CO129-317 - Governor Sir Blake - 1903 [4-6] — Page 132

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Enclosure No.3 to Despatch No.223 of the 24 April, 1903.

129

28th March, 1903.

11.207

Pro 13 MAY 03

Tan speech delivered by His Excellency the Governor at the opening of the Tung Wa Hospital was so excellent both in form and matter that we are sure it has been read with intense satisfaction. The aupouncement that it is His Excellency's intention to recommend to His Majesty's Government that the land resumed at Taipingshan and cleared of all its rookeries as being the only effectual means of exterminating the plague germs in the very hotbed of the epidemic, shall in future be preserved as an open space is particularly gratifying, Hongkong needs "lungs" of: this character, and in the interests of the public health of the Chinese community a few more such vacant spaces would be highly beneficial. With regard to the attitude of the Chinese population towards sanitary measures, the graceful courtesy shown by His Excellency in publicly thank- ing them, and particularly the influential Chinese, for their active co-operation with the Sanitary authorities during the disinfec tion of the city, must likewise be noted with satisfaction, and his tribute of appreciation cordially endorsed. We trust the Chinese community may be encouraged to respond to the further appeal made by His Excellency on Thursday in the matter of getting all cases of plague treated as soon as they are discovered. Every case during the present year has proved fatal, and the number now reaches to one hundred and twenty-two. Writing as we are without precise records before us, we believe that in not ten per cent, of the cases returned have the notifica- tions been made while the victim was alive. There can be no doubt therefore of the truth of His Excellency's conviction that many of these cases are allowed to run

their fatal course because of a certain repugnance on the part of the victim's friends to his removal to hospital and to the disinfection of the premises which must! ensue. If this repugnance can be overcome and a prompt notification of the disease symptoms secured, there can be little doubt that the periodical returns would show a proportion of recoveries. What His Ex- cellency said of mosquitoes, the propagators of malaria, was also most opportune. If the Chinese can only be induced to recognise that every little stagnant pool is a breeding- place of the malarial mosquito, if they would see that these places are not allowed to remain; or at least cover them with such a larvæcide as kerosene, the experience of other places would be repeated here in the greater freedom from malaria which is so prevalent in tropical countries and in other places--such as some parts of Italy for example-wbere ordinary sanitary precau tions in the matter of stagnant poole is disregarded. We trust that the efforts of the Sanitary authorities will be well sup- ported by the community in this direction, and we are sure that the Colony will reap the reward which some other communities now enjoy as the result of similar precautions.