Sessional_Paper_1904 — Page 247

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On looking into this table one sees that the districts in which the highest percentages of the people were attacked by Plague are No. II and No. IX Health Districts with a percentage of 94 and 73 respectively. These two districts also shew the highest number of persons per floor in Chinese dwelling-houses.

No. I Health District shews the next highest figure for the percentage of population attacked, namely, 6. It also shews that there are 6.9 persons per

floor in this locality.

No. IV Health District has the next highest percentage and the third highest figure for persons per floor. Generally speaking it is seen that with a high number of persons per floor a high Plague rate exists. No. VIII Health District is an exception but it is highly probable that in this district especially Plague cases are smuggled away as this district contains most of the rich Chinese business firms The following Table shews the number of persons per acre on built-over areas and the percentage of Plague cases of population in each district :-

Health District.

Persons per acre on built-over areas.

Cases per cent. of

population.

1 2 3 4 10 50 100 →

107

.6

182

-94

3

64

*42

496

*58

5

832

*42

6

717

*46

7

465

*51

8

455

*33

9

573

-73

10

128

*38

The worst district for Plague is now seen not to be that one where the surface crowding is most acute. In No. V Health District the surface crowding is more than quadruple what it is in No. II Health District but the Plague cases per cent, of the population are less than half that in No. II Health District.

The houses in No. II Health District are generally smaller than those in the central District. The same thing is found also in No. IX Health District. But although the floors of these two districts are generally smaller than those of the Central District yet they have a higher number of tenants per

It is evident that in these two districts therefore there is true overcrowding. This is not to be wondered at as in these two districts the houses are cheaper than in the central portion of the City. It might be supposed that a tendency to overcrowd would send up the rent but it is a well known fact in longkong that in the native houses of the City many more find shelter than the landlords of the houses know of.

This matter of overcrowding is an extremely difficult one to deal with, it having been found by experience that endeavours to reduce it in one district only increase it in neighbouring districts.

An over-

It may perhaps be as well to define overcrowding at this point. Strictly speaking overcrowding has only an indirect relation to cubic capacity. crowded house is one in which there are too many people for the amount of fresh air passing through the house per hour. A building with its windows shut will be overcrowded before a building well ventilated. The accepted standard of 1,000 cubic feet per head is merely arrived at because air can in houses of a temperate climate be changed three times an hour without draught, 3,000 cubic feet of fresh air per hour being the amount required by each adult to maintain health.

In a warm climate air may be changed more quickly in a room without caus- ing draught and so less space per head would suffice.

But every one who has seen the houses of the Chinese in Hongkong must be struck with the fact that efficient ventilation is impossible. There are no fire-places, the rooms are long and narrow, the window at the front obstructed by verandahs. Streets are narrow, back lanes and yards are worse.

The situation of the City itself tends to accentuate this state of things.

In dealing with the meteorological data I have pointed out that Plague began in the cold season. It is just at that time that the ventilation of rooms would be at its very worst or in other words that the overcrowding would be most acute.