M 62
SECTION IV.
PORT HEALTH WORK AND ADMINISTRATION.
GENERAL.
266. Reckoned in terms of shipping tonnage, Hong Kong is one of the five greatest ports of the world. It is the principal commercial entrepot of Southern China and it is the terminus of steamship lines running between China, Japan, and North America.
267. In 1932, 5,014 British ocean-going steamers and 6,475 foreign ocean-going steamers entered and cleared the harbour. In addition there entered and cleared 11,017 river steamers, 7,294 launches, and 22,559 foreign trade junks.
The total tonnage of vessels entering and clearing was 41,794,005.
268. The Medical Staff engaged in Port Health duties consists of two European Health Officers and two Chinese Medical Officers.
269. The work of the department includes:-
(a) Routine inspection of ships.
(b) Quarantine duty.
(c) Duty in connection with emigration.
(d) Vaccination.
270. The laws dealing with the subject of Quarantine and Port Health are contained in Table L of the Hong Kong Port Regulations, the Asiatic Emigration Ordinance and the Vaccination Ordinance.
271. During the year 5,752 inward bound ocean-going vessels were boarded by the Health Officers. Of these 2,510 were on the British register and 3,242 on the foreign register.
272. River steamers from Canton, Macao and West River Ports, also junks and small crafts were only visited when cases of sickness or death were reported.
273. During the year 316 special visits were made to ships for the purpose of examining persons suffering from infectious but non-quarantine diseases. 67 permits for the landing of corpses for burial were granted and 26 bodies were sent to the mortuary for post-mortem examination. 11 cases of leprosy were detected amongst Chinese passengers. 24 Chinese, 3 European and 1 Japanese lunatics arrived in the Colony during the year. Bills of Health numbering 1,943 were issued.
274. The number of vessels arriving in Quarantine was 1,215 with 183,055 passengers and crew personnel of 130,007. These figures show great increases over those for 1930 and 1931 and constitute a new record. All were examined and the passengers and crews of those vessels arriving from smallpox infected ports were vaccinated.