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Dr. BELL.-I understand the intention is in future to have a resident medical officer at the Infectious Hospital. Directly the plague breaks out he will live at Kennedy Town and do nothing else but attend to cases of plague.
Colonel HUGHES.-What would the Kowloon man do besides ?
Dr. BELL.He would look after the Police Stations and the subordinates.
Colonel HUGHES.-That would not be very much. What would he do when there was no plague ?
Dr. BELL. He would be available for various other duties. There would not be very much work except at plague time.
Colonel HUGHES.-Could he do Port Health Officer's work as well as resident officer's work at Kowloon ?
Dr. BELL-I don't think so.
Colonel HUGHES.-Could he do Assistant Port Officer's work?
Dr. BELL.-I don't think so.
Colonel HUGHES.-Why not?
Dr. BELL.-Supposing he was out doing plague work, and was wanted when a steamer came in quarantine. All the trouble in the Harbour has been due to the merchants objecting to ships being kept waiting.
Colonel HUGHES.-But if Dr. JORDAN is away on private practice what happens?
Dr. BELL. His deputy goes off to the ships.
Colonel HUGHES.-Paid by him?
Dr. BELL.-Yes.
Colonel HUGHES.-Is he always to be found?
Dr. BELL-Yes, I think so.
Colonel HUGHES.-Why do the shipping people complain ?
Dr. BELL.-I cannot say.
Mr. SHARP.-Does his deputy engage in private practice?
Dr. BELL. Yes.
Colonel HUGHES.-Is that satisfactory?
Dr. BELL.-Well, I did the work with private practice. I was not in the Government service; I did it for eight years.
Colonel HUGHES.-Satisfactorily?
Dr. BELL. I found it so.
Colonel HUGHES.-But as Acting Principal Civil Medical Officer would it be satis- factory to you?
Dr. BELL.--No, I think there should be one man who does nothing else.
Colonel HUGHES.-There is enough work for one man ?
Dr. BELL.-If he did nothing else one man is not sufficient. You cannot expect
a man to be going about the Harbour from six in the morning till six or seven in the evening.
Colonel HUGHES.—Whose idea is this of a second Port Officer ?
Dr. BELL. The merchants of Hongkong.
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