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Enclosure 2.
C. O.
Extracts from Dr Ayres report of the 2
29th April, 1895.
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I have added to this report as an appendix the two first reports I made within five months of my arrival in the Colony. These reports were afterwards supplemented by others showing the insanitary state of European houses, publie buildings such as markets, Police Stations, schools, Supreme Court, Magistrates' Court, Gaol, Hospital. &c. These two reports--the first on the condition of the brothels in use both by Europeans and those used only by Chinese dated 19th January. 1874, and the second on the filthy condition of the Chinese portion of the city generally dated 15th April, 1874, were received by the Government with astonishment at the state of things revealed and some incredulity as will be seen by the memo appended by Mr. GARDNER AUSTIN, C.M.G., the then Colonial Secretary, and that though improvement in the state of the brothels was at once recommended, interference with the state of things described in the brothel report as existing in the Chinese portion of the city was deprecated as "to do anything effectually in the matter would occupy much preparation, and much "time, and would involve a very considerable outlay." This minute of the Colonial Secretary determined to go thoroughly into the matter so that no responsibility should rest with me, and the series of reports on sauitation I have mentioned beginning with the one in the appendix dated 15th April, 1874, were made and a general review of the state of things made in my Annual Report of 1874 in which I omitted many things of which I tad made the Government aware but which I did not think advisable to make public, but even what I did say was deemned too much and nearly the whole on the subject of sanitation was eliminated when that report was published. It was afterwards resuscitated by Sir Joan POPE HENNESSY in 1872 and became public property. To the facts mentioned in this report I have frequently referred and the report itself has been more than once: ublished in extenso in the public press and very frequently quoted from. The condition of things described as existing in 1874 were still worse in 1894 as far as overcrowding, want of ventilation, defective construction and general filth in the houses were concerned because the population had increased enormously, the same insanitary state of construction of the houses had been continued, and from being only two stories high they have increased to three and four stories high and also increased in number in many places, whilst in others the same old horsus described in 1874 exist by hundreds in the same condition then described with the same filthy walls and floors impossible to clean, and the same underground dens. The drainage in some places has been improved as regards the main Činirige, Lut as gards the house drainage it, in most cases, in 1894 remained the same,
h the aut n of 1874, the Government being of opinion that my reports were exaggerated, opy cinted a Commission consisting of the Surveyor General, Mr. PRICE, and Mr. ALFORD, an architect and crgineer in private practice, and myself to supply a further report; and from the beginning of Octo- Ler 1874 to the ind of April 1875, every week day afternoon from 2 P.M. till dusk was spent in inspecting every pertion of the city, when another still stronger report was sent in amply verifying all I lad stated signed by all of us. A month before the work was finished Mr. PRICE's health broke dewn, and Mr. Airou and I finished the work by ourselves in the first week in May, I having spent the major portion of my time for the past eighteen months in shumming." I was attacked with typhoid fever, Mr ALFORD fortunately escaping any ill effects.
From that time on I continued with the assistance of two Inspectors in charge of the sanitation of the Colony being able to effect but little improvement, till in 1880 serious disputes on the subject of sanitation occurred Letween the Government cu the one hand and the Surveyor General and myself on the other which terminated in each of us appealing to the Secretary of State by whom Mr. CHADWICK was appointed a Royal Commissioner and sent out to inspect and report on the sanitation of the Colony. His full report was published in a Blue Book in 1882, amply verifying the evils we had brought to notice and confirming still more fully all we had said in our reports.
By Mr. CHADWICK's reet mibendation a Sanitary Board was appointed in 1882, relieving me of a burden which I bad Lorne for eleven years. In 1887 Mr. CHADWICK was again sent out and expressed much surprise at the little that had been done in the six years since his previous visit, and by his advice the Sanitary Board was reconstituted and enlarged, the Public Health Ordinance revised and enlarged as regards its powers as also the Building Ordinance; and since that many other amendments have been made with accompanying bye-laws and a Land Resumption Ordinance sanctioned, and others [in com ection with sanitation, water supply, drainage, &c.
The water supply has been nearly completed, but the quantity is found to be insufficient, the quality of the supply has been proved by monthly analysis to be superior to that of most English
lowns.
The main drainage is nearly completed, but as regards bouse drainage is still far from complete. The Building Ordinance refers only to new buildings, and existing buildings previons to this Ordinance remain the same.
The Land Resumption Ordinance until 1894 remained a dead letter.
The
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