Sessional_Paper_1901 — Page 545

41

With regard to the flushing of the sewers and the allegations made that Mr. Chadwick's re- commendations on this subject have not been carried out, a reference to C.O.D. 193 of 1889 will show that in that year Mr. Chadwick returned to the Colony to initiate, on his own responsibility, the drainage and water distribution works then proposed.

In his Report on the Sewerage of the High-Level District of the City, after stating that "as "far as sewerage is concerned, matters are now very much in the same condition as they were in "1882," he went on to say :-"Having thus described the principles, which should be observed in "the design of a system of sewerage, not only for the High-Level District but generally, I will now "proceed to the examination of the plans, prepared by Mr. Cooper, for the sewerage of this district. “I find that the design is in strict accordance with the principles laid down in the previous para- "graphs of this report, which were fixed before the examination of the plans was undertaken.”

It is therefore obvious that Mr. Chadwick's proposals were fully provided for and, in the Annual Report for 1891 on Water and Drainage Works, Mr. Cooper stated that the sewerage works in the High Level District had been completed, with manholes, ventilators and flushing arrangements. It is well also to note that, in the report just quote.l, Mr. Chadwick stated how be had proposed, in his original report on the Sanitary Condition of Hongkong, to divert the sewage proper and dry-weather flow from the combined sewer and storm-water channel at the point where it entered the flat region and to conduct it by a separate pipe of small diameter to the sea and then went on to state that he now proposed to effect the separation at an earlier period, adding that "all recent experience shows that a channel, suitable for the conveyance of a tropical rainfall, is 'not a suitable conduit for sewage in dry weather" and that "the practice of converting storm- "water channels into sewers has, not only here, but everywhere, been weighed in the balance and "found wanting.”

"

J

This shows clearly that it was Mr. Chadwick who orignated the idea of the separate system and that Mr. Cooper merely carried out that iden.

Mr. Chadwick also laid stress on the necessity for preventing the moisture in the subsoil from rising to within a certain depth below the surface of the ground. Numerous trained channels and nullahs have been constructed in various parts of the City to aid in effecting this.

Re-drainage of Houses.

Next in order of importance Mr. Chadwick placed the re-drainage of the houses. mendation has also been carried into effect and the work completed.

This recom-

The cost of the re-drainage has rightly fallen upon the property owners, the Government under- taking only the connection of the drain from the boundary of the property to the main sewer.

9,957 houses have been re-drained.

The total expenditure by the Government under the heading of Drainage and Sewerage Work from 1889 to 1900 has been $542,869.

From 1883 to 1838 a sum of $485,000 was expeudel under the heading of "Sanitary Works."

Food Supply.

The works which come under this heading include an extension of the Market at Yaumati in 1884, the Hunghom Market erected in 1987, and the Central Market, completed in 1895 at a cost of $260,537, exclusive of the site, which entailed a further outlay of $153,953. A full description of the building appears in the Annual Report on Public Works for 1895.

The Slaughter Houses and Animal Depôts have an important bearing on this subject and come under the category of Sanitary Works. The miserably inadequate accommodation for the slaugh- tering of animals for food, existing prior to 1895, gave place in that year to an establishment which, for its method of construction and arrangements, is unsurpassed anywhere. Up to that date also the live pigs and sheep destined for slaughter, had been kept in the ground floors of a number of the houses in the West on:1 of the City. Now they are housed in large and airy sheds which are fitted with every appliance sanitation can require. The cost of these important works has been $116,555. Additions have been made, as found necessary, to the Cattle Depôt; a Slaughter House and Animal Depôt have been erected in Kowloon and a Market at Tai-kok-tsui.

A commencement has been made with the construction of the new Western Market in the City and various other works of an analogous nature to the above will be undertaken at an early date.

The expenditure under this heading from 1883 to 1900 has been $583,137.