CO129-352 - Public Offices - 1908 — Page 373

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such as trachoma, the duration of which is indefinite

if nature be left to herself, though the course of

the disease can be appreciably shortened if the pa-

tient be subjected to treatment, but as it is impossi-

ble to establish quarantine stations for this class

of infirmities the only alternative is to return such

persons to the place from whence they came.. As a

matter of fact we observe in Mexico that frequently 20,

30, or more trachomatous persons are brought by each

emigrant ship. If two such vessels arrive, as is us-

ually the case, namely, one belonging to each of the

two Companies engaged in the emigrant traffic, the num-

ber of these invalids would amount to at least 40 per

month. If a Japanese vessel should also arrive, as

sometimes happens, this mumber would be increased to

60 or 70. As the disease cannot be cured in a month,

owing to the serious condition in which the sufferers

arrive, in the following month the number of patients

on hand would have increased to 120 or 140, and in

the third month would have reached 200 at the lowest

computation. But if it should happen, as was the case

last year, that a steamer (the Woolwich) were to bring

228 infected persons, and another (the Daphne) 120,

the result would be that in a few months' time the

State would have to support a hospital for the care

and cure of some 500 immigrants. It is useless to

say that these persons would be looked after by the

Companies because the barracks which they now possess

can only accommodate 700 healthy persons. Thus it

is practically out of the question to establish

quarantine stations for the reception of sufferers

sease.

from trachoma. If, then, this is impossible, our

only means of safeguarding the health of the Republic

is to turn away all immigrants affected with this di-

The practice which is now being followed with

respect to the immigrants imported by the China Com-

mercial Steamship Company, is the same as was fol-

lowed last year in the case of those brought over

by the Heng Hok Fong Company, and has also been adopt-

ed in the case of other vessels as can be proved by

means of the official data filed in the Archives of

this Board, and also by the accompanying List.

It would be futile to further expatiate on the

representations contained in the three statements

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presented