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[Copy sent to the Secretary of State in Governor's Despatch No. 244 of 5th July, 1901, as Enclosure No. 3a.

No. 1650.

SIR,

COLONIAL SECRETARY'S OFFICE, HONGKONG, 6th July, 1901.

I have the honour to acknowledge the receipt of your letter of the 24th ultimo, and to inform you that His Excellency the Governor accepts unreservedly the statement contained in the second paragraph of your letter under reply.

His Excellency has further directed that a full report on the sanitary measures taken since the date of Mr. Chadwick's report of 1882 shall be prepared. This report, it is expected, will show that many hundreds of thousands of dollars. have been expended in carrying out the recommendations of Mr. Chadwick's report. When prepared the information will be made public. In the first letter of the Chamber of Commerce it is assumed that the drainage system adopted on Mr. Chadwick's recommendation is faulty and that the late epidemic of plague, now happily disappearing, was due in some measure to detective drainage and general insanitary conditions existing in the City. This is a very import- ant question on which His Excellency does not feel himself competent to form an opinion based upon any valid grounds that have come under the notice of this Governinent. If it be so, however large an expenditure may be necessary, it must be faced, and all other projects must yield to imperative sanitary improve. ments as of primary importance. His Excellency has requested the Secretary of State for the Colonies to obtain the services of an expert in Drainage and Sanita- tion to visit and report upon the Sanitary Condition of Hougkong, and until such report has been made His Excellency suggests that it may be well to suspend judgment in the matter.

At the same time it should not be forgotten that even at the height of the epidemic the death rate of Hongkong was less than that of other Eastern Colonies, and eliminating deaths from plague, it is less than that of many Cities of Great Britain and Ireland.

I have the honour to be,

Sir,

Your most obedient Servant,

J. H. STEWART LOCKHART,

Colonial Secretary.

Secretary to

CHAMBER OF COMMERCE.

The Honourable J. H. STEWART LOCKHART, C.M.G.,

SIR,

Colonial Secretary,

HONGKONG.

HONGKONG, 11th July, 1901.

On behalf of the Signatories we have the honour to send you a Petition, addressed to the Right Honourable Joseph Chamberlain. M P., His Majesty's Principal Secretary of State for the Colonies, which we shall be obliged if you will kindly ask His Excellency the Governor to forward at his earliest conveni-

ence.

Spare copies of the Petition are sent herewith.

We have the honour to be,

Sir,

Your obedient Servants,

GEO. W. F. PLAYFAIR,

Chairman, Petition Committee.

ALFRED CUNNINGHAM,

Hon, Secretary, Petition Committee.

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