Departments "should be wholly separate and that the Medical Officer of Health should be in dependent of the Principal Civil Medical "Officer. The Medical Department should "be under the jurisdiction of the Principal Civil Medical Officer who, however, should "not be an administrative officer only, but "should retain his present position as Superintendent of the Government Civil
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Hospital. The Sanitary Department "should be under the administration of the Medical Officer of Health, subject to "the control of the Sanitary Board." In connection with this answer of the com- mittee the evidence of Dr. J. M. ATKINSON, the Principal Civil Medical Officer, given on the 6th November, should be read. In reply to the question whether he had at present control of the Sanitary Department, Dr. ATKINSON stated that his control over the Medical Officer of Health was only through his being an Executive Officer of the Sanitary Board, and he admitted that the Sanitary was quite different from the Medical Department; Dr. CLARK had been called upon occasionally to assist in the Medical Department (to which he had been appointed as Assistant Surgeon), but only when there had been great stress of work. As to the possibility of confusion, should the Medical Officer of Health for the Town be under the Principal Civil Medical Officer, Mr. SHARP asked: Supposing "there was a case in which the Sanitary Board carried a resolution, with which you as President of the Board disagreed; "if the Medical Officer of Health were un- "der the Principal Civil Medical Officer you might afterwards as Principal Civil Medical Officer override the resolution by ordering the Medical Officer of Health to carry out the particular matter concerned in the resolution as you considered right"| Dr. ATKINSON replied that as President of the Sanitary Board he would not do this a statement which no one doubts. It must be remembered, however, that not all
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CHINA OVERLAND TRADE REPORT.
SON.
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temporary Presidents of the Sanitary Board | then such an assurance might be tolerated inspire so much confidence as Dr. ATKIN- in default of a more equitable arrangement. It is not surprising, therefore, that As matters now stand, it either is nugatory the Committee should insist on the or reveals a presumption on the part of advisability of separating the departments China and Russia that they need consult no in future. Dr. CLARK as Assistant Surgeon nation else as to the disposition of Man- in the Medical Department is under the churia. This is far from being the case, it Principal Civil Medical Officer, but 28 is hardly necessary to say, and the joint having been seconded to the Sanitary Board assurances therefore may be regarded as for special work and in the position of worth no more than the paper on which Medical Officer of Health for the Town, he they are written. It is evident that the is not in this position. Such an anomaly Manchurian question is still as far from should be guarded against in the future. solution as ever. The possibility of friction may not eliminated by the separation of departments, but the hitherto existing state of confusion is one which should not be perpetuated.
be
As we print in another column the full answer of the committee as to the numerical strength of the staff of the Medical Depart- ment, we need not refer to it at length. It will be seen that in the Committee's opinion, sevèn Medical Officers are required, namely, one Principal Civil Medical Officer, four Assistant Surgeons, and two Health Officers for the Port.
VICTORIA GAOL IN 1901.
(Daily Press, 25th February.) It can hardly be termed a satisfactory report on Victoria Gaol in 1901 that appears in the Government Gazette over the name of Mr. F. J. BADELEY, Acting Superintendent in the absence of Mr. F. H. MAY. In the first place, the daily average number of prisoners confined in the Gaol during the year was 499 as compared with the 486 of This is in accord- 1900. On the 31st December last there were 180 convicts in the Gaol, as against 141 on the corresponding day of 1900, 96 in 1899, and 55 in 1898, showing an in-
we
ance with the suggestions contained in Dr. ATKINSON'S evidence, and may take it that this is the irreducible minimum in the opinion of the soundest authorities in the Colony. One of the seven is expected always to be on leave, so that the dangers of overwork are reduced. This, it may be noted, is the normal state of affairs at present, when the Department is understaffed, so that there is no innovation proposed. The division of duties between the Officers during epidemic and non- epidemic times is based on the evidence given before the committee of enquiry and will recommend itself to those who have studied the question. The recommenda- tions of this rather mysteriously appointed committee are marked by care and attention to details and we trust that no time will be lost in giving effect to them.
THE UNITED STATES AND
MANCHURIA.
(Daily Press, 27th February.) The assurance of the Russian and Chinese Governments in reply to the note sent ou the 1st instant by United States, which REUTER's telegram of the 24th instant
announces,
China
would be more valua le were its terms more clearly worded. It has been stated by Russia's central authorities that this outlying she intends to evacuate province of the Chinese Empire. is pressing for evacuation as speedily as possible. Yet te Washington Govern- ment is now merely told that the province will remain open to American trade." If Manchuria is to continue to be part of China, the Russian assurance is supereroga- tory, and that of China itself is not needed, as commercial negotiations are now pro- ceeding between China and the Powers which will define the trade relations of the Empire with foreigners in future. At the present moment, therefore, no such declaration as that now published is called for. It should be amply evident that Manchuria, like the rest of the Chinese Emperor's dominions, will remain open to American as to other traders. What the States protested against was the attempt to give Russia exclusive mining, railway, and other privileges. The wording of the as-urance, in fact, if the telegraphic summary is correct, is calculated to arouse suspicion. difficult to believe that it will be accepted by the United States as a guarantee of their interests in the Far North of China. Had the Manchurian Convention, in one of its very numerous forms, been signed by China,
It is
crease
of 227 per cent. (not, as Mr. BADELEY says, an increase of 125 per cent.) during the past three years. Owing no doubt to the number of soldiers and sailors serving in North China, the military and naval prisoners sentenced by Courts-Martial and admitted to Victoria Gaol showed an increase of 55 per cent. on the previous year and an increase of 93 per cent. on 1899. On the other hand, the total number admitted to the Gaol in 1901 were 5,077, of whom 679 were old offenders; whereas in the previous year 5,432 were admitted, including 702 old offenders. A very large increase is observable in the convictions from the New Territory. Mr. MAY in his report for 1900 gave the number as 125; last year there were 334. The number of prisoners whose offences were not of a criminal nature rose from 2,267 to 2,345.、 The deaths in gaol and executions in- creased from 6 and 2 to 13 (4 suicides) and 3 respectively. Punishments for breaches of prison discipline mounted from 2,344 in 1900 to 2,411 in 1901, and corporal punishments increased from 7 The sanitary condition of the Gaol continues to be good, and indus- trial labour on the part of the prisoners shows a notable improvement, the total pro- fit in 1901 amounting to $24,783.47, against With $17,458.34 in the preceding year. regard to the prison building itself, the new wing, mentioned in the 1900 report, was, completed and occupied by long-sentenced prisoners early in 1901. The old Warders' quarters, which should have bee: converted into a hospital for prisoners, are not yet available, as the new quarters for the staff are still in the contractor's hands.
cases to 14.
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The worst feature of the report is to be found near the end. It will be remembered that in his report for 1900 Mr. May stated that the gaol accommodation was already insufficient and that on many occasions, by no means of emergency, 538 prisoners were confined at oe and the same time, the total capacity of the building being properly 570. Owing Now again Mr. BADELEY writes: "to the excessive number of prisoners con- fined in the Gaol during the year, it was frequently necessary to locate three pri- souers together in small cells constructed for the accomodation of one only; the capacity of each cell being 760 cubic feet. "The overcrowded state of the Gail is "somewhat serious, particularly in the hot
weather when sickness is prevalent.”
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Mr.