Sessional_Paper_1897 — Page 451

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(g) Overcrowding. The provisions of the Public Health Ordinance of 1887 and of Ordi

nance 4 of 1895 were strictly and steadily enforced and upwards of 400 common lodging houses were registered.

(h) Mezzanine Floors and Cubicles. Illegal cocklofts, mezzanine floors and back-yard obstructions were removed and the ground surface of over 700 tenements concreted under the provisions of Ordinance 15 of 1894.

With regard to Sanitary legislation during 1895, the following regulation and bye-laws came into force :-

(1) Regulation of common lodging houses. The series of bye-laws which were drafted by the Sanitary. Board in 1891 relating to this were approved by the Legislative Council and came into force on the 1st January of this year, they deal with the question of overcrowding and the maintenance of cleanliness and ventilation.

(2) Bye-laws for the compulsory reporting of infections, contagious or communicable diseases. These were approved by the Legislative Council on the 25th November, 1895, and came into force at the latter end of the year.

They are practically the same as the Infectious Diseases Notification Act of 1889 in England. The object being to obtain early and complete knowledge of all cases of notifiable disease and informa-- tion of the particular district in which they occur.

GENERAL SANITARY CONDITION OF THE COLONY.

Though much had been done since the epidemic of 1894 towards the improvement of the general Sanitary Condition of the Colony, there existed many crowded quarters traversed by narrow lanes.

In these quarters the houses were ill ventilated and lighted, the lanes being in many cases obstructed by Sunshades and other similar structures.

The houses were mostly "tenement houses," occupied by the poorer class, the rooms in many cases sub-divided by mezzanine floors and partitions, adding to the general insanitary condition of the circumstances attending the occupation of such premises.

The district known as the "Resumed Area" of Taipingshan was no longer occupied.

The free issue of clothing and other articles from the pawnbrokers' shops, which in this Colony are to a large extent the store houses of the middle and lower classes of the native population, was continued and no steps were taken to disinfect such goods before being issued.

During the year :---

(a) The enforcement of the lodging house bye-laws was commenced.-These met with strong

opposition and only 437 houses were registered.

(b) Water supply. The work of raising the Embankment at Tytam Reservoir was completed

so as to admit of the storage of an additional 40 million gallons of water.

The constant system of water supply was maintained till the 16th of April, but during the following periods it was intermittent, viz.:

April

16th

3rd June.

June

23rd

4th July.

October 1st 31st December,

The water only being turned on for from 3 to 4 hours daily; the daily supply averaging from 7.7 gallons per head per diem during April and June, to 9.7 gallons during June and July.

The water distributed is collected from two catchment areas outside the built area of the city and distributed by a system of cast iron mains with which street fountains and house services are connected.

REMOVAL OF EXCRETA AND WASTE WATERS.

Generally the pail system of removal prevailed throughout the Colony but few water closets being in existence.

The excreta is, as far as possible, removed once in 24 hours during the night, but the accom- molation for storing the pails in the native tenement houses still remained very defective, no suitable place for the purpose existing.

The waste waters are removed by underground drains and many house-drains have been con- nected with the new system of pipe sewers recently constructed.

WELLS.

Numerous wells situated on private premises but formning no part of the public water supply were found to be in an insanitary condition and were closed by order of the Sanitary Board.

FOOD SUPPLY.

No material change had during the year 1894 taken place in the system of food supply though during the year 1895 the opening of the New Central Market in May effected a considerable improve- ment in the market accommodation in the middle of the City.