CO129-373 - Public Offices - 1910 — Page 536

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Health Report.

In reply to the senior consul's letter of the 13th July regarding the sanitary conditions in Chapei, it is well, in the first place, to quote extracts from Dr. Stanley's report of the 23rd December, 1908, on the same subject, for since that time no really serious effort has been made to improve the deplorable condition of things which then existed, and his remarks are as applicable now as when they were written :-

"The sanitary conditions beyond the northern boundary of the settlement since the spring of 1907 have undergone little or no real improvement. A few roads have been made, sewers have been laid in two of the busiest thoroughfares, some improve- ment in the drainage and paving around newly erected houses has been effected, a feeble attempt has been made to stop coffin-dumping near the settlement boundary under pressure from this office, and an inefficient system of house-refuse collection has been established.

The impression on a sanitary expert is that measures have been attempted without knowing the reason why, being made more with the object of

look-see' than with any intelligent or real desire for sanitary amelioration.

The need for extension for the purpose of sanitary safety is more urgent than ever. At present these grossly insanitary places, becoming more and more populous, just beyond the boundary, are a standing menace to public health."

It is

At the present time there is no attempt made to control infectious disease. impossible to attach too much significance to this omission in view of the council's arduous and successful efforts in the settlement against the risk of plague infection. House refuse appears to be usually dumped into any convenient pond, with the result that many of these are foul masses of corruption. The public urinals are fairly well built in places, but are entirely neglected, and the public latrines are very insanitary. There is no supervision of food supplies. No restraint is exercised in regard to dumping coffins. Creeks and stagnant pools are never attended to, thus nullifying our attempts to suppress the mosquito nuisance. Beggar-boats and huts abound, and the dreadful state of their surroundings in many cases defies description.

It can be stated in a general way that no satisfactory sanitary measures are enforced by the Chapel authorities, and this district remains, consequently, a serious menace to the health of the settlement.

A. MOORE, Acting Health Officer.

Engineer's Report.

The senior consul, in his letter of the 13th July, 1910, asks for information as to what has been done by the Chinese in Chapei to improve the police and sanitary conditions.

For the purpose of this report it will be advisable to divide what is known as Chapci into two distinct sections :-----

1. The portion bounded on the north by the Shanghai-Nanking Railway, on the west and south by the Soochow Creek, and on the east by the foreign settlement. (See plan No. 1.)*`

2. The neighbourhood of North Szechuan Road and the rifle range, bounded on the west by the Shanghai-Nanking Railway, on the east by the Sawginkiang, and on the south by the foreign settlement. (See plan No. 2.)*

The accompanying plans, Nos. 1a and 2A, show in red colour the foreign-owned. land in these districts.*

In section 1 any public works which have been undertaken have been done entirely by the Chinese. In section 2, however, whatever development has taken place has been carried out by the council as a result of the acquisition of the rifle range in 1895, the construction of North Szechuan Road in 1903, the acquisition of the Hongkew Recreation Ground in 1905, and the construction of Dixwell Road Extension in 1909. The public works carried out by the Chinese in this district appear to have been more of an obstructive than a constructive nature, and consist merely of the laying out of roads on vexatious lines, in many cases over foreign-owned land. Two cases in particular may be quoted-a road leading from nowhere to nowhere across

* Not reproduced.

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Dixwell Road Extension, and a road since diverted at the instance of His Majesty's consul-general) behind the butts, laid out originally with the sole intention of obstructing the extension of the rifle range in a northerly direction.

To revert to section 1, which must form the subject of the greater part of this report, plan No. 1 shows, in full red, the lines on which macadamised roads have been constructed, and, in dotted red, the lines which have apparently been marked out for construction.

In 1903-4 the council was approached with reference to the construction of a bridge across the Soochow Creek at Markham Road, and after some discussion and correspondence it was eventually decided that the bridge should be built by the council at the expense of a syndicate of landowners on the north side of the creek. The bridge was accordingly built, and a road now marked as Markham Road Extension was laid out in a north-westerly direction to meet the new depôt of the Shanghai-Nanking Railway, near the Cantonese cemetery. This was the first serious attempt to lay out a road in this district. It was followed by an attempt at improvement of the Stone Bridge Road, a native thoroughfare of some importance connecting Sinza with Kading and Nanziang. This line of road has, however, been a main route of communication for very many years, and the fact of its being opened up should not (except as far as its widening is concerned) be confused with recent developments in Chapei. At a point in the Stone Bridge Road about 800 feet south of the railway, several large holes appeared in the centre of the road in June last. These were caused by the sinking of the subsoil, and more than one was as much as 3 feet across and 1 foot deep. From the personal observation of a member of the staff of this department, these holes existed for at least one week, and no measures appeared to have been taken to guard the approaches to them.

Other lines of roads constructed or contemplated and varying in width from 15 to 35 feet are shown on the sketch plan herewith.*

In only a very small degree have building operations followed the laying out of roads; in fact, one might say that development, even where it has taken place, is only skin deep, for one has only to probe the surface to be brought in contact with the most wretched conditions imaginable.

Several of these roads have been constructed along lines of important drainage creeks, with a total disregard of the functions which those creeks were intended to fulfil.

Stone Bridge-Except for Markham Road Bridge, the Stone Bridge is the only means of crossing the Soochow Creek above Thibet Road.

In its present condition the bridge is quite unsafe for even pedestrian traffic. The deck planking is very rough and uneven, and in places the planks are worn to a thickness of less than an inch. There are several holes through which a pony might quite easily put a foot. Several of the stringers are rotten, and although some attempt has apparently been made to strengthen them (though not recently) they are still unsafe. The railings are very shaky and in some places could be pushed over by a couple of men. It may be remembered that in May 1907 these railings gave way while a crowd was standing on the bridge, and about a hundred people were precipitated into the creek, of whom over fifty were drowned.

The width of the bridge-10 feet-is not sufficient for the amount of traffic which passes over it in normal times. Apart from this, the northern approach has been fenced in, and access can only be had through a gate 8 feet wide. The Shanghai taotai wrote to the senior consul on the 7th January saying that the bridge was In reply to this about to be repaired "at an early date," but nothing has been done. letter, the council offered to defray half the cost of building a new bridge, but this offer has so far been ignored.

Apart from the dangerous condition of the superstructure, the obstruction to navigation and detriment to conservancy of the Soochow Creek caused by the stone piers are matters which deserve the most serious consideration. The aggregate width of these stone piers is more than half the width of the creek. The sectional area of the creek is also reduced from 2,960 to 1,570 square feet. The accompanying plans Nos. 3 and 4* convey a good idea of the obstruction caused to navigation.

The rebuilding of the Stone Bridge in one clear span is a matter of the greatest importance, and should of course be effected under foreign supervision and at the joint cost of the council and the native authorities.

Water Supply.-Water tanks and/or filters are in course of construction on the

* Not reproduced.

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