GOVERNMENT HOUSE, HONGKONG, 15th July, 1880.
MY LORD,-Adverting to my despatch No. 99 of 12th instant, I now lay before Your Lordship some copies of the original Annual Report of the Colonial Surgeon, Dr. AYRES, for the year 1874, which I ordered to be printed in full with the minutes and marginal notes.
Two special reports of the Colonial Surgeon, made in 1874, have also been found in the Colonial Secretary's Office, one on the Sanitary state of the brothels licensed by the Registrar General's Department, and the other on the state of certain houses where pigs were kept under licences from the Registrar General's Department. Both of these reports have been sent to the printer, and copies will be transmitted to Your Lordship by the next Mail.
In paragraph 12 of my despatch No. 97 of the 8th instant, I referred to the fact that I had insisted on certain useful provisions in Ordinance 8 of 1856 being enforced in all new buildings or re-constructions. As an illustration of this, I enclose for Your Lordship's information an application (with the various minutes showing the official action thereupon) that came before me in January 1879 from the leading European Architects in the Colony, suggesting that I should allow certain houses which were to be built for a Chinese Bank and a Goldsmith's Shop to be constructed without kitchens or cooking places. As I usually do in such matters, I desired to see the opinions of the leading Chinese on the question before I finally decided it; and I venture to draw Your Lordship's attention to the sensible views these gentlemen expressed. The Acting Chinese Secretary's report, dated 1st February, 1879, is as follows:-
"I consulted the leading merchants of the Nám-pak-hong Guild on the subject. They are of opinion that in Section VIII of Ordinance 8 of 1856 we have a very good and useful rule, viz., that in all buildings which are used or liable to be used, either partly or entirely, as dwelling houses, there should be safe cooking places. With reference to the arguments adduced in Messrs. WILSON and SALWAY'S letter, they are of opinion that, although the owner of the premises may wish his tenants or employés to obtain their food from cook-shops, there is no certainty that they would always do so. On the contrary, they are of opinion that the employés on the premises would be certain to boil, at any rate, their tea on the premises, and boil water every evening for bathing, the consequence of which would be that the smoke would become a nuisance to the other tenants, and that the lighting of fires in unsafe places would endanger the whole house and the surrounding houses too."
The statement of the native merchants that the Chinese tenants and employés would have to boil water every evening for bathing purposes, would not surprise any one really acquainted with the habits of even the poorest Chinese. No doubt, certain Europeans in Hongkong, as well as in California and Australia denounce the Chinese as a dirty race, who never bathe, and even the Colonial Surgeon has, in the suppressed passages of the enclosed report, made a few general statements on this subject that are somewhat misleading. The fact is that, in this important sanitary practice, they are a clean people, and even in the lower classes set a good example, which our soldiers and sailors here would do well to follow.
In another despatch I shall do myself the honour of proposing the formation of a separate Sanitary Department in this Colony, somewhat similar to the Department of the Public Health Your Lordship established in 1872 in Sierra Leone. No fresh legislation will be required to start such a Department in Hongkong, as clause XIII of Ordinance 9 of 1867, and clause XXXV of Ordinance 10 of 1867, give the Governor ample power to appoint a Medical Inspector of the Sanitary State of the Colony, and an Inspector of Hospitals. Those clauses have not been hitherto availed of, principally, I understand, on account of the unwillingness of my predecessors to increase the establishment charges. The satisfactory state of the Colonial revenue will, however, enable Your Lordship to appropriate a reasonable sum for this object in future.
I have, &c.,
(Signed)
J. POPE HENNESSY.
The Right Honourable THE EARL of Kimberley,
Her Majesty's Principal Secretary of State for the Colonies,
&c.,
&c.,
&c.
GOVERNMENT HOUSE, HONGKONG, 15th July, 1880.
MY LORD,-Adverting to my despatch No. 99 of 12th instant, I now lay before Your Lordship some copies of the original Annual Report of the Colonial Surgeon, Dr. AYRES, for the year 1874, which I ordered to be printed in full with the minutes and marginal notes..
Two special reports of the Colonial Surgeon, made in 1874, have also been found in the Colonial Secretary's Office, one on the Sanitary state of the brothels licensed by the Registrar General's Department, and the other on the state of certain houses where pigs were kept under licences from the Registrar General's Departinent. Both of these reports have been sent to the printer, and copies will be transmitted to Your Lordship by the next Mail.
In paragraph 12 of my despatch No. 97 of the 8th instant, I referred to the fact that I had insisted on certain useful provisions in Ordinance 8 of 1856 being enforced in all new buildings or re-constructions. As an illustration of this, I enclose for Your Lordship's information an application (with the various minutes showing the official action thereupon) that came before me in January 1879 from the leading European Architects in the Colony, suggesting that I should allow certain houses which were to be built for a Chinese Bank and a Goldsmith's Shop to be constructed without kitchens or cooking places. As I usually do in such matters, I desired to see the opinions of the leading Chinese on the question before I finally decided it; and I venture to draw Your Lordship's attention to the sensible views these gentlemen expressed. The Acting Chinese Secretary's report, dated 1st February, 1879, is as follows:-
"I consulted the leading merchants of the Nám-pak-hong Guild on the subject. They are of "opinion that in Section VIII of Ordinance 8 of 1856 we have a very good and useful rule, viz., that "in all buildings which are used or liable to be used, either partly or entirely, as dwelling houses, there "should be safe cooking places. With reference to the arguments adduced in Messrs. WILSON and "SALWAY'S letter, they are of opinion that, although the owner of the premises may wish his tenants or employés to obtain their food from cook-shops, there is no certainty that they would always do so. Ou "the contrary, they are of opinion that the employés on the premises would be certain to boil, at
rate, their tea on the premises, and boil water every evening for bathing, the consequence of which any "would be that the smoke would become a nuisance to the other tenants, and that the lighting of fires "in unsafe places would endanger the whole house and the surrounding houses too."
(
The statement of the native merchants that the Chinese tenants and employés would have to boil water every evening for bathing purposes, would not surprise any one really acquainted with the habits of even the poorest Chinese. No doubt, certain Europeans in Hongkong, as well as in California and Australia denounce the Chinese as a dirty race, who never bathe, and even the Colonial Surgeon has, in the suppressed passages of the enclosed report, made a few general statements on this subject that are somewhat misleading. The fact is that, in this important sanitary practice, they are a clean people, and even in the lower classes set a good example, which our soldiers and sailors here would do well to
follow.
In another despatch I shall do myself the honour of proposing the formation of a separate Sani- tary Department in this Colony, somewhat similar to the Department of the Public Health Your Lordship established in 1872 in Sierra Leone. No fresh legislation will be required to start such a Department in Hongkong, as clause XIII of Ordinance 9 of 1867, and clause XXXV of Ordinance 10 of 1867, give the Governor ample power to appoint a Medical Inspector of the Sanitary State of the Colony, and an Inspector of Hospitals. Those clauses have not been hitherto availed of, princi- pally, I understand, on account of the unwillingness of my predecessors to increase the establishment charges. The satisfactory state of the Colonial revenue will, however, enable Your Lordship to appropriate a reasonable sum for this object in future.
I have, &c.,
(Signed)
J. POPE HENNESSY.
The Right Honourable THE EARL of Kimberley,
Her Majesty's Principal Secretary of State for the Colonics,
Fc.,
$'c.,
fc.
GOVERNMENT HOUSE, HONGKONG, 15th July, 1880.
MY LORD,-Adverting to my despatch No. 99 of 12th instant, I now lay before Your Lordship some copies of the original Annual Report of the Colonial Surgeon, Dr. AYRES, for the year 1874, which I ordered to be printed in full with the minutes and marginal notes..
Two special reports of the Colonial Surgeon, made in 1874, have also been found in the Colonial Secretary's Office, one on the Sanitary state of the brothels licensed by the Registrar General's Department, and the other on the state of certain houses where pigs were kept under licences from the Registrar General's Departinent. Both of these reports have been sent to the printer, and copies will be transmitted to Your Lordship by the next Mail.
In paragraph 12 of my despatch No. 97 of the 8th instant, I referred to the fact that I had insisted on certain useful provisions in Ordinance 8 of 1856 being enforced in all new buildings or re-constructions. As an illustration of this, I enclose for Your Lordship's information an application (with the various minutes showing the official action thereupon) that came before me in January 1879 from the leading European Architects in the Colony, suggesting that I should allow certain houses which were to be built for a Chinese Bank and a Goldsmith's Shop to be constructed without kitchens or cooking places. As I usually do in such matters, I desired to see the opinions of the leading Chinese on the question before I finally decided it; and I venture to draw Your Lordship's attention to the sensible views these gentlemen expressed. The Acting Chinese Secretary's report, dated 1st February, 1879, is as follows:-
"I consulted the leading merchants of the Nám-pak-hong Guild on the subject. They are of "opinion that in Section VIII of Ordinance 8 of 1856 we have a very good and useful rule, viz., that "in all buildings which are used or liable to be used, either partly or entirely, as dwelling houses, there "should be safe cooking places. With reference to the arguments adduced in Messrs. WILSON and "SALWAY'S letter, they are of opinion that, although the owner of the premises may wish his tenants or employés to obtain their food from cook-shops, there is no certainty that they would always do so. Ou "the contrary, they are of opinion that the employés on the premises would be certain to boil, at
rate, their tea on the premises, and boil water every evening for bathing, the consequence of which any "would be that the smoke would become a nuisance to the other tenants, and that the lighting of fires "in unsafe places would endanger the whole house and the surrounding houses too."
(
The statement of the native merchants that the Chinese tenants and employés would have to boil water every evening for bathing purposes, would not surprise any one really acquainted with the habits of even the poorest Chinese. No doubt, certain Europeans in Hongkong, as well as in California and Australia denounce the Chinese as a dirty race, who never bathe, and even the Colonial Surgeon has, in the suppressed passages of the enclosed report, made a few general statements on this subject that are somewhat misleading. The fact is that, in this important sanitary practice, they are a clean people, and even in the lower classes set a good example, which our soldiers and sailors here would do well to
follow.
In another despatch I shall do myself the honour of proposing the formation of a separate Sani- tary Department in this Colony, somewhat similar to the Department of the Public Health Your Lordship established in 1872 in Sierra Leone. No fresh legislation will be required to start such a Department in Hongkong, as clause XIII of Ordinance 9 of 1867, and clause XXXV of Ordinance 10 of 1867, give the Governor ample power to appoint a Medical Inspector of the Sanitary State of the Colony, and an Inspector of Hospitals. Those clauses have not been hitherto availed of, princi- pally, I understand, on account of the unwillingness of my predecessors to increase the establishment charges. The satisfactory state of the Colonial revenue will, however, enable Your Lordship to appropriate a reasonable sum for this object in future.
I have, &c.,
(Signed)
J. POPE HENNESSY.
The Right Honourable THE EARL of Kimberley,
Her Majesty's Principal Secretary of State for the Colonics,
Fc.,
$'c.,
fc.
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