of the Enclosure
the enclosed reports of the
discussion in Council
on
28th Aug 1894/4
the 1st and 2nd readings of the Taipingshan Resumption
Ordinance.
and
4th Septbr.
01894.
I have the honour to be,
My Lord Marquess, Your Lordship's Most Obedient
Humble Servant,
William Main Shinzoy
• The Daily Press.
HONGKONG, AUGUST 28TH, 1894.
Enclosure 129
HONGKONG LEGISLATIVE COUNCIL.
A meeting of the Legislative Council was held yesterday. There were present:-
His Excellency the Governor, Sir WILLIAM ROBINSON, K.C.M.G.
Hon. J. H. STEWART LOCKHART, Acting Colonial Secretary.
Hon. A. J. LEACH, Q.C., Acting Attorney-General.
Hon. N. G. MITCHELL-INNES, Colonial Treasurer.
Hon. E. BOWDLER, Acting Director of Public Works.
Hon. R. M. RUMSEY, Harbour Master.
Hon. C. P. CHATER.
Hon. Ho KAI.
Hon. E. R. BELILIOS.
Hon. A. McCONOMIE.
Mr. J. G. T. BUCKLE, Acting Clerk of Councils.
THE TAIPINGSHAN RESUMPTION
ORDINANCE.
The ACTING ATTORNEY-GENERAL-I have the honour to move the first reading of a Bill, which I propose to shortly call the Taipingshan Resumption Ordinance. On ordinary occasions it is not usual to make any statement in reference to Bills on "first reading," but I think this Bill is of such importance that I may refer to one or two questions touching it. It will be within the recollection of hon. members of Council that on the 14th June this year your Excellency at a meeting of this Council stated shortly what were the steps that were proposed to be taken by the Government in connection with the prevention of the plague in future. Your Excellency then said (I am reading now from a report of the Daily Press, and I think it is fairly correct)-"It will give the Government-this is of course simply what we propose-it will give the Government power to enter into immediate possession of, and pull down, and destroy, all dwelling houses and blocks of houses unfit for human habitation. It will provide that the Government shall at once resume the possession of all land on which such dwellings are built, paying of course compensation for so doing. It will provide that the Government shall have power to enter all houses now insanitary though capable of being put into thoroughly sanitary condition. Owners will be compelled to amend all such defects in the houses as render them insanitary. The Government will have power to re-survey and re-arrange all lots so taken, and open new roads and improve the old ones. Power will also be taken to enter and inspect all Chinese houses; such houses will be numbered and classified, and a fixed number of tenants will be allotted to each house and room, and owners will be obliged to enter into a covenant that that number shall not in any case be exceeded; any infraction will of course be followed by heavy penalties." In accordance with that sketch of what was proposed, a Bill was prepared. This Bill was of a general character, authorising the demolition and destruction of houses and constituting a Board of Arbitration, and making provision as regards the sanitary matters touched on by your Excellency. However, when the first print of the Bill came to be considered, it was found that the sanitary provisions contained in it then and the further sanitary additions to be introduced would so complicate the Bill that it was thought better to put them in a separate measure, and they were dropped out of this Bill altogether. The Bill was then reframed to take in only those general powers of demolition and resumption after a proper arbitration board had been constituted. However, before the Bill was finally framed the Permanent Committee of the Sanitary Board somewhat modified the view they put forward as to what was required, and you will find in a letter already printed in the daily newspapers that on the 28th June the Permanent Committee sent in a letter recommending instead of the general powers of resumption the resumption of a certain area of Taipingshan instead of what was formerly proposed; hence this present Bill. That Bill since being published in the papers has been modified to meet the views of the unofficial members of the Council so far as possible and others who have reported upon it. That accounts for the alteration and delay in the programme first proposed. Of course, it will have to be looked upon as a first measure, to be followed by a second measure which will deal with the sanitary aspect of affairs. The second point is as to the necessity for this Bill. I would ask hon. members to recollect that the chief object of this Bill is, so far as possible, so far as we can foresee, to prevent any recrudescence or any recurrence of that plague which has now visited the colony for upwards of four months. The area proposed to be dealt with, roughly speaking, comprises somewhat under 400,000 square feet, or 10 acres, and from the letter of the Permanent Committee of 28th June it will be seen that the area comprises 374 houses, of which 76 had more than three cases of plague in them, and were closed on that account, 146 had one or two cases of plague, and the remainder were condemned either from proximity to these other houses or were insanitary in themselves from other causes. Now, many of these houses are small, old, dark, badly drained and ventilated and some of them were then in a most filthy condition, and the majority of them were certified to be unfit for human habitation. The whole district is said to be badly laid out and badly drained, and the soil is fouled with the accumulations of years. Up to 28th June out of all the cases of plague which had occurred 50 per cent occurred in that particular district, and of the cases which occurred we know now from medical authority that the plague carried off from 75 to 80 per cent of those attacked by it. Now the report of the Permanent Committee is deserving of the most serious attention. It is the report of four men who for two months and upwards had been giving their utmost time and attention to the plague and to the particular areas in which cases of plague occurred. From the evidence they produced and from the reports which are before the Government at present, the opinion seems to be almost unanimous that the whole area must be destroyed and laid out afresh.
First, there was the recommendation of the Permanent Committee in the letter of 28th June, in which they say "nothing but the pulling down of the whole of the existing houses and the complete reconstruction of the quarter with wider streets and better drainage will ever prevent the neighbourhood from being a source of danger to the entire city." Then, there is the report of the Housing Committee. It was composed, I think, of five gentlemen-the Colonial Treasurer as Chairman, Dr. Ho Kai, Mr. Jackson, Mr. Tooker (Public Works Department), and Mr. Turner, architect. What is the result of their inquiries, chiefly confined to medical evidence? They state in their report-it has not been published yet but I suppose there is no objection to my quoting from it-that "after careful consideration of the medical evidence tendered the committee unanimously agreed that the proper course to be pursued with regard to the 384 houses in the walled-in portion of Taipingshan is their demolition, preferably by fire, that being the only course open if the district is to be made permanently sanitary." Surgeon-Major James, who, I think, is a member of the Permanent Committee, also wrote most emphatically to the Housing Committee stating that, in his opinion, total demolition was the only course to be pursued. He said- "I certainly cannot imagine that any course but the complete destruction of the infected area would be of any advantage; and to reconstruct it without destroying it first would involve its being pulled about so much as to double the labour and to allow the most dangerous spots to exist. The houses are structurally bad, the materials are old, the lanes are too narrow, and the whole area is overpeopled, the drains are imperfect, and, finally, most of the soil and materials are full of plague germs. There are, no doubt, other places nearly as bad, but none quite as bad and none so much poisoned." Then there was the evidence of the medical profession-Surg-Col Preston, Dr. Ayres (Colonial Surgeon), Dr. Hartigan, and Dr. Katt. With the exception of Dr. Hartigan they were all of opinion that the houses should be "pulled down".
of the Enclosure
the enclosed reports of the
discussion in Council
on
28th Aug 1894/4
the 1st and 2nd readings of the Taipingshan Resumption
Ordinance.
and
4th Septbr.
01894.
I have the honour to be,
My Lord Marquess, Your Lordship's Most Cordient
Humble Servant,
Willia
Main Shinzoy
• The Daily Press.
HONGKONG, AUGUST 28TH, 1894.
Enclosure 129
HONGKONG LEGISLATIVE COUNCIL.
A meeting of the Legislative Council was bald yesterday. There were present:-
His Excellency the Govoruor, Sie WILLIAM ROBINSON, K.C.M G.
Hon. J. H STEWART LOCKHART, Acting Colonial Secretary.
Hon. A. J. LEACH, Q.C., Acting Attorney-, General.
Hon. N. G. MITCHELL-INNES, Colonial Tres-
xurer.
Hon. E. BOWDLER, Acting Director of Public Works.
Hon. R. M. RUMSEY, Harbour Master, Hon. C. P. CHATER.
Hon. Ho KAI.
Ron. E. R. BELILIOS.
Hon. A. McCONOMIE.
Mr. J. G. T. BUCKLE, Acting Clerk of Conucis.
X
X X X
THE TAIPINGSHAN RESUMPTION
ORDINANCE.
The ACTING ATTORNEY-GENERAL-I have the honour to move the first reading of a Bill! which I propose to shortly call the Taipingshan Resumption Ordinance. On ordinary occasions it is not usual to make any statement in reference to Bills on "first reading," but I think this Bill is of such importance that I may refer to one or two questions touching it. It will be within the recollection of hon. members of Council that on the lith June this year your Excellency at a meeting of this Council stated shortly what were the steps that were proposed to be taken by the Government in connection with the prevention of the plague in future. Your Excellency then said (I am reading now from a report of the Daily Press, and I think it is fairly correct)-"It will give the Government-this is of course simply what we propose-it will give the Go- vernment power to enter into immedinte possos. sion of, and pull down, and destroy, all dwelling honses and blocks of houses unfit for human ha bitation. It will provide that the Government shall at once resume the possession of all land on which such dwellings are built, paying of coarso compensation for so doing. It will provide that the Government shall have power to enter all bouses now insanitary though capable of being put into thoroughly sanitary condi- tion. Owners will be compelled to amend all such defects in the houses as render them in. sanitary. The Government will have power to re-survey and re-arrange all lots so taken, aud open new roads and improve the old oues. Power will also be taken to enter and inspect all; Chinese houses; such houses will be numbered and classified, and a fixed number of tenants will be allotted to each house and room, and owners will beobliged to enter into a covenant that that num- ber shall not in any case be exceeded; any infrac- tion will of course be followed by heary penalties." In accordance with that sketch of what was proposed, a Bill was prepared. This Bill was of a general character, authorising the demolition and destruction of bouses and constituting a Board of Arbitration, and making provision as regards the sanitary matters touched on by your Excel- lency. However, when the first print of the Bill came to be considered, it was found that the sanitary provisions contained in it than and the further sanitary additions to be in- troduced would so complicate the Bill that it was thought better to put them in a separate measure, and they were dropped out of this Bill altogether. The Bill was then refraued to take in only those general powers of demolition and resumption after a proper arbitration board had been con. stituted. However, before the Bill was finally framed the Permanent Committee of the Sani- tary Board somewhat modified the view they put, forward as to what was required, and you will find in a letter already printed in the daily newspapers that on the 28th June the Perman-
19440
ent Committee sent in a letter recommendíng instead of the general powers of resumption the resumption of a certain area of Taipingan stead of what was formerly proposed; hence this present Bill That Bill since being ablish ed in the papers has been modified to meet the views of the unofficial members of the Council so far as possible and others who have reported upon it. That accounts for the alteration and delay in the programme first proposed. Of course, it will have to be looked upon as a firat measure, to be followed by a second measure which will deal with the sanitary aspect of affairs. The se cond point is as to the necessity for this Bill. I would ask hou. members to recollect that the! cbief object of this Bill e. so far as possible, so far as we can foresee, to prevent any recrudescence or any recurrence of that plague which has now visited the colony for upwards of four mouths. Tho area proposed to be dealt with, roughly speak. ing, comprises somewhat under 400.000 square feet, or 10 acres, and from the letter of the Per manent Committee of 28th June it will be seen that the area comprises 374 houses, of which 76 bad more than three cases of plague in them, and were closed on that account, 146 had one or two cases of plagar, and the remainder were co- demned either from proximity to these other houses or were insanitary in themselves from other causes. Now, many of these houses are small, old, dark, badly drained and ventilated and some of them were thon in a most filthy condition, and the majority of them were certified to be nafit for human habitation. The whole district is said to be badly laid out and badly drained, and the soil is footid with the accumulations of years. Up to 28th Jure out of all the cases of plague which bad occurred 50 per cent occurred in that particular district, and of the cases wich occurred we know now from medioal authority that the plague carried off from 75 to 80 per cent, of those at- tacked by it. Now the report of the Permanent Commitee is deserving of the most serious attention. It is the report of four men who for two months and upwards had been giving their utmost time and attention to the plague and to the particular areas in which cases of plague occurred. From the evidence they pro- duced and from the reports which are before
the Government at present, the opinion seems to↑ be almost ananimons that the whole area must be destroyed and laid out afresh. First, there was the recommendation of the Perruanent Com- mittes in the letter of 28th Juno, in which they say "nothing but the palling down of the whole of the existing houses and the complete reconstras- tion of the quarter with wider streets and better drainage will ever prevent the neighbourhood from being a source of danger to the entire eity." Then, there is the
report of the Housing Com wittes. It was composed, think, of five
gentlemen-the Colonial Treasurer as Chairman, Dr. Ho Kai, Mr. Jackson, Mr Tooker (Public Works Depart. (mont), and Mr Tarner, architect. What is the result of their inquiries, chiefly confined to medical evidence? They state in their report- it has not been published yet but I suppose there is no objection to my quoting from it-that "after careful consideration of the medical evidence tendered the committeo unaoimonsly agreed that the proper course to be pursued with regard to the 384 hoaus in the walled-in portion of Taipingshan is their demolition, preferably hy fire, that being the only course open if the dis triot is to be made permanently sanitary." Surgeon-Major James, who, I think, is a mem ber of the Permanent Committee. also wrote most emphatically to the Housing Committee stating that, in his opinion, total demolition was the only course to be pursued. He said- "I certainly cannot imagine that any course but the completa destruction of the infooted area would be of any advantago; and to re- construct it without destroging it first would involve its being pulled about so much as to double the labour and to allow the most dan- gerous apots to exist. The houses are structur- ally bad, the materials are old, the lanes are too narrow, and the whole area is overpeopled. the drains are imperfect, and, finally, most of the soil and materials are full of plague germs. There are; no doubt, other places nearly as bad,! bat uone quite as hai aud nove so much poisoned." Then there was the evidence of the medical i profession-Surg-Col Preston, Dr Ayres (Co- ! Ionial Surgeon), Dr. Hartigau, and De Kaott. With the exception of Dr. Hartigan they were all of opinion that the houses should be "palled
ent
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