No. 302.
Hongkong.
Sir,
Rece
Government House,
20 JUL 03)
Hongkong, 19th. June, 1903.
471
Fifth May, 1903
4th James
1905.
I have the honour to forward two reports
made by Dr. Thomson on a recent serious outbreak of Plague in
Victoria Gaol.
2.
The overcrowding of the Gaol has lately
become a very pressing question and Dr. Thomson's report of
the 30th. showed clearly the grave danger of permitting it to
continue for a day under the circumstances disclosed. I there-
fore on the 30th. May authorized the release of One hundred
short sentence prisoners, confined for the lighter offences,
such as breach of regulations &c., and this was effected so
judiciously that so far as I know it has escaped public notice.
Having regard to the rapid succession of Plague cases reported
there was no time to be lost, if overcrowding should happen
to be either a predisposing or an immediate cause of the out-
break.
3.
But the release of One hundred prisoners still left the Gaol full to its normal capacity. I have there-
fore authorized as a temporary measure the use of the Belilios' Reformatory, which has been unoccupied for some time, as a
THE RIGHT HONOURABLE
JOSEPH CHAMBERLAIN, M.P.,
*C.
&C --
&C...
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