1904-1919
187
HONG KONG, 1910.
21
Non-Chinese civil community
14,260
Hong Kong
198,720
Chinese popula-
Kowloon (New and Old)
80,200
tion...
Floating population
48,010
Mercantile marine
2,990
329,920
Army (average strength)
4,433
Navy (average strength)
2,362
6,795
New Territories (exclusive of Kowloon)
85,011
Total
***
435,986
(6.) PUBLIC HEALTH AND SANITATION.
During the year under review further progress has been made in rendering existing domestic buildings rat-proof as a preventive of plague; 324 ground surfaces of houses have been repaired, and 1,675 buildings have had rat-runs filled up with cement.
The cubicle question has for many years been one of the most difficult problems in connection with the sanitary welfare of the Colony, but it would seem that, at last, it has been solved in a satisfactory manner by a judicious combination of stringent regulations with administrative discretion. The Public Health law of the Colony prohibits the erection of cubicles in ground floor rooms and limits those on upper floors to two in number, while it also limits the height of the partition walls to six feet and regulates their construction in certain other directions, but a discretionary power is granted by the Ordinance which has now been vested in the Medical Officer of Health and the Assistant Medical Officer of Health and they have thus been enabled to permit the erection of a larger number of cubicles on any floor, wherever the lighting and ventilation of the premises has been found to warrant such a concession.
New buildings (domestic) to the number of 93 were erected during the year, and in these the effect of the present Ordinance is seen in the increased amount of open space about the houses, which the law requires. Scavenging lanes which have to be provided in the rear of new houses also increase the open space about them and tend to reduce overcrowding.
The general death-rate for the year was 22.50 per 1,000 among the Chinese community and 10.04 per 1,000 among the non-Chinese community as compared with 21.68 and 12.45 respectively during 1909.
During the year there were only 23 deaths from plague compared with 108 in 1909 and 986 in 1908.
There were 2,603 deaths from respiratory diseases amongst the Chinese, 765 of which were due to phthisis, a percentage of 10.3 of the total deaths amongst that community.
Beri-beri caused 566 deaths—as against 545 in 1909.
The deaths from malaria were 591 as against 422 in 1909, and 499 in 1908. The temporary increase is regarded as being partly due to large building works on the confines of the city, where there
1904-1919
187
HONG KONG, 1910.
21
Non-Chinese civil community
14,260
Hong Kong
198,720
Chinese popula-
Kowloon (New and Old)
80,200
tion...
Floating population
48,010
Mercantile marine
2,990
329,920
Army (average strength)
4,433
Navy (average strength)
2,362
6,795
New Territories (exclusive of Kowloon)
85,011
Total
***
435,986
(6.) PUBLIC HEALTH AND SANITATION.
During the year under review further progress has been made in rendering existing domestic buildings rat-proof as a preventive of plague; 324 ground surfaces of houses have been repaired, and 1,675 buildings have had rat-runs filled up with cement.
The cubicle question has for many years been one of the most difficult problems in connection with the sanitary welfare of the Colony, but it would seem that, at last, it has been solved in a satisfactory manner by a judicious combination of stringent regu- lations with administrative discretion. The Public Health law of the Colony prohibits the erection of cubicles in ground floor rooms and limits those on upper floors to two in number, while it also limits the height of the partition walls to six feet and regulates their construction in certain other directions, but a discretionary power is granted by the Ordinance which has now been vested in the Medical Officer of Health and the Assistant Medical Officer of Health and they have thus been enabled to permit the erection of a larger number of cubicles on any floor, wherever the lighting and ventilation of the premises has been found to warrant such a concession.
New buildings (domestic) to the number of 93 were erected during the year, and in these the effect of the present Ordinance is seen in the increased amount of open space about the houses, which the law requires. Scavenging lanes which have to be provided in the rear of new houses also increase the open space about them and tend to reduce overcrowding.
The general death-rate for the year was 22-50 per 1,000 among the Chinese community and 10·04 per 1000 among the non-Chinese community as compared with 21-68 and 12-45 respectively during 1909.
During the year there were only 23 deaths from plague compared with 108 in 1909 and 986 in 1908.
There were 2,603 deaths from respiratory diseases amongst the Chinese, 765 of which were due to phthisis, a percentage of 10.3 of the total deaths amongst that community.
Beri-beri caused 566 deaths-as against 545 in 1909.
The deaths from malaria were 591 as against 422 in 1909, and 499 in 1908. The temporary increase is regarded as being partly due to large building works on the confines of the city, where there
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