- A t,::"%ILL-P
June 12, 1909.]
SANITARY BOARD.
Was
A meeting of the Sanitary Board held on June 8 at the Board Rooin. Hutchison presided, and there were present Mr. R. O. Hon Mr. P.N.H. Jones (acting Vice-President). Colonel Bedford; Hon. Mr. A. W. Frewin (Registrar-General), Mr. A. Shelton Hooper, Dr. G. H. L. Fitzwilliams, Mr. Lau Chu Pak. Mr.Ho Kom Tong, Dr. F. Clark (Medical Officer of Health), Dr. Pearse (Assistant Medical Officer of Health), and Mr. W. Bowen Rowlands (Secretary).
QUESTIONS.
Mr. HOOPER pursuant to notice, asked the following questions:-
(1) Is it a fact that in February and July 1908 Jeyes' Fluid, to the extent of 2,500 gallons, was purchased through the Crown Agents at a cost. ex-godown Hongkong of 3/63d. per gallon?
(2) Also whether Jeyes Fluid could not have been purchased locally at 3/- per gallon. thereby effecting a saving of between £60 und £70.
(3) In what respect, if any, did the Jeyes' Fluid indented by the Government here differ from that obtainable locally?
The answers to the questions were:-
(1) 2,500 gallons of Jeyes' fluid were received during 1908 from the Crown Agents at a cost ex-godown Hongkong of 363. The cousign ment arrived in February and July.
(2) A Jeyes fluid could have been purchased locally at 3/- per gallon, the same quantity of which would have cost roughly £66 less.
(3) The Joyes' fluid indented from the Crown Agents had a guaranteed carbolic acid co- efficiency of over 20 for bacilus pestis. That obtained locally was not so guaranteed and bacteriological tests showed that it had not such a high carbolic acid co-efficient.
Mr. HOOPE -Then I understand it was Jeyes' fluid they sent out?
The PRESIDENT-Yes.
Mr. HOOPER-Well, I have to raise a question on that. Therefore, to put myself in order, I move the suspension of the Standing Orders.
Mr. LAU CHU PAK seconded. The REGISTRAR-GENERAL-I there is any urgency in this has been going on for a month.
don't see matter. It
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Mr. HOOPER-It is a matter of urgency. may say I am going to dispute the statement which has come from the chair, and I shall give docu- mentary evidence to that effect It is a matter that should be brought before H.E. the Governor. The motion was carried, only the REGISTRAR GENERAL voting against it.
Mr. HOOPER-You have stated that what was ordered from the Crown Agents was Jeyes fluid. I will read you an extract from a letter from the Jeyes Sanitary Compound Company, dated 21st August, 1908, addressed to Messrs. W. G. Humphreys and Company, their agents in Hong- kong: "It is right to inform you that the order in question was not for Jeyes' fluid but for a special preparation which the Crown Agents asked us to supply to meet their requirements." I think it is only fair that the Government and the public should know exactly what has been ordered, what they have paid for, and what they have received. It is with that object in view that I have taken the trouble to get the information which I have given to this Board. I would like to ask at whose instigation the change was made in obtaining disinfectants from home instead of locally which had been the custom of the Department for about 20 years. I may say that the local agents from time to time kept a very large stock of Jeyes' fluid here to meet any extra demands made upon the Government. I think it must be patent to any one that to suddenly throw them over, leaving on their hands a large stock of a disinfectant which for 20 years the medical authorities had deemed to be of sufficient germicidal efficiency to meet the requirements in this Colony-is not a moral business transaction. I may say that if these facts are brought to the notice of His Excellency the Governor he will take steps to prevent its recurrence.
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The REGISTRAR-GENERAL-Do you make ta motion ?
Mr. HOOPER No. I let it stand. If any member has anything to controvert in the
CHINA OVERLAND TRADE REPORT.
ttatement or wishes more proof I shall be glad so give him the information I have.
The PRESIDENT-Is the point you wish to make that the Government ought to purchase ference to the Carbonate Creosote they are now Jeyes' fluid from Humphreys and Co. in pro. purchasing?
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a disin
that. If they wish to purchase
Mr. HOOPER No. I said nothing about
which is intended for use as Jeyes fluid why fectant commonly known as Jeyes' fluid, and should they purchase it in London when it is procurable here at 10 per cent. less? That is the remark I wish to convey to the Governor.
The PRESIDENT -- Yes,
SELECT COMMITTEES.
With regard to the re-appointment of select HOOPER minuted-Tho standing order of 30th committees of the Sanitary Board, Mr. SHELTOs July, 1903, must be amended or rescinded as the Board now have no officers, and I think Mr. Ho Mr. Fung Wa Chun's. Kom Tong's name should be substituted for
.r, LAU CHU PAK minuted-A select committee to look after markets may well be added.
only alteration being the substitution suggested. All the select committees were re-elected the
PUBLIC HEALTH ORDINANCE AMENDMENT.
Buildings Ordinance was laid on the table.
The amendment of the Public Health and
had been handed over entirely to the Sanitary The PRESIDENT stated that since the markets
to amend the byelaws, and suggested that a Department, he thought it would be necessary, committee be appointed with that object.
The President, the Registrar General and Dr. Fitzwilliams were appointed a committee.
EXHUMATION.
permits to exhume remains for re-burial in China Correspondence relative to applications for
was submitted.
a
The PRESIDENT wrote-Appended are number of applications for permits to exhume remains for re-burial in China. As these I propose, with the approval of the members of the applicants have been waiting a considerable time Board, to instruct the Secretary to issue these permits under section 91a section 3 of the Public! Health and Buildings Ordinance at once and have the action confirmed at the next meeting I believe these applicants to be the duly authorised agents of the next of kin. Will members of the Board kindly write ". approve in the circulating cover if they approve of this actiou?
We
Mr. HOOPER minuted-Approve; but removed out of the colony. must be satisfied that the remains are at once
Hon. Mr. HEWETT-Agree with Mr. Hooper. select committee should be appointed to deal Mr. LAU CHC PAK-Approve. I think a with such applications so as to prevent delay.
Three
Board seem to think that certain precautious The PRESIDENT wrote-As members of the are necessary I think it better to leave this over until the next meeting of the Board. apply for permission to re-bury in Mount Caro- further applications are attached, two of which
ing no statement. line Cemetery, the remaining application mak-
Yui Tong and Messrs. Denison, Ram and Gibbs Applications were received from Mr. Chun
the Colonial Cemetery. for permits to exhume remains for re-burial in
know, there is no law to prohibit these kind of Mr. Ho Koм TONG minuted-As far as I burials in the Colonial Cemetery.
authority any site has been granted to the ap- MR. HO PER-I fail to understand by what plicants. No one has the power to reserve
any
site.
MR. LAU CHU PAK-What authority has the Board in refusing to grant burials in the Colonial Cemetery?
fuse permits to exhume except on sanitary grounds.
Hon. REGISTRAR GENERAL-We cannot re-
Hon. MR. HEWETT-I cannot pass an opinion know the standing of the people concerned, but on the two cases under consideration as I do not in view of the very limited area in the Colonial Cemetery I consider this should be as far population. The Government has as possible kept for the use of the "foreign
gone to all classes of residents, and no Asiatic should great expense in providing burial grounds for therefore be interred in the Colonial Cemetery
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unless he was during his lifetime a recognised member of one of the Christian denominations, not merely a person who nominally professed Christianity. hostile spirit towards a certain section of the make these remarks not in any
community, but because I consider the Colonial Cemetery, which was originally intended for the interment of "foreigners," should not now be invaded by natires who have ample burial ground supplied elsewhere.
The REGISTRAR-GENERAL-Has the Medical Officer of Health reported as to whether there are any sanitary objections ?
The PRESIDENT-There is no report in either case from the Medical Officer of Health.
The REGISTRAR-GENERAL-Thon subject to the Medical Officiul of Health raising no permission asked for be granted. The law was objections on sanitary grounds, I move that the brought in, not to enable us to hinder exhuma tions, but to make legal a practice which has been in force for many years. I don't think it
is
necessary for us to hinder those permits; all we have to do is to see that proper precautions aro taken in the interests of the public health.
Mr. Ho KOM TONG seconded.
a committee of the Board be appointed to report Mr. HOOPER proposed as an amendment that
on the advisability or otherwise of permitting exhumations, either in the Colonial Cemetery for re-interment of such bodies in other parts of bodies from other cemeteries for ro-interment in the Colonial cemetery, or for exhumation of
advisable, what rules and regulations they the Colonial cemetery. And if they considered it thought the Board should draw up for per- mitting such exhumations.
COLONEL BEDFORD seconded the amendment and although a comparative stranger in the Colony, could not help remarking on the enormous number of applications for exhuma- tion and re-burial. All know of the enormous permission to exhume in the famous Bruce case. difficulty experienced at home in getting Applications here were very frequent, but he was not in a position to judge whether they
were necessary.
Mr. LAU CHU PAK, in reply to Colonel Bedford's remarks, informed him that he was in Chinese, and it was the custom of the Chinese a Colony where the inhabitants were mostly to remove the remains of their people after a As regards the Colonial Cemetery, eren under the new Ordinance he did not see any authority which prevented Chinese from being oxhumed and re-buried there. He under- stood that the two applicants were Christian
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few years.
converts.
the
amendment, although he had no objection to the
The REGISTRAR-GENERAL opposed
think that consideration of these applications appointment of a committee. But he did not
Mr. Brewin, should be held up until the committee reported. The VICE PRESIDENT agreed with the Hon.
The amendment was put to the meeting and
that had arisen, and mut arise on this, and lost, and the motion was then put and carried.
Mr. HOOPER said there was another point
as the formation of a committee had not been approved he would ask the Board's in- dulgence to draw their attention to it. Where were they going to be interred? We had set aside areas for naval, military, civil servants, and old residents, and we should set aside an area for another section that was, the Chinese Protestants. The board should
lay down some regulations so as not to have them scattered all over the place.
The PRESIDENT-Is the committee to apply particularly to this case, or generally? remarks, it must be generally.
Mr. HOOPER-As you will see
from my Mr. LAU CHO PAK-It will have nothing to do with these two applications, which have already been granted.
The REGISTRAR-GENERAL-If there is any doubt about my motion I will move that the bury in the Colonial Cemetery. applicants be given a permit to exhume and re-
Mr. HOOPER-Who chooses the site? The REGISTRAR-GENERAL-I don't care who chooses the site.
Mr. HOOPER-But I do. I think it would be
Chinese on their site and raise a monument over very repugnant to civil servants to bury a Lim.