Enclosure
C. O.
192
Sanitary Board, (the "Honourable I. M. Prise), recommending the reclamation of a pestilent and fetid swamp at "Yaumati" (a village on the peninsula of Kowloon, which forms a portion of this Colony), and the construction of Public Dust-bins, Latrines, Dust-carts, a boat for the removal of night-soil
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2.
It will be seen that the estimated cost is $43,158, which sum has been voted by the Finance Committee.
3.
approve, and hope that Your
(C.S.O. No. 1515 of 1883.)
No. 9.
SIR.
The Chairman, Sanitary Board, to The Colonial Secretary 3 427
RECP
REGO 4 AUG 33,
SANITARY BOARD ROOM.
19th June, 1883.
Adverting to previous correspondence on Sanitary Reform and to the proposed measures recently approved by His Excellency the Governor in Council, I have the honour to report that the adoption of the Scavenging Contracts for Victoria and the villages necessitates the purchase of twenty-four dust-carts and twenty-four dustman's bells, at a cost, as detailed in the enclosed schedule, of $1,488, and I am therefore to request the Governor's approval to a vote of $1,488 for this purpose being taken in Finance Committee.
2. As the Order and Cleanliness Ordinance recently passed, compels every householder to provide himself with a suitable dust-box, and as it is more than probable that this provision of the law will not be adequately complied with by the native population, I am requested by the Sanitary Board to urge upon the Government the expediency of defraying the cost of Five thousand dust-boxes in the first instance from public funds and of selling these boxes at cost price to the Chinese householders, the proceeds of these sales being refunded to the Colonial Treasury from month to month.
3. I am further to obtain the consent of His Excellency the Governor to the Board, giving dust-boxes gratis to such persons as are in the opinion of the Board hopelessly unable from extreme poverty to pay for them, but the Board would not propose to give away more than one thousand boxes in this manner and would in every case satisfy itself beforehand that the recipient was absolutely without the means to comply with the law.
4. As so large an order as five thousand dust-boxes would enable the Government Contractor to make a considerable reduction on the price per box, this proposition while ensuring the construction of a proper dust-box would be a great boon to the Chinese in enabling them to obtain a cheap article, if His Excellency therefore approves I would ask for a grant of $3,000 to meet this service.
5. The Sanitary Board is of opinion it would be very desirable to build at the Government expense a model night-soil boat to serve as a pattern for the fleet of such boats to be provided by the Night-soil Removal Contractor and I am accordingly to apply for a grant of $300 to defray the cost of the model boat. The latter when finished with as a copy for the other boats, need not lie idle but may be hired at a fixed rent per month to the Night-soil Contractor and in this way may in due course repay its original cost.