HONGKONG SANITARY BOARD.
*A meeting of the Hongkong Sanitary Board was held on the 12th inst, in the Board Room Present-Dr. J. M. Atkinson, Principal Civil Medical Officer of Health (President); Hon. F. J. Badeley, Captain Superintendent of Police; Dr. F. W. Clark, Medical Officer of Health; Colonel Hughes, R.A.M.C.; Mr. E. R. Hallifax, Mr. E. Osborne, and Mr. G. A. Woodcock (Secretary).
MEMORANDUM ON PLAGUE. Further correspondence was laid on the table relative to Professor Simpson's Memorandum on Plague Prevention.
16
THE HONGKONG WEEKLY PRESS AND
1
June 16, 1902,
leaves and refuse, he submitted that the grids | Browne) reported that he had snulysed samples be removed for the remainder of the rainy of water from the Tytam, Kowloon, and
Pokfulam services and had found the water season at least.
Cannot the be of excellent quality. Colonel Hughes minuted-"4. grids during heavy rain be kept clear of leaves and refuse by scavenging gangs. I am opposed to doing away with them."
Mr. E. Osborne minuted: The netting has had the effect of confining the rats to the drains as was, I think. proved by the large number of drowned rats found floating in the Harbour after the first heavy downpour and If which had evidently come from the drains. the netting were fixed hinged instead of being bound down they could be easily lifted when the rain falls. Damage to roads is a small matter compared with the plague."
Mr. OSBORNE mentioned that amongst the employers of the Wharf Godown Company there had not been a single case of plague this year, and this was a remarkable fact when it was remembered that they previously had had plague every year since 1894. The present immunity might have been mere coincidence but personally he believed that it was due to keeping rats away from the premises With reference to the methods to be adopted for plague pre- Mr. Osborne, referring to the vention proposal to advertise in the Chinese news- papers, said that the people of the lower class-s of Chinese were accustomed to certain methods and that the Board had better follow their methods, which was to advertise in great faming colours.
Mr. OSBORN said that when he moved his resolution at the last meeting of the Board, he took it for granted that the Government would understand that in that paragraph relating to more thorough ispection of shipping would be mentioned the recommendations made by Prof. Simpson.
However, to be more explicit, he beg-
That the Go ged to move the following: vernment be informed that a more thorough inspection of shipping will be ensured by the adoption of Prof. Simpson's recommendations that three or four boarding officers be (appointed to board all ships and juuks the Chinese coast, the coming from West River, and neighbourhood, not in- cluding the waters of the Colony, and that unless a medical officer is carried, every one of such vessel should be visited by the port health officers before pratique is granted, if the boarding officer finds that there has been any siokuess whatever, or any death daring the voyage; and further, that the Cantou and Macao passenger steamers should-be out of place. be encouraged to carry properly qualified native doctors during the first six months of each year, who would be required to report any case of sickness that may occur on board during the voyage, and to give facilities for the removal of such patient to hospital, thus avoiding the detention of the vessel for the visit of the boarding officer and the medical examination of the passengers."
The PRESIDENT seconded, and the resolution was agreed to unanimously.
BOARDING HOUSES.
The SECRETARY laid on the table draft Bye-laws re Licencing Regulations and Sanitary Maintenance of Boarding Houses.
Mr. OSBORNE suggested that the Govern- ment be asked to prohibit the licencing of boarding houses in crowded portions of the town. By enforcing such prohibition, he was inclined to the opinion that they would effect some good in preventing overcrowding by forcing the people who lived in houses licenced by the Government, such as boarding-houses, opinm-divans, laundries, bakeries, and such concerns, as far as possible- not altogether, perhaps to the outskirts of the town.
Mr. HALLIFAX thought these people ought to be given some time before being made to move to other parts of the town.
Dr. CLARK-You mean additional houses, not those existing at present P
Mr. OSBORNE-I mean all. '. At the request of Dr. CLARK, Mr. HALLIFAX informed the Board that the number of appli- cations received for licences for these houses up till now amounted to 18, and that the number of places which had been used as emigration houses was 30. These were situated chiefly in West Point and in districte fairly easily accessible from the Canton steamer wharf.
Mr. OSBORNE consented to modify his resolution to the refusing of licences to new houses in the central portion of the town, and this was seconded by Dr. CLARK and carried unanimously,
PREVENTION OF EGRESS OF BATS FROM DRAINS.
A letter was submitted from the Hon. Director of Public Works relative to the wire netting over the sewer and storm-water gratings and stating that large numbers of the gratings over the gullies were now left partly open to admit of sullage and rain water finding its way into the drains. That being the case, the object of the grids of wire netting, which were recently fixed, was entirely frustrated. As the ads were being considerably damaged by the treams of water which, during heavy rainstorms, were unable to pass off by the gratings in consequence of the grids being choked with
The PRESIDENT said it was proposed to issue 2,000 placards in Hongkong and Kowloon,
Mr. OSBORNE thought that 50,000 would not
Dr. CLARK agreed with Mr. Osborne in this respect and said that if they wished to reach the coolie class they must follow the methods by which the coolies were reached in their own country.
The suggestion was adopted.
PUBLIC HEALTH ORDINANCE.
In the absence of the Vice-President (the Hou, A. W. Browin, Registrar-General), the PRESIDENT moved that a committee of the Board, consisting of the President, the Vice- President, and the Medical Officer of Health, be appointed with full powers to enforce the provisions made under Section 13 of the Public Health Qrdinance of 1901.
The Hon. F. J. BADELEY seconded, and the motion was carried.
HE DEATH-RATE,
It was reported that the death-rate for the week ended 24th May was 24.0 per 1,000 of the population per annum, as compared with 33.1 in the previous week and 49.8" in the corres- ponding week of the preceding year.
CLOSING OF WELLS,
The Medical Officer of Health recommended the closing of wells at 146, Hollywood Road, On Wai Lane and Ui Po Lane, 284, Queen's
The recommendations were approved. Road West, and 213, Hollywood Road.
THE VISITING GANGS.,
{
|
A THE BOARD'S PLAGUE RETURNS, With regard to the paragraph which ap- peared in Tuesday's Daily Press in connection with the death of one Pedro Delmsco, Filipino, who was drowned whilst trying to swim as hore from the American revenue cutter Skna, but was certified to have died from plague, Mr. OSBORNÉ desired to know if it was the case that this was another of several mistakes made in the Sanitary Board plague returns.
!
Dr, CLARK replied that the case referred to was undoubtedly one of plague, as a well-marked bubo was found on the man's body when it was
This was all the public business. examined at the mortuary.
CORONATION CELEBRATIONS IN HONGKONG.
MEETING OF COMMITTEE,
A meeting of the Coronation Committee was held on the 11th inst. in the Council Chamber, His Honour the Chief Justice (Mr. W. Meigh Goodman) presiding.
The CHIEF JUSTICE said he was sure they would all be pleased to hear that His Excellency the Officer Administering the Government had consented to come there that afternoon and make an announcement to them concerning a park, and His Excellency was only waiting for him to say that were ready to receive him and he would tell them the result of those strenuous endeavours to obtain a park for them at Kowloon. He was sure they would all be delighted to hear the details of that, and he was sure they would all find that in the future if they were given a park in the middle of Kowloon so that they might have practically a second Happy Valley on the other side of the water, it would be a very great boon to those who came after them. (Applause.)
His Excellency Major-General Sir W. J. Gascoigne then entered the Chamber and took
the chair.
His EXCELLENCY said-Gentlemen, as 1 understood that this was likely to be the last meeting of the Coronation Committee, I thought I should like to come down, first of all because I thought it possible that some question might arise in which my presence would be a help. That was one reason why I wished to come, but my principal object in coming to-day was to tender you all my most sincere and heartfelt thanks for the kind way in which you have devoted yourselves to the labours of this Committee. All of you, I know, are very busy men indeed the Chief Justice, with all his other work, and all the other members of the Committee; and yet you have thrown an amount of work and labour into this matter for which I cannot help expressing my most heartfelt thanks. Give us fine weather and I do no hesitate to say that I think we shall have a Coronation three days that will be worthy of Hongkong. I felt when I asked you all to do your best that you would do so, but I am bound to say that everything I have seen of the work you have thrown into it far exceeded of my expectations. Gentlemen, I have an-
sapouncement to make; other you, probably all, know about it already, but I thought it would be well perhaps to make a final announcement of the fact that we have been at last fortunate enough to get the permission of the Secretary of State for the Colonies and the Secretary of State for War to open a park at Kowloon. (Applause.). It is indeed a great subject for congratulation, for, as you all know, the matter was only taken in hand within a comparatively short time, and I had my moments of despair as to whether we should get permission in time. While I am on this subject, I should like opportunity, which I shall also have the honour of cutting the mentioning that I have seen many people connected with‹ of a public park - but the whom the credit really of th due is Mr. Ford. (Applause of a long time ago, and 1 with every respect to you all, WATER ANALYSES. 、 The Government Analyst (M). Frank before me, I as the Officer
The Medical Officer of Health reported for the information of the Board that seven house- to-house visiting gangs had been at work in the City since 16th May. Each gang consisted of a senior student of the College of Medecine, a British sapper, and a Chinese constable. On 16th May one of the gangs found a case of cholera in Wanchai Road. On 17th May a body dead of plague was found at 121, First Street, and an- other dead body (not plague) was found opposite 6, New Street. On 22nd May a suspected case of plague was found at 214, Des Voeux Road, On 23rd May two bodies dead of plague were found, one at 4, Man Hing Lane, and the other at 5, Sun Wai Lane. On 31st May, a case of plague was found at 119, Second Street. On 3rd June a case of plague was found at 139, Third Street. On 6th June a suspected case of plague was found at 54, West Street.
PRINCE'S BUILDINGS.
An application by Messrs Leigh & Orange for permission to erect two additional urinals at Prince's Buildings was granted.
LIME-WASHING RETURNS.
The lime-washing returns for the week ended 7th June showed that 1,900 houses had been limewashed in the Western District out of a total of 3,018.
.some
the
of
to #
i