CO129-300 - Administrator Major Gen Gascoigne Governor Sir Blake - 1900 [7-9] — Page 412

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expense

and Chinese who are possessed of the necessary

" means are so prone to fly the Colony when plague is pre-

valent the moment they feel 111 from whatever cause,

availed

that the permission of removal is only sited of in the extremely rare cases in which a Chinese who can afford to be removed and in the conditions amposed, is suddenly overtaken by an attack of plague.

Such removals under the same condi-

tions were permitted in 1898, but only 3 removals took place: and in 1890, when no removals were made.

}

In this year up to the present date

only 1 removal has been made.

These removals may, as you point out,

not be in strict accord with the prophylactic precautions dictated by modern Medical science, but the mere fact that they are possible in emergency has a remarkable effect in allaying the fears, when plague is prevalent, of a population so stupid in prejudice, as are the Chinese, against such measures as isolation and burial in special plague cemeteries.

3. With regard to the case of the "Coromandel", I am to spate that it was not considered necessary to send to you information that cases of pla- gue had been landed from her in this Port, seeing that your Government had been apprised as early as January last of the outbreak of plague in this Colony, and had been kept fully informed of the progress of the epi- demic since that date.

It was recognised that the vessel would be treated on her arrival at Singapore with the precautions entailed by the fact that she came from an

and

infected port,there did not seem to be any reason for special warning. Such warning will however be sent in

future