sir,
26
Encl
C.O
30573
17 NOV 13
Lyn
No
Kedical Department,
Hongkong, 20th October, 1913.
have the honour to submit for His Excellency's
information the following remarks and recommendations arising
out of Major James' Report upon the possible introduction of
yellow fever into Fongkong and as to the measures which should
be taken in order to prevent this possibility.
2.
The first of the recommendation made by Major
James is that a medical officer should be appointed as an
Intelligence Officer at Hongkong for the purpose of securing
continuous and trustworthy information regarding any outbreak of
yellow fever in areas whence infection is likely to be conveyed,
and the measures which may be taken to prevent ships from carry-
ing infection from such areas. In the event of yellow fever
occurring either as a considerable outbreak or even as a few
cases,
it is assumed that this port would be immediately inform-
ed, and the position then would turn upon our preparedness or
otherwise for dealing with ships coming from the infected port.
3.
If we cannot be sure that we shall receive early
information from any port or country in which yellow fever may
arise, then an additional safeguard would be supplied by the
"intelligence officer" in question. It is said that the
American Government has found that the practice of attaching
medical officers to their Consulates abroads has resulted in the
obtaining of trustworthy and complete information and of exer-
cising control over ships bound for the United States from those ports. But such an "intelligence officer" stationed in one
place would be in a more favourable position than one who had to
move about from his headquarters in search of information and
who might not be at the right place at the right moment for
acquiring early information,
The Honourable
The Colonial Secretary,
Hongkong.
4.