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April 7, 1906.]
seemed hopeless, even now there are Little Englanders who would view with some amount of satisfaction the reduction of the British Empire to the Four Seas; but the evidently unwilling concurrence of that in the new Cabinet with the inevitable party is a hopeful sign for the future. HONGKONG SANITARY BOARD.
A meeting of the Sanitary Board was held on April 3rd at the Board Room. The hon. Dr. F. Clark (president) presided, and there were als prosent. Dr. W. W. Pearce, M.O.H., Dr. Macfarlaue, Lieut. Col. Josling, Mr. E. A. Hewett, Hon. Mr. A. W. Brewin, Mr. Lau Chu-pik, Mr. A. Shelton Hooper, Mr. H. Humphreys, Mr. Fung Wa Chad and Mr. G. A. Woodcock (secretary).
AMENDMENT OF A BYE-LAW,
A minute by the M. O. H. was cad in which he recommended the insertion of a clause in
respect of dust bins in the bye-liws governing bakehouser, common ledging Louses, dairies laundries and offensive trades, and in the condition of licences for eating houses and restaurants. He said no hardship would occur. as a result of the new bye-law, as most of the keepers of these premises now provided the special dust bins, which were not costly articles. - If, however, a person refused to supply one of these bins they had no power to compel him.
Mr. LAU CHU-PAK thought $4 was too mach to expend on a dust bin; a kerosene tin an old iron drum or any box made impervions was good enougr. He was) against making it compulsory to procure from a certain man what was required by the Board.
Mr. FUNG WA-CHUN said the new dust bins, were not worth half the price charged. He thought licences should be allowed to buy where they liked at cheaper prices.
Mr. HUMPHREYS concurred with Messrs. Lan Chu-pak and Fung Wa-chun.
The recommend action was accepted, ao ex- ception to be made in the case of lodging houses.
TO ABATE A NUISANCE.
The PRESIDENT minuted that he thought it would facilitate the work of this dapartment if the public were informed that they could lodge complaints at the Board's district offices regard. ing nuisances which required early attention.
The SECRETARY submitted a draft letter regarding the matter to the Board.
"DIRECTED BY THE BOARD." With a view to obviating any misunderstand. ing which might arise by the statement in his miscellaneous" letters "I am directed by the Board," the secretary submitted certain suggestions on the matter for the consideration
of the Board.
Mr. HCOPER was of opinion that the matter required consideration, and thought it should
be referred to a committee to report on.
A committee was appointed to consider the forms the printed notice should take.
AN EXEMPTION WANTED.
Mr. Danby applied that the new kitchens on Kowloon Marine Lot No. 28, Cosmopolitan Dock, be exempted from the conditions of Section 150 of the Building Ordinance in reference to open space in rear, as with the exception of a temporary wooden fence the building was quite isolated,
rear.
The A.M.O.H. said he had visited the place and the question appeared to be one of external air regarding the rising ground and rock in the He considered the question to be chiefly a technical one, and that a plan was necessary.
The M.O.H minuted-Papers from the Build- ing Authority show that Mr. Danby's attention was called to the want of external air when the plans were submitted, and yet the building was rected. I don't think the matter should be passed.
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The PRESIDENT said the windows on the ground floor were only about five feet distaut from a bank of earth which was about five foot high, and had a wooden paling fence on tep. Objection was raised to the arrangement when the plans were submitted, but the building was proceeded with and now the architect asked for exemption. He agreed with the M.O.H. that exemption should be refused.
CHINA OVERLAND TRADE REPORT.
The DIRECTOR OF PUBLIC WORKS in a minute said he gathered that all that was necessary was for the Dock Co. to cut away a portion of the bank in order to afford the required open space.
The application was refused.
A QUESTION OF TIME.
Mr. J. Loureiro wrote asking the Board to reconsider the question of compelling the owner of Nos. 229, 231 and 233, Wing Lok Street to go
to the expense of having this work done over again so sooD. He pointed out that the ground surface of these houses was concreted and the drainage system altered some six years ago at the request of the Sanitary Board. The work was then carried out under the supervision of a certified architect and duly passed by the Snitary Surveyor.
Mr. HwETT minuted-In view of the remarks made by the President, I think the application should be refused,
The Assistant Sanitary Surveyor reported that the concrete over the ground surface of these houses was not of good quality, and
recommended that the notices be enforced.
The M.O.H. minuted-The Ordinance provides for the re-cementing of floors which have perished. From a rat prevention point of view I think the work had better he done.
Mr. H. HUMPHREYS said he could understand that portions of the flooring might require to be re-laid after six years, but the drainage should be good for 50 years if properly done.
Mr. HEWETT did not think a case for exemption had been made out. The work was apparently over ten years old and the standard
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Hooper-Hear, hear). Meanwhile he would ask` the President to deal with that particular case
at once.
The PRESIDENT-The matter will be at- tended to at once.
PLAGUE PREVENTION.
Correspondency relative to the plague in India was submitted,
in
The M.O.H. minuted-There is nothing new
this paper from India. It appears that we work in much the same way here, but local con. ditions of course modify work. Rats-The whole- sale systematic destruction is what one would like to see here. We have tried the much advertised Common Sense poison with discouraging results. The only way to get at wholesale destruction here would be to get the people to help, and would they help unless rewards were given, say, 5 couts per rat, with an assurance that no houses would be disinfected on account of rats? Rats breed four times a year, bare four to six young at a time and the augmenta. tion breeds itself at six months. The question cf importation of rats from China by rice junks, etc., comes in here and that of the haudling of infected rats. Evacuation of Locality. —Tbis seems impossible here, but the evacuation of infected blocks provided that we can shelter the Chinese poorer classes has been done here for is years. Inspection of Travellers-Canton the place we most have to fear and the question of inspection and quarantine of arrivals from there has been gone into before. Segregation of Contact. This seems to be impossible Mr. LAU CHU-PAK said this was another here nnfass proper camps are provided, and hardship on property owners.
even His former
then will be but & very partial suggestion that a limit of time should be laid
measure unless we have systematic house to down within which houses having already been
house inspection to discover cases and cau concreted need not be re-concreted, would avoid
prevent their escape to Canton in the early hardship of this kind.
stages. Inoculation-When we offered in- oculation to the publio no one accepted ex ept a few from the Alice Memorial Hospital. From a physiological point of view it is highly probable that the susceptibility to plague is increased during the first few days after inoculation with Hoffkinn's fluid and that whatever protection is afterwards afforded by it rapidly passes off. I should certainly prefer to seek protection by ordinary care of oces health during a plague season.
at that time was far different to what is now required.
The application was refused.
A QUESTION OF URGENCY.
Mr. HEWETT said there was a question which he would like to have discussed. He wanted to know whether he should move the suspension of the standing orders and ask the question before the business wis proceeded with, or should he wait till the end of the agenda. He had had no time to give notice.
The CHAIRMAN replied that he could more the suspension of the standing orders.
Mr. HEWETT, having waited for the appear. ance of the Vice-President, said that as the Hon. Mr. W. Chatham was not likely to attend he would now move the suspension of the standing orders to consider a matter of urgency.
Mr. HOOPER seconded.
Mr. HEWETT remarked that the point he wished to be considered was one of considerable importance. He would have given the usual
notice bat he had not ascertained certain facts
until the previous day. He believed he was right in saying that the Government and the Sanitary Board had sent out notices urging people to take precantions against affording facilities for the breeding of mosquitoes, but yet it had come to his notice that one of the most
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Mr. LAU CHU-PAK-Almost all the measures recommended herein bare boen experimented bere with apparently no beneficial result. They were found not only expensive but most harassing to the inhabitants and harmful to trado. I agre› with Mr. Humphreys that the periodical limewashing as is done now is a mere farce. For the sake of cleanliness oute a year is quite ample. .⠀
Mr. FUNG WA-CHUN-Limewashing has never been considered as a plague preventative. Huwever, for the sake of cleanliness, I think limewashing once a year is beneficial.
Mr. HUMPHREYS-Amongst the
measureS
recommended by the Government of India for the prevention of plagu, the one to which most importance is now assigned-is the destruc
There on, I think, be very little tion of rats
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extensive and well-quipped breeding grounds for mosquitoes was in the b-art of the city. doubt that such vormin are active agents in He referred to the site of the new Post Office. spreading plague. I have had proof of it amongst where there was a gathering of foul water. It members of my own staff. Any practicable might be urged that the Sanit ry Board had un
schems for destroying rats would be welcomed jurisdiction over Government premises, but it by all classes of the community, but had yet to be proved that that was legal. Cer-scheme involving their purchase would require tainly he could not accept it as an excuse for
most carefully going into to prevent the not discussing the question. (The speaker pos ibility of wholesale importation from then stooped to the floor and pro-laced a
Canton. Rat farming locally would also have to be guarded against. I believe both these tumbler.) This, he said, was a sample of the water. (It was foul and full of matter.) The diffluities have had to be contended with to water had commenced forming there two or
Lome extent. I do not notice amongst the three months ago, and since then the hole had
measures recommended by the Government of been filling up with water of a most disagreeable India any reference to limewashing which lands description. There was quite a tambler-full of colour to the view I hold (expressed more fully mosquito germs. A singular feature was that in my minute on mortality statistics) that the property had been visited daily by respoù. limewashing is absolutely valueless as a plague sible officers of government departments, who, preventative. I have more faith in the letting being wise men, had had nothing to do with off of Chiness crackers, the sulphurous fumes of anything outside their own business. The fact which undoubtedly possess potent disinfecting of that pond being there had apparently escaped properties. their notice. He thought the question should be dealt with at once, It was desirable that that! work should be under proper sanitary control, and that government property should not be outside the law as regarded nuisances. Later on he would give netice of his proposal that Government property should be controlled by the officers of the Sanitary Board (Mr.
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The PRESIDENT stated that the Governor had asked for a report on the nine preventative measures mentioned. Handded that he did not think they could do any different to what they were doing at present. Quarantine impracticable, because if they quarantined the vessels from Canton, whence we got our food supplies, we should starve.
Was
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