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to sweep the streets more frequently withont causing some inconvenience and complaints have been recently received concerning the nuisance caused in the busy parts of the City by the streets being swept between the hours of 8 a.m and 10 am and 12 a.m. and 8 p.m. when many persons cross the streets to and from their offices. Professor Simpson at page 11: of his final report states *** The general scavenging of the
streets is the best in the East, and is remarkably good considering the conditions under which it
has to be carried out," The attention of the
Acting Captain Superintendent of Police has been drawn to nuisances caused by hawkers and others in throwing rubbish on the streets,
2. Government is not prepared to consider the question of lighting the Peak District at present owing to the considerable expense in- volved after deducting the revenue derived from the usual increase of rates.
NEW TERKIT RIES LAND CURT ORDINANCE.
THE HONGKONG WEEKLY PRESS AND
on
HONGKONG SANITARY
BOARD
A meeting of the Sanitary Board was hell the 24th inst. in the Board Room. Hon. Dr. J. M. Alkinson (Presi eut) presided, કul there were also pres n Hou,
W Chatham (Vic-President), Hon. A. W. Brewin, Registrar-General; Mr. Lau Chn Pak, Mr. Fung Wa Chuu; Colonel W. E. Webb, ~_.A.M.C.; Hou. H. E. Pollock, K.C.; Mr. E. A. Hewell; Mr. A. Rumjaho; Dr. W. W. Peirse, Medical Officer of Health; Dr. B. Barnett, Assistant Medical Officer of Health Mr. G. A. Woodcock (Secretary) and Mr. T, A. Hanmer (Assistant Secretary).
A MOTION.
The PRESIDENT, pursuant o notice, moved: - That the Board, üader the provision of Sec. tion 30 of the Public Health and Luildings
[March 26, 1904.
as a hiding-place for rats or for the collection of dust. Before any ceiling was allowed a special point should be made that the construction was such as to make it impossible for rats to make between the ceiling and the joists. their way through hollow walls into the space
The PRESIDENT moved that the Board re-
commend, from a sanitary point of view, that the ceilings be permitted as seldom as possible.
The motion was agreed to.
HOUSE DRAINS.
The Hon. W. Chatham, in a letter to the Sanitary Surveyor, asked whether, in the case of house drains, he was fixing intercepting traps in cases where they could be fixed, or not. If not, the ventilating pipe would act as a ventilator for the main sewer, which was in accordance with Mr. Chadwick's ideas on the subject.
Mr. J. Bryan, the Sanitary Surveyor, replied that in all cases the house drains were discon- nected from the public sewers, and that the tilated those dra ns only.
The ATTORNEY-G ·NERAL moved the second Ordiuance, 198, depute Inspector Thomas ventilating pipes, dixed to house drains, ven- reading of the Bill entitled An Ordinance to lay to institute suminary pr. cedings before
further amend The New Territories Land Court Ordinance, No. 18 of 100. He said The object of this Bill is to enlarge the numbers of the Land Court, and to give each member sitting alone the power to decide matters brought before him. The Bill will, it is believed, enable the work of settling titles in the New Territory to be got through with that desired rapidity which owing to the enormous amount of work to be done hitherto could not be achieved.
The ACTING COLONIAL SECRETARY Baconde', and the motion was agreed to.
The Council then went into Committee and considered the Bill seriatim.
No amendments were made. On the Council resuming,
· The Bill was read a third time and passed oa the motion of the ATTORNEY-GENERAL, seconded by the ACTING COLONIAL SECRETARY.
SUGAR CONYENT ON.
The ATTORNEY-GENERAL moved the second reading of a Bill entitled An Ordinance to enable effect to be given in this Colony to a Convention signed the fifth day of March ninete:a hundred and two in relation to sugar. He said-In asking that this ill be read a second time it is haraly necessary to say any thing, as from the title of the Bill hon. mem. bers will see what the principle involved in the Bill is. Hon. members are aware that compara- tively recently after many years of attempts iu that direction a number of the rest Powers of Europe have agreed on certain terms in a Convention for the object of putting an ead to what is known at the unfair bounty system with regard to sugar. The agreements bare been arrived at by the Co vention and the object of this Ordinance is to give effect as far as this portion of His Majesty & dominions goes to that Convention and agreement. The Bill is short and provides for whatever may be necessary for the purpose of giving effect to the agreement to which His Majesty's Govern. ment have come under the Convent on with other, countries. The Governor in Cuncil
time when may from time to
Dec 'ssary make such rules and regulations 28 are require. That seems to me to be the most efficient and best way in which we could deal with the matter. It is impossible for us just now to embody in the Bil the various provisions which may from time to time be found necessary to adopt. In adopting this mode of legislation-namely a Bill giving authority to another body to pass rules and regulation8- the example of the mother country has been followed. There an Act has been passei by which authority is given to the proper authorities, the King in Council, to pass such regula ious, as may from time to time beco ine necessary. In fact, it may be said that this Bill now before the Council is an adaptation of the Act of the Imperial Parliament recently passed for that purpose. I move that the Bill
be read a second time.
The ACTING COLONIAL SECRETARY seconded and the motion was agreed to.
The Bill was left in the Committee stage till next meeting.
The Co ncil adjourned till next Monday at
3 p.m.
a Magistrate against any person contravening ny of the Bye-laws duly inade under Section 16 of the Public Health and Buildings Ordi nance, when so instructed in writing by one of the Medical & fficers of Health. That the Board,
under the provisions of Section 956 of the Public Health and Guildings rdinance 19 3,. depute Iuspector Thoma. Abley to ins ituts summary proceedings before a Magistrate for the recovery of any penalty imposed by Part II. of the said rdinance or any Bye-law made thereunder when so instructed in writing by one of the Medical Officers of Heath.
The V CE-PRESIDENT seconded, and the motion was agreed to.
OPEN-WORK CEILINGS,
Dr. Barnett, in a minute, sugg. sted that open- word ceilings under 122 of Ord. 1 of 1903 be not allowed in future, Lattice work ceilings were not much better than closed ones, although they were better. The amount of dirt collected by an open-work ceiling was extraordinary, and they also often formed a harbour for rats.
Mr. E. A. Howell minuted :-So far as I remember it, "olo. custom" alone justifies a lattice ceiling.
Mr. A. kumjahu minated:-Quite right; I agree with the Assistant M. O. H,
as
Col. Webb, R.A.M.C., minuted :-Have rats ever been found in open-work ceilings?
Hon. Registrar.General minuted :— -What is the use of a lattice-work ceiling?
Hoa. D.P.W. minut-d: -That is a maiter within the direction of the B.A.. but it will be useful to have the opinion of the Board on the subject.
Some applicants plead strongly for ceilings to be allowed in their premises, and, in a few cases, I have allowed them on condition that they were of open constuction
carved or lattice.
Dr. BARNETT stated that he remembered a rat being caught in Queen's Road, about No. 150, in the same place at which this question of the coilings bad again cropped up. Even if rats were not found there they went there when pursued.
Hon. D.P.W. minu'ed :--It W88 Mr. Chadwick's intention that the intercepting traps hould be omitted. Please see pars, 76 and 77. of his report of 10-4 20. I thought this was being done.
The Sanitary Surveyor minuted :-I have re- ceived no instructions to this effect. Before such a system is adopted the recommendations contain- ed in pars. 82 to 84 should be enforced. The drainage bye-laws would require to be altered, I think, and probably an ordinance passed to make it permissible. Many owners, no doubt. would object to have the public sewers ventilated by means of their private drains and ventilation pipes. I am of opinion that the omission of the disconnection of house drains which receive the discharges of water-closets, especially when the water-closet is situated inside the house, is likely to prove dangerous to the health of the occupants of that house.
The PRESIDENT said it might be possible to try this new method by doing away with these intercepting traps in a limited district of the town.
The VICE-PRESIDENT stat d that the very reason that caused him to bring this up was that at the present time they had been reconstructing the gullies throughout the city, and as the gullies were now being trapped, whereas a large number of them were formerly left without traps, the means of ventilation had been very extensively reduced.!
Mr. RUMJAHN hoped they would do away with the intercepting traps in Robinson Road. He had experimented with these and found that they were breeding places for mosquitoes.
The PRESIDENT added that there was the further objection that the ventilating pipes might be just underneath the windows of a house. The Board should insist on the use of non-porous materials for the drains,
The VICE-PRESIDENT moved that in future in constructing house drainage work inter- cepting traps be omitted.
Mr. HEWETT said he was afraid that at that rate it would be 50 years before the work could
MR. LAU CHU PAK held that lattice-work be carried out. provided no hiding place for rats.
The VIC-PRESIDENT said that in sq. perior Chinese houses the occupants objected to the somewhat unsightly appearance that the under side of the floor presente when these houses were built without ceilings. It was for that reason that he had granted them permission to erect these ceilings. He could not see that they could afford a very great harbour for rats. It lay between this form of ceiling and the ordinary form. He did not think it would be fair to these people to refuse them a ceiling altogether when they were allowed in Eu- ropean houses on the outskirts of the city. Dr. BARNETT mentioned that the ceilings in Beaconsfield Arcade bad all been pulled down by order of the Board. Hon. Gershom Stewart to'd him the other day that since then there had been no rats. The dirt that collected in this lattice-work was as great as that in an ordina y ceiling. The jointing was gener- ally defective, and an enormous quantity of dirt came down between the boards and collected on the ceiling. Of this a great deal was organic matter, and it must be very nuhealthy.
Dr. PEARSE did not think there was much to choose between a lattice work and a solid ceiling
The VICE-PRESIDENT having limited his motion to apply to only one drainage section of the city,
The PRESIDENT seconded the motion, and it was agreed to.
WATER-CLOSETS,
A report, concerning No. 1, Wyndham Street, was sent to the Sanitary Surveyor. It stated that in the basement of the house were a water- closet and several urinals. They were in a very bad state, A good deal of water seemed to run to waste. These urinals and closet had been put in for the old Hongkong Club. The premises were now occupied by Chinese, and the urinals and W.C. were kept in a filthy state.
Messrs. E. A. Hewett and A. Rumjahn, minuted, recommended their removal.
Dr. PEARSE stated that a new restaurant was to be established where the old Hongkong Club was, and the proprietor had asked for the retention of these conveniences.
In these circumstances the discussion of the matter was postponed.
A recommendation was laid before the board to the effect that additional latrine ao- commodation should be provided for the Tai Ping Theatre. At present there were five
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