PUBLIC RECORD OFFICE
गय
Reference:
C.O. 882
ALLY WITHOUT PERMISSION OF THE BE REPRODUCED PHOTOGRAPHIC- COPYRIGHT PHOTOGRAPH-NOT TO
4PUBLIC RECORD OFFICE, LONDON
Supply of shipping and military establishments.
Hland removal of excreta.
Waterclosets
used by
Europeans
only.
Use of dry earth.
Public latrines
for men.
Domestic
strange.nent for women.
Number of public latrines.
Position and construction of latrines.
Removal of night-soil from latrines.
Dation of the Government scavenging contractor.
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service may enjoy all these luxuries free of extra cost, whilst his less favoured neighbour has to pay extra for fetching a scanty supply of water, perhaps brought from a source of doubtful purity.
84. The shipping is supplied by water boats from streams on the eastern and western extremities of the town. The military establishments have an independent supply.
PART I.
SECTION 6.
SCAVENGING. REMOVAL OF EXCRETA AND RUBBISH.-PUBLIC LATRINES, &C. 85. As a general rule throughout Hong Kong, in accordance with time-honoured Chinese practice, human excreta are removed by hand, on what may be called the "pail" system. Neither deodorisation or disinfection of any kind is attempted.
86. In many European houses waterclosets are used in connexion with the town drains, but they are for the use of Europeans only; the method just mentioned being used for the native servants.
87. In some public buildings the use of dry earth, or more properly decomposed granite, has been partially introduced.
88. As in the Chinese cities of the mainland, the men of the working classes resort to public latrines. Only in the houses of the more wealthy is there any latrine accommo. dation for men. Women and children of all classes usc pots, generally kept under their beds. In coolie houses where there are no women, there is frequently a total absence of any provision for this purpose.
89. There are 25 public latrines in the city of Victoria, having in all 565 seats, the number in each varying from 2 to 51. These latrines are built and owned by private persons as a business speculation. Their construction and management is supervised by Government, who levy a tax of $0.60 per seat per annum. The latrine owner derives his profit (said to be very large) from the sale of the manure collected, and from fees of 1 or 2 cash paid by those using them, according as paper and a cigarette are furnished
or not.
90. These latrines are large buildings generally standing among or in close proximity to dwellings or shops. They contain a number of small open-topped compartments with a half-door in front. In each compartment is a sort of seat or rather platform under which is a wooden tub to receive the excreta. Stoneware jars also are provided to receive urine. Beyond this no attempt is made to separate the solid from fluid products. Some latrines have two storeys, notably that on the Praya, of 51 seats, to which between three and four thousand persons resort daily. In one, the seats are on the upper floor, sheet metal shoots leading down to tubs on the floor below, an objectionable arrange- On the whole the existing latrines ment, for there is no means of cleaning the shoots.
are offensive and a nuisance, both as to position and construction, and they are so crowded as to render improvements as to maintenance very difficult.
91. The night-soil from these latrines is removed daily, in covered tubs, by the Government scavenging contractor to collecting junks, and in them it is conveyed to Lap-sap-Wan, a bay on the west of the town, where it is returned to the latrine proprietors, who receive it on board their junks, in which it is conveyed away to Canton or elsewhere. For this removal the proprietor pays the contractor at the rate of 80.03 per picul (1 picul 1331 lbs.).
92. The scavenging contractor performs the following duties :-
He furnishes the necessary gangs of men for sweeping the streets daily, removing the rubbish collected with that in the public dust bins, nine in number.
He removes the night-soil and rubbish from the Government offices, the gaol, and public buildings.
He provides boats with crews, which come alongside the Praya at specified points, between the hours of 5 a.m. and 7 a.m. in summer and 5 a.m. and 8 a.m. in winter. In these boats he receives and removes to Lap-sap-Wan street sweepings, rubbish, and night-soil. The former is thrown on the beach, the latter transferred to junks as
described.
Eleven of these boats are for the reception of night-soil, and 10 for rubbish.
In the night-soil boats he receives all night-soil which is brought from private houses as well as that which he brings from the Government buildings and from the public latrines. The latter, being the property of the latrine owners, is conveyed in separate tubs, the rest in bulk in the hold of the boat. House-to-house collection forms no part of his duty. The rubbish boats receive any rubbish that may be brought by private persons,
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The
that collected in sweeping the streets or removed from the public dust-bins.
His emoluments are derived contractor receives no payment from Government for this.
from the value of the manure collected by him, or brought to his boats, and from the small freight paid to him by the latrine proprietors for the conveyance of the products of their establishments.
scavenging
93. The city of Victoria, therefore, pays nothing out of public funds for scavenging, Profit of the manurial value of the matter collected being more than equal to the cost of contract. performing this office; nay more, such is the reputed value of the manure obtained that inany tenders for this contract have been received in which the applicants offer to pay various sums up to $3,800 per annum for the contract.
tractor has no
94. The actual contractor for several years past, pending the settlement of the general Present con- He has continued to perform the formal agree- question of sanitation, has had no formal contract. work on verbal agreement only, according to the regulations drawn up for the last actual ment.
contract.
profitable.
95. Notwithstanding the recorded opinion of the Surveyor General to the contrary, it The contrast appears reasonable to suppose that the contractor makes a handsome profit by his is probably operations. Otherwise he would not continue to do the work, as he is in no way legally bound to do so. It seems quite impossible to form any real estimate of the profits of the contractor. There can be little doubt that he is largely interested in the general trade in manure. Later on the information which has been collected as to the use and value of night-soil as manure will be given.
on.
House-to-hous¶ collection.
96. The house-to-house collection of night-soil takes place as follows:- The contents of the house pots are removed daily, every second day, or twice a week, according to the means or taste of the inhabitants, by labourers who are paid by the occupants of the houses, excepting in a few rare cases which will be mentioned further
In houses where there are women, females perform this office. 97. It must be clearly understood that these night-soil coolies are not the employées Night-soil of Government nor of the night-soil contractor. With the exception of certain police olies are paid regulations as to the manner and times of working in the public streets, they are under no, not by con control whatever. With regard to private houses, European or Chinese, there is no regulation as to how often the removal shall be effected, no fixed scale of charges for doing so. This is entirely settled between the coolie and the person employing him (or her). This should be distinctly understood, as it is a point on which much misapprehen- sion prevails, even amongst residents.
98. The following are the rates usually paid for this service:—
Daily removal, European and wealthy Chinese houses, per house Every second day, Chinese family houses, per family -
by inhabitants,
tractor.
Per month.
Rates charged for house-to- house collec- tion,
$0.50 to 1.00 0.30 to 0.40 0.10 to 0.15
Sometimes the Pig wash.
Sometimes a
Twice a week, second-class Chinese dwellings, per pot or family 99. Kitchen slops and vegetable refuse are often kept for the pigs. occupant, or one of the servants keeps a pig in the outskirts of the town. pig keeper fetches the pig wash, and in return for it, carrys away the dry rubbish and
ashes.
poil.
100. Sometimes on the outskirts of the town, notably on the extreme east, gardeners Gardeners collect night-soil from house to house, sometimes giving the occupant a few vegetables move night- or a fowl on feast days, in return for the manure and pig wash which they receive. The villagers come across from Kowloon, and take away a great quantity of urine.
have to pay
101. With these relatively unimportant exceptions, it may safely be said that excreta Exoreta have have no direct value to the inhabitants of Victoris, and that in some way or another all no value; all have to pay for their removal. In this very important point the townaman differs from for removal.
The excreta have an indirect the villager, either in Hong Kong or on the mainland. value by reducing the cost of sweeping, &c. to the community at large.
statement
102. In reference to a suggestion that the monopoly of night-soil should be given to a Argument in contractor, the Tung-Wa Hospital Committee objected that to do so would increase the vour of this cost of removal, the coolie who carried it away no longer being able to dispose of the manure, and that therefore he would charge more for his services. There is, however, evidence to show that no appreciable proportion of night-soil is disposed of by the collectors with profit to themselves. The limited amount of cultivation near the city is against such a supposition. The inspectors of nuisances having been posted on the roads lending from the town, reported that a few buckets only passed them. Again, the Government contractor derives part of his profit from the night-soil voluntarily brought to his boats. If a serious proportion went elsewhere he would be sure to complain,
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