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THE OFFICE OF THE HEALTH OFFICER OF THE PORT,
REPORT BY DR, F.T. KEYT, Heath Officer of the Port,
L.—BOARDING SHIPS AND QUARANTINE,
During the year inward-bound sen going vessels to the num- ber of 5,318 were visited, from each of these a certificate was obtained, signed by the master, giving particulars as to sickness, or deaths, during the voyage, the dates of leaving ports, and the number of passengers and crews, under sect: 22 (2) of the Merchant Shipping Ordinance of 1899.
286 ships arrived in quarantine from infected ports, the passengers and crews numbering 27,900 and 22,503 respectively, were examined before pratique was granted, under Table L. Sec. 23 of the same ordinance.
Eleven vessels were detained in quarantine, of these, eight were for small-pox, two for bubonic plague, and one for cholera,
The ports declared infected during the year were :-—--
1. Manila, for cholera, 12tlı January to 1st April.
2. Shanghai. for small-pox. 1st January to 3rd June, 3. Saigon, for cholera, 15th June to 7th September,
It is interesting to note that although cholera prevailed in epidemic form at Manila and Saigon, no cases were imported by Only one ship the S. S. ships arriving from these ports. "Glymont" was detained in quarantine for observation and dis- infection, a doubtful case was landed at Saigon. before proceeding on her voyage, and when a definite diagnosis was made, a cable to this effect, was sent to Hongkong. There were no fresh cases.
Shanghai supplied four cases of small-pox, two in January and two in March and April, the ships were dealt with under the quarantine regulations, the passengers and crews were vaccinated, and the ships were fumigated with Clayton gas.
The S. 8, Haiching" from Chefoo and the S. S. “Kwei Yang" from Singapore, were placed in quarantine for plague, for the full period of five days, and were fumigated before being released,
II.- EMIGRATION,
The total number of emigrants was 98,410, showing a decrease of 57,594 on the total for the previous year.
Under sections 25-28 of the Asiatic Emigration Ordinance, all asiatic steerage passengers embarking on outward bound vessels, and their crows require to be examined by the Port Health Officer, and those who are medically unfit are rejected, and sent ashore, There were 1,036 rejections, of these 475 were for fovers, 395 for trachoma, 91 for scabies, and 75 for other causes.
ذة
During the strike, which paralysed the shipping of the port, from mid-January till 6th March only nine ships were examined, with 1,843 emigrants, while in April the number increased to 16,779, and kept at a high level, with a drop in August and September. These are the months of the rice harvest, which affords sufficient inducement to keep labourers at home, for field work.
Asiatic steerage passengers may by classified under three headings:-
1. Free emigrants.
2. Assisted emigrants.
3. Women and children.
1. Free emigrants are passengers who are not under any contract of service, they pay their own passages, and are at liberty to return where they choose. They earn a living as shop keepers and petty traders. in preference to manual labour.
2. Assisted emigrants are engaged to labour for hire, by contract, and their passages are paid by their employers. The period of engagement varies from one to three years, and they find work in the tin mines and rubber plantations of the Straits Settlements, Java, and Sumatra, in the oil fields of Borneo, and the phoshate deposits of Nairung and Christmas Island.
3. Women and children-these are the wives and families of both free and assisted emigrants, some women however travel independently, and find work as domestic servants, seamstresses, and field labourers.
During the year there were :—
72,876 Free emigrants,
4,963 Assisted emigrants.
20,571 Women and children.
Tablo I gives the numbers of emigrants passed and rejected. and their ports of destination,
Table II shows the numbers of emigrants and of the crews, dealt with month by month,
Table III gives the causes of rejection.
Table IV shows the number of ships detained in quarantine, with the causes, dates, and periods of detention.
Table V gives the total number of ships examined in quarantine, and the numbers of their passengers and crews.
There were no changes on the staff, during the year I was assisted by Dr. B. H. Mellon, the second Health Officer of the Port.
F. Т. КЕУТ, Heath Officer of the Port.
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