CO129-399 - Governor Sir May - 1913 [1-2] — Page 339

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Joy 101 VA

Julito ? Et ASO

Enclosure 3

337

P.C.M.O.,

Among the visitors to the Medical Congress in Hong-

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-kong last January was Dr. Norris who I believe is senior Health

Officer in Australia. We had several talks on this disinfection

question. He then spoke of some such apparatus for utilising coal gas, but whether it is the identical apparatus as tais the *Harker" system I dont remember. Dr. Norris was very much in favour of this system, but he was strong on the point that the steamers themselves should be compelled to carry their own plant on board, just as a few vessels today have a Clayton apparatus of their ow on board, with pipes &c. all laid down by the Ship-builders.

As far as I can gather te "Harker" system undoubted-

-ly has many advantages on its side, when fitted on board a vessel.

1. The initial cost is one-half that of the Clayton and the

running expenses are proportionately much shaller.

2. It is non-corrosive and does not affect or destroy metal

parts of a ship or the cargo.

Tae very serious disadvantage lies in the fact that it is a very dangerous gas or gasses that is weing utilized. Coal gas will

largely consist of carbon dioxide and carbon monoxide which being an impalpable non-odorous gas becomes very dangerous and has already caused several deaths. In Shanghai there is a CO2 apparatus in use

and I believe there have been tro deaths in the use of tuis

apparatus, from Chinese going down the hold, before the CO2 had

been driven off and the fresh air blown in. It is the difficulty

of controlling buis, that makes it such a dangerous as to utilize

for disinfecting purposes and its general adoption on ward steamers

I gather toc from the papers attached that this

particular system has been designed chiefly to be fitted on board

a steamer for purposes of fire extinguishing mainly, and secondly

-arily utilised for disinfecting purposes. At the same time there

is no reason why it should not be used primarily as a disinfector.

To do this it will have to be fitted in our case

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on to a steam

bo

launch, so that the price of a launch will have to considered

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