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of the Kaifong was to see that cases of illness
were reported as soon as possible. I know that when one feels a little sick one very often says nothing about it, and that is not confined to ike Chinese people; but I have take taken a note of 24 enses reported by the Kaifong, and I find that of those cases oight we reported at once, seven were reported after two days' illnese, one after three days, two after five, three after six, and one after seven. Now, in those cases where the longer time elapsed it was found on enquiry that the person was first infected by | lagus, aud in many of those cases I think that the people themarlvos did not know or did not realise that they were ill until the time came, but as soon as they did realise that they were ill they reported to the Kaifong. I may say that in this district no body was damped during that time, with one exception-and I believe the Kaifong could tell me something about that if they liked, for it was n t from this dis- trict. Now, all this shows to tos that the Chinese people of Hongkong ore prapared to help themselves and to help the authorities if they are called upou to do so. The Kaifong and the people of the district know with what kindness and care Dr. Atkinson and Dr. Pearse looked after those poor people who were ill, aud they have learned to know and to realise that both these gentlemen, who are charged with looking after the public health of the Colony, are their friends, snt their best friends. I am now handing back this district in which we have worked together for over three months, and I ask the Kaifong, who have worked so well with me, to continue to give their assistance to the officers of the Sanitary Board who will now be looking after the health of the district. Now, I will add only one or two words of advies to my friends around me. We know that when Sheung Fang Lane was empty in con- sequence of the number of cases of plague there, we collected a number of bags and spiders and sent then to be examined. Eight people from that lane had died, and the question was-How did they get the plague? We found, when these bugs were examined by Dr. Hunter, that they were full of plague When those two poor little boys died at No. 109 in this street, we found in that house some bugs, aud sent them for examination, and these bags were found to be infected with plague. Now you will understand the reason why it is necessary to keep your houses clean and to kill vermin, because the bite of these vermin may mean the death of a man; and you all know that since you bogau to dip your bed-lourds in these tanks of boil ing wator, you have had a great deal more comfort thau you had before. I want you to continus to keep your houses clean as they are now. The plague is over for this year, but the plague is not dead.
Next February the plague will begin again, and if the plague fude bugs and insects in the houses with plague in them, then men will die as they died before. You have got your houses olean ¦
now, because the whole of them have been thoroughly washed, and the furniture in the dipped in boiling water twice over. I will ask the President and the Vice-President of the Sanitary Board, Dr. Atkinson and Mr. Chatham, to leave those tanks, so that you will have an opportunity of keeping yourselves and your houses clean. I hope you will continue to use them and to impress upon your neighbours the necessity of cleanliness. I and there are on an average 12 people living on every floor in the houses in the whole of this district, and under the new law there is no room on each floor for more than six people. This over- crowding may not matter during the summer months, when so many sleep in the streets, but when November comes and people sleep together in the houses, then they breed bad air, and they are unhealthy, and when the plague strikes them in February or March, they have no strength to fight against it. I want you to think over my words. They are spoken for your benefit. And now, having said so, I band back this district to the sanitary authorities, and once more I ask you who have been working so well with me to continue to give your assistance to the authorities in the future. I thank you most heartily for the loyal and splendid way in which you have worked for me, and I hope that the lesson that has been learned from the experiment in this district may prove of immense benefit to the whole colony of Hongkong in the future, because it has shown that the Chinese people are not apathetic, and that they are ready to help when it is explained to them that their help is necessary in carrying out the ordinary work of savitation for the people. For myself, I shall always look back upon the tice spent with great satisfaction, because it has brenght me into contact with you working men of the Kaifong, and sbown me how much good stuff there is among the Chinese population if we only look for it. To Mr. Liu Yi I now present
a letter of thanks for the good work done by the Kaifong and I shall also present a copy, sigued, to each member of the Kaifong. And now I wish you good-bye, and I most heartily wish you prosperity and safety and health in the future. (Applause.)
As His Excellency delivered his speech it was interpreted by Mr. Fung Wa Chun for the benefit of the surrounding Chinese.
MR. Ho Kow Toxo, addressing His Excel- Jency, thanked him for his presence there that day and for the very great interost he had always takou in the work of stamping out plague in this Colony. His Excellency had shown his sympathy with every class of the community, rich and poor alike. Another year of plague was drawing to a close, and for the present the work in connection with the Kaitong in Second and Third Streets had terminated. The thanks of Chinese and Europeans alike should be accorded to him for the untiring energy which had marked His Excellency's term of office in Hongkong isl
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