Hong Kong Annual Administration Reports, 1841-1941
COLONIAL REPORTS—ANNUAL.
(B.) PUBLIC HEALTH AND SANITATION.
During the year under review considerable progress has been made in providing existing domestic buildings with increased window area as required under the Public Health and Buildings Ordinance of 1903, 2,512 houses having been thus dealt with.
New buildings (domestic) to the number of 260 were erected during the year, and in these the effect of the present Ordinance is seen in the increased amount of open space about the houses, which the law requires. Scavenging lanes which have to be provided in the rear of new houses also increase the open space about them and tend to reduce surface crowding.
Under the Insanitary Properties Resumption scheme an area of 18,092 square feet has been resumed during the year in one of the most densely populated areas of the City.
During the year there were 287 deaths from plague, being 208 less than in 1904, and, except for the years 1895 and 1897, the lowest number of deaths from this disease since its appearance in 1894.
There were 1,585 deaths from respiratory diseases amongst the Chinese, or 25.1 per cent. of all Chinese deaths.
Beri-beri caused 678 deaths—a high figure, but slightly lower (57 less) than that for 1904.
The deaths from malaria were 287, as against 301 in 1904. The figure for the annual deaths from this disease has fallen from 574 in 1901 to 287 in the year under review.
(C.) CLIMATE.
The average monthly temperature throughout the year was 71.60°F., as compared with 71.6°F. in 1904 and 72.0°F. during the ten preceding years. The maximum monthly temperature was attained in July, when it reached 87.8°F., and the minimum monthly temperature was recorded in February, when it was 51.6°F. The highest recorded temperature during the year was 91.3°F. on the 18th July, and the lowest 42.8° on the 10th February.
The total rainfall for the year was 70.95 inches, as compared with an average of 74.94 inches during the past ten years. The wettest month was June, with 19.70 inches, the driest, November, with only 0.28 inch. The greatest amount of rain which fell on any one day was 7.955 inches on the 1st June, while no rain fell on 220 days of the year. The relative humidity of the atmosphere throughout the year was 80 per cent., as compared with an average of 77 per cent. during the past ten years. The average daily amount of sunshine was 5.1 hours, being 45 per cent. of the possible duration.