Sessional_Paper_1902 — Page 566

470

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Recommend- ation that the main-

tenance and

scavenging

of drains he

entrusted to

the Sanitary

Board.

wholly insufficient to flush them, in the tide-locked parts, and stagnation takes place. In addition to the filth, brought down by the drain from above, some is doubtless washed in by the tide. I venture to believe that the nuisances complained of, with regard to the Drains, are due to stagnation in their flat parts; and I am convinced that many nuisances, attributed to the Sewers, are really due to the Drains. From time to time, up-currents occur and stenches issue from the open mouths of these drains, or from the untrapped storm-water gulleys, leading to them. To prevent up-cur- rents of air, tide-flaps were formed, tried and failed. I believe that they were wrecked during typhoons.

1

To flush the lower, flatter and tide-locked parts of the drains, a perfect tor- rent of water would be required; far more than could ever be afforded by any water-works. It may even be impracticable to supply a sufficiency of salt-water for this purpose. It would be somewhat dangerous to trap the mouths of the drains, with cast-iron plates dipping below low-water level. An obstruction might be caused, which might bring about the bursting of the drain, during a rain-storm. This actually happened in 1889.

I am free to admit that both the flushing of the lower part of the existing Drains and their ventilation throughout, are problems of the greatest difficulty.

*It seems, therefore, that the best programme, for present adoption, may be summed up as follows :-

(a) Abolish all unnecessary Drains, and reduce the lengths of any that

cannot be dispensed with, to a minimum.

(b) Whenever practicable, open any Drains that are at present covered. (c) By careful scavenging and management of the Sewers, minimise the

amount of filth that finds its way to the storm-water Drains. (d) Flush the branch Drains with the water of the streams above. When a complete plan of the Drains is before me. I shall be glad to further consider this difficult subject.*

95. I recommend that the maintenance of all sewers, drains, storm-water chan- - nels and nullahs, covered or open, be handed over to that Department of the Sanitary Board, which is charged with street scavenging and cleansing, namely, to the Depart- ment of the Medical Officer of Health. By maintenance" I mean scavenging, cleansing, flushing, removal of obstructions and all operations, which do not involve breaking up the surface. New works should be carried out, as heretofore by the Public Works Department, and then handed over to the Sanitary Board. There would then be no division of authority. If a Sewer or Drain were obstructed, then at least, the responsible person would be known. The Medical Officer of Health now commands the services of a numerous and well organised scavengers' staff. The Public Works Department has one Engineer, two European and three Chinese foremen, to supervise the City of Victoria, the Peak, Aberdeen, Shauki- wan, and the whole of the Kowloon Peninsula, an absurdly inadequate staff.

The Medical Officer of Health--I speak after conference with him-would hardly require any addition to his staff, other than the transference of the Overseers and Foremen, now in charge of the Sewers and Drains.

To carry this arrangement into effect, he must be provided with correct record- drawings of the existing Sewers and Drains. He should, moreover, have the services of a Chinese or Eurasian draftsman to keep the plans up to date.

The existence of such plans is absolutely essential to the proper administration of the Sewerage and Drainage works, whatever be the nature and constitution of the Authority to whom they are entrusted.

* This plan is now being prepared.