CO885-(20-21) — Page 651

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PUBLIC RECORD OFFICE

6T

Reference -

C.O.885

21 PUBLIC RECORD OFFICE, LONDON

ALLY WITHOUT PERMISSION OF THE BE REPRODUCED PHOTOGRAPHIC- COPYRIGHT PHOTOGRAPH-NOT TO

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water supply. The filters have been in use for three years without opening. The water issuing from the filters has a brownish tinge, but I was told that if the filtering be done slowly it becomes quite clear.

The amount of water issuing from the pumping station shows a supply of 60 gallons per head, but there is a very large amount of waste. The expense for 75,000,000 gallons per month is £1,000.

One Englishman is at present in charge of the station, and with him are Portuguese workmen.

56. Sewage arrangements.-There is a water closet system for all houses of any size, and the town has definite drainage and sewage arrangements which open into the river opposite the town. It is said that all cess-pits and privics have been done

away with.

57. Rubbish and refuse.—Rubbish, refuse, &c., is placed in receptacles by the householder, and these are placed at the side of the streets at night. Merchant houses can put them out between 5 and 6 p.m., but private houses not before 8 p.m. Carts go round in the night, collect the refuse from these receptacles, and remove it to lighters which are emptied into the river some distance below the town. Some portion, however, seems to be used in reclamation work. There is a gentleman in Manaos at the present time to erect some Horsfall destructors, and he tells me that the refuse (which much resembles that of Lagos) will burn very well and give off considerable heat available for other purposes.

58. Market. The market is situated on the river bank, and was originally a concession. It consists of a brick building facing the street with several large sheds between it and the river for meat, fish, pork, liver, turtle, &c., and a fourth for vegetables and fruit, &c.

The meat and fish markets are lofty iron frame-work erections, of galvanized iron 80 to 90 feet long and 30 feet wide, airy and well lighted.. The walls are lined with white tiles to a height of 8 feet from the floor, which is of concrete properly sloped.

Down each side is a row of marble slabs 7 feet by 24 feet supported at each end on marble supports and separated from each other by an interval of 2 feet.

The other two sheds are darker, less airy, with less ventilation and much more crowded.

Each stall has a small thick wooden table for chopping on. Behind the slabs nearer the wall is an iron rod, aluminium, painted, and supported on pillars, on which moveable hooks are placed.

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The stalls are let off at fixed rentals.

In the vegetable market there is a duty on all articles sold (note is taken of all goods taken in and all removed), e.y., duty on one pineapple is Id.

59. Butchers.-Butchers have all to be licensed.

Meat is killed in an afternoon at the slaughter-house outside the town and sold next day. A few butchers have their shops in the town, but they are compelled to have tarred walls, cement floors, and marble slabs (in one piece).

60. Market gardens.-There are a gardens about the town, especially around the swampy parts, number of market and the owners have all received notice to remove them to places beyond the outskirts.

61. Building.-No alterations, even of a character, can be made to houses without authorisation, and very minor the owner of an empty plot of land facing a street, if he cannot build a house, is compelled to put up the front of

one.

62. Cuspidors.--On account of the habits of the people cuspidors are placed in all public buildings, but do not receive the amount of attention which might with advantage be given them in preference to the floors and ground.

63. Vaccination.-Vaccination is not compulsory, and is not much done. Although there have been epidemics of small pox at other places on the river, Manaos has so far escaped.

64. Leprosy.-There are a number of patients going about suffering from this disease, no measures for segregation having been adopted.

65. Anti-malarial work.—See Anti-yellow fever measures. Dr. Thomas informs me that although a good deal has been done, mosquito breeding-places can yet be found in a very large proportion of the houses.

Panama Town.

66. Panama is a town of about 2,500 houses and 40,000 people, situated on Panama Bay, on the Pacific side of the isthmus.

Vast improvements have been inadec here by the Americans in the last few years.

67. Streets. In the oldest parts of the town the streets are narrow and shut in, as the buildings, which are of brick or stone, are three to four stories high. In the new part the streets have been laid out of a suitable size, and the buildings are mostly of wood. The streets in the town proper are