166
tion of the Powers concerned may well be directed to this matter, but the fact still remains that pirates, as experience has shown, are not very discriminating in these matters, and so long as piracy is rife, foreign shipping craft in the Delta will be just as liable to attack as Chinese craft. The state of affairs which our Canton correspondent represents clearly calls for the improvement, if not the strengthening, of the present patrol.
RANDOM
EFLECTIONS.
Was it not surprising to find so many com plaining of the heat during the last few days? Why, Saturday week, according to the Chinese calendar, was the official "stopping of hea'," and how any one can have the effrontery to ignore the calendar in such a grant manner is hard to understand. No, no my dear friend, Your thirst may the summer swelter is over. be as great as ever it was, and your shirt may still be damp, but the fault must lie somewhere within yourself. Officially, summer is dead, and no self-respecting citizen would question the wisdom which fired the limit up to which heat was to be experienced,
*
Swimming, always popular in Hongkong, is receiving more than ordinary attention just The latest performance to attract notice is that of the two young men at Kowloon Dock,
now.
MoBride and Wilson, who
Swam from the
Dock to Quarry Bay in an hour and twenty minutes a few evenings ago, and last Monday did the swim from the Dock to Blake Pier in an hour and eight minutes. A correspondent asks if this does not constitute a record.
The
harbour race in October 1906 wES won by Gunner Brotherton in a little under twenty- eight minutes, but the distance from Haughom to Blake Pier is more than double the course covered by the competitors on the occasion of the harbour swim for the "China Mail" oup,
and the time, if correct, must be regarded as extremely good. Indeed it may be questioned if any of the other swimmers in the colony could put up such a fine performance.
*
Some months ago the Sanitary Board had under consideration a bye-law framed with the object of stopping the beastly practice of ex- pectoration, which is so common among Chin-88 coolias, but fancy the matter is still in the consideration stage. If I am mistaken I crave pardon at once. I am reminded of the subject not only by the frequent evidence of the need that one daily comes across, especially in the large office buildings, but by the fact that the Minor Offences Ordinance in the Straits Settle ments is being amended by the introduction of a section designed to put a stop to the habit of spitting by making it an offence punishable by fiue not exceeding $25. The Bill has been read a first time.
*
I am glad to notice the track nuisance has been partially suppressed. The manner in which these oumbrous vehicles with their small army of coolies straggling all over the road obstruct many thoroughfares is too well known to call for comment, but the obstruation was nowhere greater than in Ice House Street. That narrow thoroughfare was fearfully oon. gested during the midday interval for tiffin and, when a few trucks blocked part of the road, rioshas experienced difficulty in getting through while pedestrians risked injury in attempting the passage of the street. This intolerable state of affairs has been made the subject of representation to the police, and now the stree may be entered with comparative safety at noon as a policeman stands at either end to prevent trucks from proceeding in that direction. Com- pliments to the Captain Superintendent!
THE HONGKONG WEEKLY PRESS AND
Again the power of the pres, especially the Daily Press, is demonstrated. A few weeks ago a correspondent suggested an organisation of all willing to assist in life-saving during typhoons; and while recognising that I am only a humble unit I gave the suggestion my approval. Now I see the Government have had the subject under consideration, and the result is a notios in the “Gazette” announcing`
a proposal to form a life-saving corps. So far so good. If Government support meant su00858 then there could be no doubt as to the forms- tion and usefulness of the corps.
[September 5, 1908. HONGKONG SANITARY BOARD.
A mesting of the Sanitary Board was held on Sept. Ist at the Board Room, Mr. C. Mol. Messer (president), presided, and there were also present Hon. Mr, W. Chatham,(Vice-President), Hon. Mr. E. A. Irving, (R-gistrar-General), Mosers. A. Shelton Hooper, H. A. W. Slade, Lau Chu Pak, H. Humphreys, Dr. Pearse, (Medical Officer of Health, and the following officials: Dr. Maofarlane, (Assistant Medical Officer of Healt1), and A. Gibson (Becretary).
Bat there is another point of view, which was put to me something like this: Let a meeting of those interested be called. Then strange. ments could be made for putting the corps on a proper basis, the voluntary nature of the more- ment being recognised, and whatever assistance was needed from Government could be doubt, leas obtained on representation to the proper
The report of the committee appointed to quarter. But to exact a pledge from the volunteers to obey the orders of any official
consider the question of the removal of ceilings whom the Government might choose to select and stair-lininga was submitted. The Com- is to show a disregard of the voluntary spiritmittee expressed the opinida that a scheme of a which animates the young mea who are enthusiastic over the work,
when
Suppose now, continued my informant, show. ing greater heat and employing more vigorous language, there are a dozen of us at a particular station on the Prays and the patty official appointed by the piternal Government to take charge of us directs some of us to do a certain thing. He may or he may not lead the way himself, but what would the fellows say they saw this official doing the Napoleonio while remaining in a place of safety ? Would they not tara round and tell him to do it himself? No Sir! That plan won't work! Recognise the volunteer spirit. Let the corps select its leaders, officials or police, but don't kill the movement by atting p it under the control of government officials who may be excellent fellows, but they never forget they are part of the government.
who can arrange to on-operate with harbour
Is there a luxury under the sun which has not been asserted by somebody to be a necessity, or at least Highly beneficial as a medicine? The Daily Press the other day was referring to a theory that opium-smoking came into popular use in China as an antidote to malaria. And did not Mrs. Felling, the Apothecary, tell Mrs. Samuel Pepys that tea was good for her cold and certain ailments peculiar to the ladies? As to wine, that, of course, was taken "for the stomach's sake,' Tobacco reached Europe as A medicine. "It cureth anye griefe, dolour, im- posture or obstraction proceeding of cold or winde, especially in the head or breast," de. clared one old chronicler. Sailors chewed it as a safeguard against scurvy. Smoked on a rainy morning in the summer months it would care 'toothache, the falling sickness, and the drop. sie." As an ointment it was the deadly enemy of the gout. In the form of snuff it was supposed to vanquish headaches and strengthen the eyesight. As for whiskey-soda- —“Here's to your very good health." There is no need to probe into ancient history to establish its claims to be regarded as a medicine.
<
RODERICK RANDOM.
CHINESE LADY SENT TO GAOL.
FOR CRUELTY TO A CHILD.
At the Magistracy on September 1st Mr. J. R. Wood passed an exemplary sentence on a Chinese lady who was found guilty of cruelty to a girl five years of age. The evidence showed that the child was sent out with defendant's baby, and in the course of a walk lost a gold bangle from the baby's wrist. On the return home, when the mistress found the bangle was missing, she seized the little girl and beat her with a piece of firewood, not desisting until she had made her black and blue allover. One blow, which was dealt on the child's head split the scalp, and even her face was seriously bruised and very much swollen, But this was not all; the enraged mistress then continued the assault on the child with a barning stick, and burnt her badly behind the ear. It was a distressfal mite of humanity that was taken to the police station, and there, it is stated, the police found that the obild had not been properly nourished.
His Worship sentenced the defendant to seven days' hard labour, and further ordered her to be bound over in a bond of $20 ), two sureties, to be of good behaviour for six months,
|
REMOVAL OF CEILINGS.
compulsory and systematic removal of ceilings and stair-linings should be adopted as a means of prevention of rat infestation subject to certain expenses being paid by the Government and the granting of exemptions in particular 01808. The committee recommended the Board to make certain byelaws.
Mr. HOOPER minuted-This should not apply or offices. Two weeks' to European houses notice is too short.
Mr. LAU CHU PAK-I do not think a distino- tion should be made. The committee to be appointed to carry out this work will, no doubt, see that justice is done and as little.friction as possible caused.
The PRESIDENT moved the adoption of the report.
Mr. LAU CHU-PAK seconded.
Mr. HOOPER said he agreed with the report in the main, but he wished to move two amend- ments. He thought European houses and offices should be exempt, particularly offices, because there was no food nor anything stored in them to induce rats to go there. A to the notice, he sugges ed the time should be enlarged
from two weeks. If the Board were to serve
notices for all ceilings and stairlinings in the Colon, the result might be a wholesale lot of prosecutions which would not be entirely agreeable to the community, and he did not think the Board would wish to not in a hars.. He would like to extend the time to two
way. months.
Mr. SLADE seconded the amendment. The MEDICAL OFFICER OF HEALTH thought, in order to guard against such a thing as Mr. Hooper mentioned, and this being more a matter for departmental procedure, that too many notices should not be served at the same time, That would be better than allowing people two months in which to take down their ceilings.
The PRESIDENT said people could not be reasonably expected to remove osilings im. mediately, and as to Europesa houses and offices, they were entirely under the Board, and the only way to work it was for the Board to appoint a committee to consider these regula. tions. It was so very hard to find what was a European house, and they had to draw the dividing line somewɛere.
Mr. HOOPER suggested that the dividing line should be drawn at the European reservation.
The PRESIDENT said there was no intention whatever of removing the ceiling from good offoes.
Mr. HOOPER said he would not press his first amendment, if power was to be reserved to the Board, or a committee of the Board, to grant exemption. With regard to the weeks instead of second amendment, two two months, with all due respect to the Medical Officer of Health, who said it was matter in which the Department could a
he exercise its discretion, was jealous of giving the department any more power than they had, in case it might be abused by any officers coming hereafter. The present head would not abuse that power. He thought two months was not an unreasonable time. Notices could be served as soon as it became law, and then people could be allowed to apply for exemptions. If this were done he thought there would be no difficulty at all.
The PRESIDENT thonght two months rather far ahead. He would agree to one month.
Mr. HOOPER-If they are going to send out 2,0 0 notices--
The PRESIDENT—I don't think the Board would be so foolish as to order so many ceilings to come down. The Department might.
Mr. HooPHE-Quite so.