December 29, 1902.]
THE WATER QUESTION.
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Daily Press, 24th December.) The water question promises to continue to attract a very large proportion of the public attention in local affairs, a fact which can cause no surprise seeing the important bearing of the supply of water on the health of the community in an Eastern port like this. The discussion on the subject is not likely to become acute again for the present until the rider-main question comes up for settlement, if inded the Government is going to take the perilous step of supporting the " Chinese proposal. But all matters connected with our water supply must be regarded with a certain amount of interest, and therefore we need not apologise for looking very briefly at the gretion dealing with it in Mr. CHATHAM's belted Public Works Report for 1901, laid before the Legis- lative Council yesterday. The
Water | Authority treats of what is rather ancient history by HOW, but as be summarises the facts we may follow him. The timely advent of the rains in the early part of 1901, he points out, rendered it unnecessary to introduce the intermittent system in the early months It had been airauged to curtail the supply and by an accident this was actually done for two days, Leginning on the 7th April. Then the rains cane down and the intermittent nece sary. The system was not found period May-September, however, which is regarded as constituting the wet season, showed the lowest rainfall on record, amounting to only 39.91 inches, as com- pared with the average for the corresponding months of the past seventeen years of 65.42 inches. The year's total rainfall was the second lowest on record, being only 55.78 inches as compared with the seventeen previous years' average of 85.10 inches, Tytam and Wongueichong reservoirs never filled during the year. On the 11th September the contents of all the reservoirs amounted to 399,000,000 gallons, about 120,000,000 gallons below their full capacity. In consequence, two months from this date recourse was had to the intermittent System, the supply to the main portions of the City being four hours daily; these hours were fur.her curtailed in parts where it was necessary to serve a limited number of houses at a time, to ensure all of them obtaining a supply as far as possible. At the end of 1901 the intermittent system had been in force for fifty-one days, the quantity then in the reservoirs aniounting to 146,000,000 gallons only. The average consumption of fil ered water per day, Mr. CHATHAM shows, was 3,525,000 gallous – figures which demonstrate how little Hong- kong was prepare for another year in Buccession of deficient rainfall. Turning now to the latest Water Return, showing the quantity is hand on the 1st December, We find a total of 382,571.000, alter
of
hoers' two one month
supply daily. The consumption per head
of population in Victoria and Hill district last month was 10.4 gallons a day for an estimated population of 216,400. It is plain that we shall, even with the strictest continuance of our present curtailed supply, be poorly prepare on the 1st January to face another such year of scarcity as this has been. Yet it is for years of scarcity that we must be prepared, not for years of ¡lanty, when ever our out-of-date reservoir capacity my serve a little longer ever-growing population, the large majority of which is absolutely uatiught that wast of water is, in the circumstances of Hongkong, a crime against the com-'
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the
CHINA OVERLAND TRADE REPORT.
munity. But the advocates of the rider- main system still hold that it will be right to punish the innocent with the guilty and condemn Hongkong to years
more of intermittent supply.
HONGKONG LEGISLATIVE
COUNCIL.
A meeting of the Legislativo Council was held on the 3rd inst. in the Council Cham-
ber. Present:
HENRY A. BLAKE, G.C.M.G.
His EXCELLENCY THE GOVERNOR, Sir
HIS EXCELLENCY Sir. W. GASCOIGNE.
K C.M.G. (Commanding the Troops).
Hon. F. H. M /y, C.M.G. (Colonial Secretary), Hon. Sir HENRY SPENCER BERKELEY, KT. (Attorney-General).
Hon. A. M. Thomsox (Colonial Treasurer). Hon. Commander R. 2. RUMSEY, RN. Harbour Ma-ter).
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to under the process of disinfection. There was a lot of cases of property being thrown ant of houses and destroyed or misappropriated and no compensation made,
'The COLONIAL SECRETARY said he could not accept that; he remembered only two or three claims for loss of property and he did not remember any complaints ebont want of com- pensation in subsequent epidemies.
The ATTORNEY-GENERAL pointed out that if they put in the word "shall" they would be compelled to pay compensation, as an instance, for the most dirty, geim-laden bedding. In the Bill as it presently stood they had power to givə compensation in reasonable cases.
Hon. Mr. PLATFAIR suggested that the pro- vision might be altered to read "
shall pay compensation in every reasonable case.'
This last suggestion was not accepted, how- ever. On a division being taken on Dr. Ho Kai's amendmout it was defeated by 6 votes to 3. the members roting as follows-For the amendment--Hon. Messrs. Playfair, Sharp, Wei A Yuk, Dr Ho Kai, and the Harbour Master; against The Medical Officer of Health, the Director of Public Works, the Attorney- Hon. Pr. F. W. CLARK (Medical Officer of | General, the Colonial Treasurer, the Colonial IIe lth).
Hon. W. CHATHAM (Director of Public Works). |
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Hon. Dr. Ho Kat, C.M G.
Hon. WELA YCK?
Ho, C. S. SHARP.
Hon. C. W. Dickson. Hon. G. W. P. PLAYFAIR. Hon. R. SHEWAN,
Mr. C. CLEMENTI (Acting Clerk of Council).
PUBLIC WORKS IN 1901.
The COLONIAL SECGETAR · laid on the table thrup it of the Iirector of Public Works for 1901.
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PUBLIC HEALTH AND BUILDINGS BILL. 0.4 the motion of the ATTORNEY-GENERAL, | sec ide! by the CLONIAL SECREARY, the Conucil resolved itself into Committee on the Public Health and Buildings Bill.
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The Coune 1 proceeded to consider in detail the schedules of the Bill.
In Schedule B under the heading "Importa- tion and inspection of Animals,' it was pro- vided that nó animals (cattle, sheep, swine, or goats) be landed at any wharf at Kowloon except the police wharf at Yaumati.
lon. C. SHARP pointed out that sup- posing he were to get a cargo of cattle up from Australis he would not be able to take the steamer alongside the police wharf at Yaumati It should be permissible to land cattle at more convenient whare s.
The AT ORNEY-GENERAL said they did not take the steam r alongside the pier. The cattle were taken off by means of smaller boats.
Hoa. Mr. SHARP-Yes; bu' why not let them wak ashore from the steamer berthed at a wharf?
The MEDICAL OFFICER OF HEALTH re marked that this had been the law for the last
seven years
Yaumati wharf was out of the
Way of the traffic. If cat 13 were landed any where else there might be trouble.
H.E. THE GOVERNOR pointed out that the Sanitary Board could effect an alteration of the restriction by recommending it to the Govern- meut. He thought the bye law shoull be allowel to stand. I had worked very well in the past.
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Under the bye-laws for the "Prevention Mitigation of Epidemic, Eudemic or Contagions Disease," it was provided that the Sauitary Bo el may recover the cost of cleaning and disinfecting from the house- halder, an compensation may be given to such householder for any bidding or other articles which have been destroyed during such cleansing and disinfection
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Hoa. Dr. Ho KAI proposed that compensa- compeu ation ion my be given" be altered to “ shall be given," with a view to encourage the Chiness to report the presence of dis ase,
Hon. G. W. F. PLAYFAIR thought that as it did not cost much this compensation should be` paid in order to get the Chines; to report cases
The COL NIAL SECRETARY Said that every suggestion that Lal been offered as to how to get the Chinese to report hal been acted upon in the past without much result.
Hon. Dr. iu Kat replied that during the plague pidemics and especially in 1894, the y had si ply been frightened by the destruction of property which householders were subjected
Secretary, and General Gascoigne.
The original reading of the provision was ap-¦ proved.
In the same connection, some discussion took plaen on section 39 of the Bill, which was to the following effect :— The Board shall have power by its officers to enter and to cleanse and disiu- fect any premises where any person suffering from bubonic plagas, cholera or small-pox or any other contagious or infectious disease is or has been recently located and the Board may recover the cost of such cleansing and disinfec tion from the householder and compensation may by given to such householdor for any bed- ding, clothing or other articles which have been destroyed during such cleansing and disinfec tion."
On the motion of the ATTORNEY-GENERAL it was agreed to add at the end of the section these words: "Provided that where a case of infection has been duly reported no charge shall be made for the cost of cleansing and disinfection."
Hou. Dr. Io KAI moved that, after these word, there be added: "and reasonable com-
pensation for property destroyed or damaged shall in such cases b giren."
This also was agreed to, and the section as amended was passed.
When the reading of the schedules had been completed, the Committee proceeded to deal with those clauses which had been left over for further consideration or to be re-cast.
In Section 6, sub-section 2, the definition of "animal" was struck out, the ATTORNEY- GENERAL explaining that wherever necessary the names of the animals referred to had been specifically given.
To the definition clauses a clause was added defining "cement" as meaning Portland cement. Hon. Dr. Ho KAI-I suppose that is to be taken in a general sense?
Portland
The ATTORNEY-GENERAL-Yes, cement is a word of art, like plaster of Paris,
The following definition of a cubicle was pro- posed by the ATTORNEY GENERAL:-" Cubicle meaus any room partitioned off for the purpose of being used as a sleeping-placo."
The HARBOUR MASTER supposed a case whers a was partitioned off for some other purpose and was then used as a sleeping- place.
room
H.. THE GOVERNOR said that in that case it would have been partitioned off for the purpose of a sleeping-place as soon as it was used as a sleeping-place.
The definition was approved.
The ATTORNEY-GENERALproposed the follow- ing definition of a room :-" Rooms includes any sub-division of any story of a domestic building other than a room used as a drying-room, store- room or pantry." In this definition he had endeavoured to meet the fair criticism that bad been passed npou the clanse which prohibited certain rooms except of certain dimensions.
This definiton was also approved. The Council adjourned at one o'clock and resumed at three.
The second proviso to section 46 (Over- crowding) was altered to read as follows:- Any cubicle in any existing domestic building
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