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There are in addition five Inspectors in charge of the scavenging work, one Inspector of Cemeteries, one Inspector in charge of the City Disinfecting Station, one in charge of the Kowloon Disinfecting Station, and three for general duties, making 23 in all.
The supervision of the sanitary work in the various outlying villages of the island of Hongkong, in Kowloon City and in Sham Shui Po is done by the Police Inspectors.
The Inspectors in Hongkong work under the personal direction and supervision of the Medical Officer of Health while those in Kowloon are under the Assistant Medical Officer of Health.
GENERAL SANITARY CONDITION.
The activity in building operations, which was so noticeable a feature of 1912 and 1913 has only slightly abated and the demand for housing accommodation by the Chinese continued to be greatly in excess of the supply as many of those who fled with their families to Hongkong during 1911, 1912 and 1913 elected to remain in the Colony. However, in August and September, 1914, nearly 60,000 Chinese hastily returned to China, owing to fears of a bombardment of the Colony following the outbreak of the European war. The Chinese quarters which had been in an overcrowded condition throughout the Plague season were thus relieved of their excess, but not in time to prevent the severe epidemic of Plague which had been predicted in the report for 1913. The relationship between overcrowding and Plague was discussed at length in the report for 1912.
In connection with anti-Plague measures, to render houses as far as possible rat-proof, 175 ground surfaces in houses have been repaired in the City and 8 in Kowloon, (175 and 31 in 1913), while 1,404 buildings have had rat-runs filled up with cement and broken glass in the City and 995 in Kowloon, (1,867 and 1,657 in 1913), and 1,132 ceilings have been removed in the City and 21 in Kowloon (294 in 1913).
Permits for the use of three basements as workshops and one basement for the storage of food were issued.
Obstructions have been removed from backyards, under notice, in 228 houses in the City and 16 in Kowloon (251 and 24 in 1913). Notices to abate sanitary nuisances to the number of 7,434 in the City and 1,855 in Kowloon and building nuisances to the number of 1,265 in the City and 155 in Kowloon, have been applied for during the year (5,155, 2,035, 1,583 and 302 respectively in 1913), while 383 notices in regard to the breeding of mosquitoes in the City and 46 in Kowloon have also been served (364 and 73 in 1913).
In addition to the above improvements in connection with dwelling houses carried out under the supervision of the Sanitary Department various permanent improvements affecting sanitation