Sessional_Paper_1898 — Page 460

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defect. In Bombay now, and in Calcutta more particularly, where there is no plague, they are waking up to the fact that the city is in a fearful state. As long as there were no rumours of plague they were all quiescent about it, but now that the plague is at their doors they are beginning not only to look at Bombay but at Calcutta and at other large cities. It is not the time when the plague is amongst us to make the alterations; the time is when we are comparatively free from plague that we ought to try to get the city into a proper state.

Hon. T. H. WHITEHEAD-It seems to me we ought to take the question in this way: back to back houses. Let us select Districts 5 and 6, find out how many back to back houses there are in that district and what are the remedies to be applied to place these back to back houses in a sanitary condition.

Mr. JACKSON-Have we powers, Mr. CHAIRMAN, to go on with the thing, or have we got to recommend to the Government ?

The CHAIRMAN-The Commission states "whether it is desirable to resume insanit- ary properties, improve them, and then re-sell them."

Mr. JACKSON-There were some properties we visited the other day, and one belonged to the Spanish Procuration. Surely, it would be for them to put the property in a sanitary condition.

The CHAIRMAN That is a question we shall have to consider- as to who shall be called upon to put the properties in a sanitary condition; but I do not think we can make any recommendation on that head, or on any head, until we have some further informa- tion before us and until our enquiry has been a little more extended. There can be no doubt, judging by our visit the other day, that it is highly desirable that, the houses we saw should be placed in a sanitary condition. I am certain there are a large number of other houses like them.

Mr. JACKSON-As I said, we must take Districts 5 and 6.

The CHAIRMAN-Districts 5 and 6 will form a very good basis to work upon.

Mr. JACKSON--And it will be a considerable thing for the Director of Public Works to tackle.

Hon. T. H. WHITEHEAD-May I ask you, Dr. CLARK, if you consider that Districts 5 and 6 are perhaps as had or even worse than the other Health Districts in the City?

WITNESS-They are as bad, but I cannot say they are worse except to the extent that they are more densely populated. In District No. 5 there are 1,825 Chinese houses which probably mean 5,000 odd dwellings. In District No. 6 there are 1,225 houses, representing about 3,700 separate dwellings, into every one of which an Inspector should go once in two months at least. The next in size is probably District No. 4 in which there are about 3,000 dwellings; the other districts contain somewhat fewer dwellings.

We are tackling the two biggest Districts ?—Yes, but not in size; simply in density of population. In size they are two of the smallest.

The CHAIRMAN-From a sanitary point of view they are as important as any other district. The Commission also refers to "The means by which such properties are to be resumed and the compensation to be paid for same assessed; how the said properties should be improved and by whom such improvement should be carried out."

Mr. EDE-We shall have to decide by and by as to who should carry out the improvements and so on. I would like to ask Dr. CLARK to tell us, in regard to some of the houses he saw, what means should be carried out now-what means can be carried out short of resumption, short of pulling down the whole property; and then we shall arrive, if we get evidence to that effect, to a sound conclusion as to who is to