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Under normal conditions water supplies are generally adequate and safe but there are at present mechanical difficulties associated with the war and temporary ration-- ing may be necessary on the Island, about one-third of whose supply is pumped from the mainland. It will be necessary to increase the provision of safe water supplies to rural areas on the mainland.
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The permanent aim in regard to nightsoil disposal in urban areas is to provide a water-carriage system. The position at present in Victoria is most unsatisfactory because of wastage of buckets and general deterioration of plant. The matter is under urgent consideration by the C.A. Administration in conjunction with the Service authorities.
6. School Hygiene. The 1941 School population is given as 126,500. The need for a well qualified School Medical Officer who could organize a School Medical service on up-to-date lines is stressed and a full-time U.K. recruited Dental Surgeon should be sent out to organize dental services for the schools and help to get going a University Dental School. A Health Sister to train a staff of Health and Community nurses is also required.
7. Agriculture and Food Production. The absence of an Agricultural Adviser is commented on and it is suggested that a qualified officer should be sent out to Hong Kong to size up the situation and put forward recommendations. There is no officer in Hong Kong who can help the Chinese agriculturalist, or assist other departments in dealing with agricultural problems having a collective bearing and affecting the community as a whole.
8. Propaganda. Suggestions for a widespread campaign and the appointment of a suitable officer to direct and control publicity generally are made.
9. Research. A tribute is paid to the valuable research already carried out in Hong Kong and suggestions are put forward to help develop research on the best lines and secure suitable workers. Research scholarships to enable local personnel to come to the U. K. for research purposes should be made available.
Further research on nutritional problems should be continued and an investiga- tion undertaken into the social causes of disease. This latter should take into account the movements of the Chinese population and their trend, having especially in mind the future development of the Colony and its immigrational capacity.
Further research should also be continued on the problem of rendering nightsoil innocuous and providing a further supply of good fertilizer for the Chinese agriculturalist.
10. Quarantine and Port Health Services. Attention is directed to the peculiar risk that the Colony incurs in the importation of disease, especially from Canton. Hong Kong is the gateway to South China and has a large transient population. While the prosperity of the Colony as an entrepot depends on main- taining freedom of movement of individuals, of shipping, rail and air transport all reasonable precautions must be taken to control the transmission of disease, both from the international and Colony standpoint. The creation of a large civil airport for the Colony on the mainland underlines this need. To do this up-to-date Reception centres on appropriate sites are needed and a Quarantine Hospital and Camp with the usual means for disinfection of baggage. The hulk formerly housing the disinfecting apparatus has been sunk and, at the moment, there is no provision what- ever for carrying out disinfection of any class of passengers or their belongings. The return of more normal shipping and air traffic conditions makes this an urgent matter. At the time of drafting this paragraph there are eight merchant ships lying in Victoria harbour.
11. Higher Medical Education. Attention is drawn to the report of a Committee appointed by the Chancellor in 1939 to advise on the development of the University. The report put forward a number of recommendations, one of which was that considera- tion should be given to the question of "the transfer of the University to a larger site outside the town. While no answer can be attempted to the longer term questions involved it is recommended that there should be ho question of not re- commencing courses of study in the present buildings, after reconditioning, at the earliest possible date. Some arguments for and against the transfer of the University are put forward and such questions as liaison with other Medical Schools,
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