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No. 148
14004
*
Bee 7 MAY 00
Government House.
Hong-Kong, 7th April, 1900.
sir,
374
I have the honour to inform you that during last summer attention was attracted to the great mortality of cattle in the New Territory whereby the inhabitants suffered severe losses which most of them could ill afford, the cattle in the Territory being almost entirely kept for agricultural purposes.
There also occurred during the year 6 outbreaks
of rinderpest among dairy cattle in Hong-Kong and 150 head of cattle had to be destroyed to prevent the spread of the disease.
2. An Inspector of Markets was sent into the Territory to enquire into the matter, and his report showed that the losses in cattle, which were reported to be 814 out
of a total of 5278 animals during the 6 months from middle of June to middle of December, were in all probability due to rinderpest, the natives themselves stating that the cattle had died of plague, which is their name for the disease.
As the outbreak had ceased when the inspection
took place it was not possible to prove by diagnosis what the disease had been.
The Right Honourable
JOSEPH CHAMBERLAIN,M.P.
860.
830.
3.