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left as they are antil some decision in the matter had been arrived at. Headded that the arrange- ment of the Inspectors' work should be left to the M. O. H.
The BECRETARY-I bave noted your instruc- tions that the Secretary should not make suggestions to the Board relative to the arrange. ments of the Inspectors' work. May these opers now be circulated for a ruling from the Board in connection with the lime-washing procedure?
The PRESIDENT-Please circulate the Stand- ing Orders made by the Board as recently a December, 1903, laying down that the M. 0: H. shall direct and superintend the work of the Sanitary Inspectors" and that the Sanitary Inspectors shall act generally. under the instructions of the M. O. H." It will lead to endless confusion if other officers of the Department send in recommendations as to how the Inspectors' work is to be distributed – unless they do so in consultation with the M. O. H. I have already referred your suggestions as to Inspector Witchell's work to the: M. O. H., and he thinks that, for the present, the arrangements which exist should not be altered. The question of the re-appointment of the Inspection Committee of the Board is another matter altogether, and the present members may be glad to be reminded of its previous existence,
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Mr. HUMPHREYS miunted--I question whether any inspector is capable of saying what constitutes good or inferior lime, but he is capable of judging whether it has been properly put on or not. Our lime-washing regulations open the door to more abuses than any other. and several years of enforcement have failed absolutely to show that they are of the slightest u'ility in checking plague. The Indian Government do not recommend lime-washing as a precautionary measure against plague. The Medical Officers of this Board admit that it has no value as a disinfectant and only uphold it on the ground that it is conducive to cleau- linear." Even for this purpose, lime-washing requires to be properly dou". If there is no size the lime soon peels off the walls, and if the proper quantity of size is present, it is a question for the bacteriologist to say whether size is not one of the best of all media for breeding germs and therefore a positive danger in plague stricken districts. If the plague stricken flea theory is sound, and the Govern. ment of India and most of the members of this Board, inoinding myself, believe that it is, why do we authorise woodwork and debris from plague stricken hours, which may contain swarms of plague stricken fleas, to be dumped on our public thoroughfares? Might not this be the means of spreading_plague to non-in fected persons and houses? I would like to see the line-washing regulations expunged from the bye-laws altogether. This could easily be doue if the walls of Chinese houses were rendered in cement and the floors were of cement CO9- crete. Any periodical cleansing that wa< considered necessary could be done 28 DOW by the Sanitary Board and done effectively, cheaply and without damage to property. It would cost the landlord a little more to build houses of this sort, but his hand would not always be in his pocket afterwards and the door to many abuses would be closed for ever. I appeal to the members of this Board to say whether a change such as I have indicated is not calculated to prove beneficial in every respect: No rat could get into a house except up the stairs-he certainly could not breed in it when there unless there were empty barrels or boxes lying about. I should have laid my views on the subject of lime-washing before the Commission only Mr. Pallock, the late obairman, informed me in reply to a question that the utility or otherwise of lime-washing would not be dealt with by the Commission..
Mr. SHELTON HOOPER-The question of lime-washing should be fally discussed. I con- sider the Secretary fully within his rights in making any suggestion to the Board. Does the President admit that the Standing Orders made by the Board in December, 1903, can be euforced by the Board?
Mr. LAU CHU-PAK-Such a committee is necessary if the lime-washing work is to be continued. Lagree with Mr. Humphreys that the bye-law opens a door to many abuses and should be modified. As regards the Secretary's right ́
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THE HONGKONG WEEKLY PRESS AND
in making a suggestion for the consideration of the Board, I think he has that right.
Mr. HOOPER-I should like you to reply to my minute, Mr. President,
The PRESIDENT--It is a technical question which I should like to refer to the law officer of the Crown to get a definite ruling on.
Mr. HEWETT-With regard to that question, it is just as well for me to state, Mr. President, that I think you will probably be asked to express your opinion on that point before the Commission on a later occasion.
[June 16, 1906.
The PRESIDENT-Pardon me, that is not all he suggests.
Mr. WoodCCdx-I did not intend it to be read that this inspection bommittee shouki spend the whole time an inspector spends ou this work. An inspector is told off to da this work temporarily, and the committee formerly appointed used to meet once a quarter and go round making an inspection of houses, and when it came across any illegality, this WAS pointed out. The time taken up by the committee was not The PRESIDENT-There is a recommendation
more than from two to three hours in three in these papers that an inspection committe of months; they met between 2.30 and 3 p.m. aul the Board be appointed. Such committees have inspected certain houses nutil 5 p.m. My sug existed before: and there is no reason why they gestion was that this committee might be ravit. should not exist again and mike sneh inspectioned, as I am decidedly of opinion that it did p of property as they might deem desirable. We great de 1 of good work in connection with are all extremely busy mea and being on sanitation. It was an inspection by members anch a committeo would involve a large of the Board, who if they attended" metinjs amount of time. 30 I am somewhat week after week without making any prao- diffident in moving the adoption of this tical inspections of houses did not get committee, but the people who think very strongly that it should wrist would probably Witchell is conserned the suggestion so far as a good idea of the work done. So far as Mr. lik to serve on it.
I meant it to be was that he was simply doing this work temporarily, and if a committee met inspection of the lime washing done in the once in two weeks they could now and then make
different districts. I certainly did not intend that they should take over the whole of Mr. Witchell's work. My intention was that the committes should be re-appointed and should
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Mr. HOOPER-What would be the duty of su inspection committee? You said there was oue in existence before which was appointed by the Board.
The PRESIDENT-Yes, the Board has power to appoint select committees. -
Mr. HEWETTI don't quite understand the use of establishing a committee like this. It appears to me that if some dispute arose bel ween an inspector and an owner of property the M.O.H. or other officer could check what the inspector had done and if matters were then unsatisfactory the owner of the property could refer the matter to the Board to be dealt with on its merits.
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take a whole afternoon once in two or three
make an inspection. mouths, s lect a number of houses and go and
The PRESIDE «T—That wouldn't have mado, any difference to Mr. Witchell's work so far as [ ca i see. I move that a committee of the Board be appointed to deal with all disputes and appeals with regard to mitters in connection with lime-washing. I understand that is the
wish of the Board,
Mr. HUMPHREYS-Will that confine it to lime-washing?
be dealt with.
The PRESIDENT-No. Other disputes will
The PRESIDENT That is exactly my view, but the Board don't see eye to eye with me in this matter. There is an officer of the Sanitary Department who devotes the whole of his time to lime-washing, and a suggestion has been put forward that a committee should be appointed to devote its time to the work, and that the inspector should do other work. Personally, Imittee who did this work formerly did it very Mr. HUMPHREY-Inderstand the com- think the suggestion a foolish one, and I think well, and on many occasions they found that it is folly because it emanated from an officer
work which ought to have been done had not who does not supervise the detail work of the been done at all, and that work had been pissed outside department, I did not wish to speak of which ought not to have been passed. If it at all, but must say a few ward now that my recollection serves me rightly complaints Mr. Hewett sees my point. The district were much fewer in the old days thin inspectors attend to some of the lime-washing to-day. I consider this committee would and what could not be done by them was done be a check on the inspectors, and anything that by Inspector Witchell. Inspector Witchell is a check on the inspectors is not only to the h ́s now gone on leave, so the whole thing best interests of landlord and tenant, bat of ends in smoke. He devoted the wirole
the whole Colony. of, his time, six or eight hours a day, to do certain work, and it has been suggested by one of the officers of the Board that a committee should attend to that work. The folly of it is that the medical officer who arranges the details of the work of inspectors was not consulted in
any way.
Mr. HOOPER-I don't think I can allow all that to pass, because Mr. Woodcock made a recommendation without consulting the medical officer. He is an officer who has
ThePRESIDE T—Will you aseond the motion? Mr. HUMPHREYS-If the committee to be appointed will be similar to the previous one.
Tue PRESIDENTIt is a question whether members of the Board have a right to enter domestic buildings.
Mr. HOOPER-As a Board have not we tho power our servants have?
The PRESIDENT-They Have more in some
ways.
Mr, HOOPER-Bat not in all.
The PRESIDENT--I don't know of any section
capt section 23. As we will require to hunt which gives us power to enter a building ex- through the Ordinance, I think, perhaps, the matter had better stand over. The matter was deferred.
had several years' experience, and any recommendation from him is worthy of con- sideration. I did not gather in the first place what the duty of the inspection committee was, but now I-quite agree with you that it would be a foolish thing to appoint a committee of the Board to take upon themselves duties which would necessitate them going round town inspecting property for seven or eight hours a day, That could not have been in any body's mind, but I think there would be no harm in the appointment of a committee to deal with any disputes that may occur between sanitary inspectors and owners of property as to the quality of lime-washing, and I don't | 59.0. think any member would object to the appoint- ment of such a committee.
The PRES DENT --That is a different matter. Hon. Mr. BREWIN-Surely there must be some misunderstanding. I recollect a com- mittes existing in 1901, of which Mr. Osborne and I were members. It used to visit various parts of the town in order that members might acquaint themselves with the manner in which sanitary work was done, and as far as I can gather all Mr. Woodcock suggested was that they should inspect lime-washing at the same time.
MOKTALITY AT MACAO.
week ending 28th May showed that the total The mortality return from Mono for the number of deaths was 89. Only two of these which embraces Europaans, Eurasians and came under the heading "Portugueses" a term
Asiatics (Chinese Catholics). The death rate per 1,000 per annum, on` these figures, Was
WATER ANALYSES. The report on the various services stated that the results of the analyses 'show that the water is of excellent quality ".
PLAGUE AT YAUMATI POLICE STATION. Dr. MACFARLANE having reported the occurrence of three cases of plague at the Yaumati Police Station, the P.U.M.O. recom mended that the place be vacated until it could be thoroughly overhauled, "but the “Captain Superintendent of Police reported that he ha? no place in which to house the men. It was therefore suggested that temporary" "quarters