CO129-222 - Acting Governor Cameron Governor Sir Bowen - 1885 [7-10] — Page 111

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Enclosure

108

15361

In the event of an out-break of Cholera in Hongkong of an epidemic form, the Sanitary Board advise that special measures be taken by the Colonial Government for ← preventing, as far as lies in its power, the spread of the epidemic, and with this object

the Board submits the following propositions.

1. In the event of an epidemic the Sanitary Board is empowered to organize a Sanitary Volunteer Corps of thirty additional European Nuisance Inspectors, all of whom shall either be unmarried men or married men without families, to be paid at the rate of $3.00 a day, and quarters, and to be sworn in as special constables.

2. The city of Victoria shall be divided into thirty Sanitary Districts or health areas, each to be placed under the charge and supervision of one of the temporary Volunteer Inspectors, who shall have the same powers as Nuisance Inspectors, and who shall act under the guidance of the permanent Sanitary Staff.

3. Each Volunteer Inspector shall have under him a working gang, consisting of one English-speaking native foreman and twenty coolies, supplied with the requisite tools, water-buckets, implements, lime-baskets, and disinfectants. These coolies shall be continually employed by the Volunteer Inspectors in the surface scavenging, cleansing, and purifying of all tenements, back-yards, alleys, courts, lanes and other places where filth accumulates, and more especially in aiding in the constant cleansing and disinfec tion of all public latrines, and otherwise in carrying out the general instructions of the permanent Sanitary Staff.

4. Cesspools or other similar old accumulations of filth are not to be disturbed until the circumstances connected with each case has been duly represented to the Sanitary Board, when the Board will give special directions as to the steps which are to be taken with regard to them.

5. Immediately on being called upon to do so by the Inspectors, every Householder shall remove from his house or premises, to the dust-bins, dust-carts, or dust-boats which are provided by the Government for the purpose, any accumulations of filth, garbage, or noxious refuse of any kind whatsoever, which the Inspectors may deem to be dangerous to the Public Health, and, failing such immediate removal on the part of the householder, the Sanitary Staff shall be at liberty to enter the premises forthwith and effect such removal at the public expense.

6. With regard to such general cleansing of tenements and premises as the Sanitary Staff may deem requisite as a matter of necessary precaution, householders shall in every case be given the option of effecting such cleansing themselves within twenty-four hours after the receipt of a notice to that effect from an Inspector, and if, after the expiration of this term, such householders have not effected such cleansing to the satisfaction of the Inspector, the latter shall be at liberty to enter the premises and effect a thorough and proper cleansing and purification at the expense of the Householders.

7. The present method of disposal of the city night-soil shall be temporarily discontinued, and in accordance with the provisions of Clause 15 of the Government Conservancy Contract, the contractor shall tow the night-soil boats, daily, out to sea, and shall throw over-board their contents at such places as the Harbour Master may indicate as being least objectionable in respect of tidal currents. Before returning to port, the night-soil contractor shall carefully wash and disinfect his night-soil boats, buckets, and implements. A steam-tug shall be furnished to the night-soil contractor at Government expense for the purpose of towing the boats out to sea.

This temporary disposal of the soil shall be under the supervision of a Volunteer Inspector.

8. All holders of public latrines in the city of Victoria and the villages shall be compelled once every half hour to disinfect every closet in such latrines by adequate quantities of quick-lime thrown over the faces. They shall cleanse and lime-white

7 SEP 85

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