No.103
Hongkong.
Government House,
Hongkong, 11th. March, 1904.
340
Sir,
With reference to paragraph 2 of Mr. Chamberlain's Despatch No.216 of the 5th. June last, I have the honour to inform you that the question of the causes of and the possibility of reducing the large Chinese infantile mortality in this Colony was referred by Sir Henry Blake to a Committee, consisting of Dr. Atkinson, Principal Civil Medical Officer, Dr. Ho Kai, C.M.G., and Drs. Hunter, Pearse, Jordan, and Herston.
2.
I have now to forward for your consideration the valuable Report prepared by these gentlemen. With regard to the second recommendation of the Committee, the Principal Civil Medical Officer has stated that it was intended to confine the payment of the $2 to cases of the registration of Chinese births. Supposing the number of births at present unregistered to be about half the total number of births, the amount annually payable by Government in fees would be about $2,950. The female visitors would entail an outlay of about $1,080 per annum, supposing that three such visitors should be engaged at $30 a month each. I doubted whether the expenditure of this money would serve any really useful purpose and suggested to the Principal Civil Medical Officer that it might be...
As to the proposals for the establishment of a training school for midwives, it is clear that affairs will never be in a satisfactory condition until only midwives are registered and allowed to practice.
I would ask why the idea started in 1896 was found unworkable. It is not stated and is not obvious.
Let Sir M. Nathan see the draft at once.
C.P.L. 21
We must go very slowly with such matters in the case of the Chinese.
Apparently, the Journals for the training school for Midwives say, "We hope in time we may be able to secure earlier registration of births and licensed midwifery."
Write to A. B. & C. and send copies of the printed report to the Tropical Schools LFP.13/1.
ASC r/n
THE RIGHT HONOURABLE
ALFRED LYTTELTON, K.C., M.P.,