57
MORTALITY STATISTICS.
The attached tabular statements (B) show:-
(a) The death-rate in 1894 for
1. The British and Foreign community.
2. The Chinese community on laud in each registration district.
3. The Chinese community afloat in each registration district.
1. The Chinese comannity on land in the Colony.
5. The Chinese community afloat in the Colony.
6. The total Chinese community in the Colony.
7. The British, Foreign, and Chinese community combined-army and navy excluded. (b) The number of deaths occurring under each of the seven groups into which it has been deemed expedient (in view of the system of death registration in vogue) to classify in the summary the causes of deatli.
(e) The total number of deaths occurring among the British and Foreign community in each month of each year, 1889 to 1894, both inclusive, under six disease groups. These groups are the same as in (b) only 6 and 7 groups are amalgamated.
(4) The same as (c) but for the Chinese community.
(e) The total number of deaths occurring in the Colony--those in the army and
-in each month for the past six years, together with the death-rate for the estimated navy excluded
population.
The attached diagrams show---
(a) The number of deaths which occurred each mouth under each of the
above.
(b) The mean temperature for each month.
(e) The rainfall for each month.
groups
referred to
(d) The number of deaths registered during each month of the years 1889 to 1894, as also
the mean temperature and rainfall.
The death-rates recorded arc, I feel sure, less reliable than usual, simply on account of the large number of people who left the Colony temporarily during the prevalence of the disease designated Bubonic Plague However, the figures given are the only ones available for statistical work of this kind, and I am of the opinion that the population of the Colony on the 31st December was pretty much the same as if we had never been afflicted with Bubonic Plague.
It is worth noting that in 1886 the total number of deaths recorded in the Colony was 5,100 amongst an estimated population of 181,700 or, in round figures, the death-rate for that year was 28 per 1,000, while in the exceptional year under review the total number of deaths recorded amount to 7,362 amongst an estimated population of 242,400, or a death-rate of 30.3 per 1,000.
With regard to death registration the remarks I made in my report for the year 1890 are applicable to the present time, for nothing has been done-I refer to appointment of native medical practitioners trained to some extent in Western medicine-beyond a medical inspection of the patients in the Tung Wa Hospital to ensure that the recorded cause of death is the real cause from which death occurred.
The feature of paramount interest in these statistics is the large number of deaths recorded as caused by Bubonic Plague. As I was absent from the Colony during the prevalence of this disease it is not, in my opinion, expedient that I should do more than briefly refer to one or two points that seem to me will be of some value to Members of the Board. The disease appears, in at least one respect, to resemble typhus fever in so much as the great majority of its victims were observed to be amongst a poverty-stricken people who were poorly fed, badly housed, and who lived in overcrowded houses and overcrowded areas. The localities in Victoria where the disease was most prevalent were mainly occupied by people to which the foregoing description is fairly applicable.
In 1887 when the Public Health Bill was under the consideration of the Legislature it was my duty to represent the conditions under which the mass of the people in the Colony lived. These representations were sharply called in question, and the Officer Administering the Government-Sir WILLIAM GORDON CAMERON--thought it desirable to personally investigate the matter.
This he did in a very thorough manner by a careful inspection of the worst dwellings in the Chung Wan, Tai- ping-shan and Sai-ying-poon districts of the city, and his subsequent speeches in Council show very clearly what his opinions were. Had the Public Health Bill of 1887 been passed in the form in which it was transmitted to the Colonial Secretary by the Sanitary Board, and had the sanitary staff received reasonable support in enforcing its provisions, I am satisfied that the heavy mortality f.om Bubonie Plague in 1894 would not have occurred. The most powerful opponents of the Bill belonged to those classes who have suffered most, financially, from the serious outbreak of Bubonic Plague, and I must confess I consider their action in 1887 has met in 1894 with the result it deserved.
I again consider it desirable to repeat the remark that in considering these statistics it is necessary to keep in view the circumstance that our population is not a normal one, but a population in which the male sex in the prime of life largely predominates.
HEALTH DISTRICTS.
Cemeteries.-The bye-laws which came into force on the 1st January, 1892, have been enforced without any hitch of importance, but inconvenience has been experienced owing to the circumstance that
the cemeteries have not yet been properly laid out. If this work can only be undertaken by the Assistant Surveyor as soon as be has completed the work he is now engaged on, it will help to put matters on a thoroughly satisfactory footing.
The following are the number of interments which have been made in each of the Public Cemeteries for Chinese, viz. :--
Mount Davis,................
Mount Caroline,
Kaulung,
Shau-ki-wan,
Aberdeen, Stanley,
Shek-0,
.586
318
..331
.202
120
28
8
1,593
The fees collected during the year amounted to $1,753.90 and the cost of the staff, laying out roads, &c. to $1,775.03.
Laundries.-Only three of the ten public laundries have been let during the year although the rental is as low as $10 a month. That there is a strong artificial opposition to the using of these buildings by the public washermen is to me clear enough, but beyond the natural obstinacy of Chinese workmen I know of no reason for the opposition. It is quite true that these public wasbermen receive the tacit support of many of their employers in their obstinate opposition. It is difficult to under- stand why the vast majority of our leading residents of all nationalities should prefer to have their linen washed in an evil-smelling puddle on the hill-side and dressed in the living room of their washermen's servants, who live amongst and sleep upon their clients' linen, rather than in the public laundries. However, so long as such a very peculiar preference exists it is very doubtful if much can be done to improve this branch of the sanitation of the Colony.
Bakeries.--The bye-laws regulating bake-houses are being steadily and persistently enforced. Common Lodging-houses.-The bye-laws for regulating these houses did not come into force during 1894.
Infectious Diseases.-2,552 deaths were recorded from bubonic plague and 25 from small-pox and chuleraic complaints.
Contracts.-The work of the conservancy contract continues to be carried out in a satisfactory manner. It must be remembered that the conservancy contractor has nothing whatever to do with the private night-soil carriers who are the employees of the various householders.
The work of the scavenging contract, as far as street cleansing, the dust-cart service, and the removal of the refuse from Victoria are concerned, has been carried out in a fairly satisfactory manner, but regret to say that the work of final disposal has been giving a good deal of trouble. The main difficulty is that the place of disposal is outside the boundaries of the Colony and, of course, no action It is true the condition of the contract gives would lie in our 'ourts for creating a nuisance there.
ine the power to hire men to do such work as the contractor fails to perform satisfactorily under his contract, and it is this clause of the contract which has enabled me to keep things in some kind of order at the place at which the city refuse is finally disposed of. The work of conservancy and scavenging The estimated quantity of in the various villages continues to be carried out in a satisfactory manner. night-soil removed by the conservancy contractors from Victoria, Hill and Kaulung districts during 1894 amounted to 14,000 tons, and the whole of this was removed from the Colony.
Owing to various causes the approximate quantity of house refuse, trade refuse, street sweepings, &c. removed by the scavenging contractors from Victoria, Hill and Kunlung districts cannot be given for 1894.
The annexed table (C) gives the names of the various contractors who are working under the Bourd together with the number of men each employs to carry on the work of his contract.
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STAFF.
Owing to prolonged ill-health the Superintendent was absent on leave from 1st January to 31st October during which period the duties of the office were efficiently performed by Mr. E. A. Ram. None of the Sanitary Inspectors had any leave of absence during the year, but two of them were ill and in Hospital for several weeks.
A large increase to the staff of Inspectors was sanctioned towards the close of the year, and the new men were appointed but they did not take up their appointments in 1894. The staff of Inspectors is now, so far as the number to the total population is concerned, equal to that employed in those large towns in England where municipal sanitary administration is viewed as being most advanced. In England, it is now almost the invariable rule that before a man receives an appointment as Sanitary Inspector he must have passed the examinations of the Sanitary Institute. In Hongkong men with such a training are not to be had, and I have very grave doubts if it would be a wise proceeding to get such trained men from home as vacancies occur, inasmuch as their utter want of knowledge of the Chinese people and their babits and customs would, to my mind, more than counterbalance their superior training in sanitary matters.
M n
Mr
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