181
been approved, the question will necessarily come before the Governor-in-Council when the applications for next year's allotments are received, and His Excellency trusts that if you should apply for immigrants next year you will be in a position to state that suitable latrine accommodation has been provided.
ˇ ˇ | | ' ' l ' ˇˇ | ↓ | | ||
(No. 245.)
MY LORD,
BRITISH GUIANA.
THE GOVERNOR to THE SECRETARY OF STATE. (Received September 7, 1908.) [Acknowledged, 13 October, 1908. No. 252.]
REFERRING to the
To Secretary of State, No. 50,
of 4th March, 1908.
From Secretary of State, No. 82, of 7th April, 1908.
Government House,
Georgetown, Demerara, 8 August, 1908. despatches* noted in the margin and to previous correspon- dence with regard to the action taken in British Guiana to cope with ankylostomiasis, I have the honour to report that I brought before the Executive Council the opinion expressed by your Lordship that the allotment of new immigrants to an estate should be made conditional on the Surgeon-General being satisfied that the sanitary arrangements on the estates do not involve risk of infection to the general labouring population of the Colony.
2. The matter was considered on the 16th June, when the Council decided that whilst it was most desirable that proper sanitary measures for stamping out ankylostome infection should be adopted on all sugar estates it was not desirable to make the allotment of this year's immigrants conditional on the provision of satis- factory latrine accommodation. The Council further expressed the opinion that, inasmuch as the sanitary conditions on estates are generally superior to those of villages, no danger to the general labouring population could be apprehended by the allotment of such immigrants.
3. With regard to future allotments it was decided that a circular letter should be addressed to the several estates' proprietors inviting their attention to the necessity for providing latrine accommodation in connection with the work of combating ankylostome infection among the East Indian immigrants, and stating that, in view of the importance of such provision, the Government would have to consider whether the allotment of immigrants should not in future be made con- ditional to proper latrine accommodation being provided.
SIR,
4. I transmit copies of the circular letter that I have caused to be issued.
Enclosure in No. 79.
(British Guiana. Circular, No. 2708.)
I have, &c.,
F. M. HODGSON.
Government Secretary's Office,
Georgetown, Demerara.
I AM directed by the Governor to inform you that in connection with the efforts which have been made by the Government to stamp out ankylostome infection among East Indian immigrants it has been found that upon those sugar estates where suitable latrine accommodation has been provided and where efforts have been made to prevent the resident population from defecating elsewhere there has been a marked improvement in health conditions.
2. The Secretary of State for the Colonies has, under the circumstances, suggested for consideration that in order to make these arrangements universal, and thus to lessen the risk of ankylostome infection to the general labouring popula- tion of the Colony, the allotment of new immigrants to an estate should be dependent upon its being made clear that proper latrine accommodation has been provided.
3. The matter has been considered by the Governor-in-Council, and I am to inform you that, having regard to the importance of combating ankylostome infection, it was considered very desirable that the suggestion should be adopted. I am therefore to inform you that, while no immediate action will be taken to give effect to it as the allotment of immigrants during the current year has already
Nos. 68 and 69.
:
To.....
40062
I have, &c.,
CHARLES T. Cox,
Government Secretary.
No. 80. TRINIDAD.
THE ACTING GOVERNOR to THE SECRETARY OF STATE. (Received 2 November, 1908.)
(No. 329.) MY LORD,
Government House, 9th October, 1908. I HAVE the honour to acknowledge the receipt of Lord Elgin's despatch, No. 354, of the 26th of November last,* requesting me to furnish a report as to the prevalence of ankylostomiasis among the labouring classes of this Colony and as to the measures adopted for its treatment and prevention. I enclose a copy of a report by the Surgeon-General on the subject.
2. With regard to the preventive measures to be adopted it is proposed as a first step to introduce into the Ordinance to provide for the regulation of factories and steam boilers, which was referred to me in Lord Elgin's despatch, No. 38, of the 14th of February last,t provisions to require suitable sanitary conveniences to be provided in all factories. I enclose a copy of the amended draft which is about to be presented to the Legislative Council: it will be seen that Section 6 of the Factory Rules forming Schedule I. of the Ordinance deals with the question under consideration.
3. These provisions will for the most part only apply to the sugar plantations on which indentured labour is employed, and it will probably be necessary, as pointed out by the Surgeon-General, to supplement them by the addition of the words "or any other part of the plantation except in the place therefor provided" to Sub-section 4 of Section 90 of the Immigration Ordinance, No. 161. No measures have been proposed for the protection of the labour employed on cocoa estates or for dealing with the larger centres of population, and I consider it will be preferable to leave these matters to be regulated by the General Board of Health under the more extensive powers with which it is proposed to invest it by an Ordinance which has now been drafted and will shortly be submitted for the consideration of the Legislative Council. The Board may then perhaps have the advantage of being in possession of the further information on the subject promised in Lord Elgin's despatch under reply.
I have, &c.,
THE HONOURABLE
Enclosure 1 in No. 80.
S. W. KNAGGS,
REPORT BY THE SURGEON-GENERAL.
ACTING COLONIAL SECRETARY,
Acting Governor.
THE subject of ankylostomiasis in Trinidad was referred to me soon after my arrival here and upon later occasions in different forms; it has engaged my atten- tion very closely, and I have perused much correspondence about it distributed in recent years over several bulky Minute Papers, of which four are now before me. As a result of my investigations I conclude that the measures hitherto taken to
• No. 130 in Miscellaneous No. 201.
† 4466 not printed.
PUBLIC RECORD OFFICE
Reference :-
C.O.885
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