Sessional_Paper_1897 — Page 419

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Among the many improvements going on in the Colony as regards sanitation, the Police quarters in most cases are in very okt buildings and are much overcrowded. The main buildings of the Central Station are all old and insufficient for the needs of the Force. Nos. 2, 3, 5, 7 and 8 in the City are all old and inore or less insufficient in accommodation. No. 8 has to take in men that ought to be in No. 7 who, in most cases, have to walk more than a mile to their duties. No. 7 is wholly unfit for habitation and should be entirely rebuilt, so also ought No. 3, but whether on their present sites or position I leave to the Captain Superintendent to say as being better acquainted with the needs of the Force. These two buildings as regards sanitation are altogether abominations; both sites have plenty of room for much larger and better buildings. No. 9 has been done away with and the site sold. The Stations on the southern side of the island at Pokfulam, Aberdeen and Stanley will always be more or less unhealthy, and no sites on that side of the island will be healthy or fit for building purposes as long as the lagoon to the east of Aberdeen is allowed to exist. The large and valuable Dock there is rarely used, on account of the unhealthiness of the district and the great amount of sickness occurring among the employees of the Dock Company. The Captain Superintendent has already fully reported about the Police accommodation and the much-needed improvements cannot be too strongly represented..

TROOPS.

Table IV, shows the average strength, admissions to Hospital and deaths. There is a slight decrease in the average strength compared with last year, an increase of 1,175 in admissions to Hospital and a decrease of nine in the number of deaths. Both White and Black show the increase in sickness which is specially noticeable in the last years and is due to the abolition of the Contagious Diseases Ordinance. During the last two years even voluntary examination has been disallowed by orders from home. This increase in the ill-health of the Troops is to be deplored as it is preventable. The ten years from 1874 (when the Ordinance was in full working order) to 1883, and the strength of the Troops only averaged 400 less than it does now the lowest number of admissions was 820 and the highest number 1,502, the lowest number of deaths was 36 and the highest 70. This shows while the real health of the Troops was much worse, as regards climatic disease, their health as regards venereal disease was infinitely better. The ten years from 1887 to the present year show the lowest number of admissions was 1,485, the highest number of deaths was only 39, while the highest number of admissions has increased to 4,274 and the lowest number of deaths 14. Thus in over 20 years the admissions have increased from 820 to 4,274, while the deaths have decreased from 70 to 14. The increase of the average strength of the Troops is from 1,055 in 1874 to 2,784 while the increases in strength has not doubled the increase in admissions to Hospital has more than qua- drupled from 820 to 4,274. Thus venereal disease has been terribly increased; the number of women of all nationalities flaunting their occupation in the streets also. In spite of legal enactments -morality among men and women has not been improved, indeed very much the reverse. The dread of contracting disease has no effect on either the male or female portions of the population in the English Possessions either at Home or abroad. The following table shows the number of admissions to los- pital and deaths among the Troops for the last ten years and speaks for itself:-

Admissions.

Deaths.

1887,

1,749

14

1888,

1,485

21

1889,

1,732

16

1890,

1,915

15

1891,

1,851

17

1892,

2,844

31

1893,

2,927

28

1894,

2,905

39

1895,

3,099

28

1896,

4,274

19

GOVERNMENT CIVIL HOSPITAL.

The Superintendent's report goes thoroughly into every detail as regards the staff, the buildings, the admission of patients, the characters of the diseases and the number of deaths.

among the staff, the leave granted in most cases well earned and more than earned in all cases absolutely necessary from ill-health, caused by the exhaustion from the overwork of the last three years his report goes thoroughly into every detail.