April 1, 1896.J
CHINA OVERLAND TRADE REPORT.
Pokfulum, was laid on the table, and the minutes on the circulating cover read.
A discussion ensued.
for the next section dealt with to be moved into. This would have the advantage of giving only one section of the people to be dealt with at once, in case of their showing an inclination to It was agreed that the Dairy Farm Company resist, and as the flower boat people are the most be informed that the Board had not rescinded truculent and the least required portion of the the resclution as regards the erection of a community they should be given the preference suitable apparatus for burning the carcases of of being first dealt with. It is reported that they such of their animals, as may die or be killed, and had to pay handsomely for the privilege of return-regret that the Company have not yet erected ing to their old haunts after the great fire which such an apparatus. That in view of the dif- destroyed the old boats over a year ago. It ficulty of constructing rapidly a suitable appara- would have been an easy matter to have got them tus for cremating carcases, such carcases may to adapt themselves to new quarters at that time, be towed out to sea at least ten miles from the but the amount they had to pay for the privilege colony and there disposed of by sinking them of returning to their old place will probably with stones or other suitable material; the work to be done under the supervision of an officer of the Board.
make them more determined not to move now. To show the white feather and give in to them would, however, be fatal to any hope of getting others to move and would prevent the carrying out of the present excellent plan for the regula- tion of the traffic and the removal of the con- gested state of the river near the steamer wharves.
HONGKONG SANITARY. BOARD.
A meeting of the Sanitary Board was held at the offices on the afternoon of the 26th March. Hon. F. A. Cooper (Director of Public Works) presided, and there were also present-Hou. Commander W.C. H. Hastings (Acting Captain Superin tendent of Police), Dr. Atkinson (Acting Colonial Surgeon), Dr. Clark (Medical Officer of Health), Mr. N. J. Ede, and Mr. H. Mc- Callum (Secretary).
MINUTES.
The minutes of the previous meeting were read and confirmed.
The following minutes of the proceedings of the Sanitary Board, at a special meeting held on Wednesday, the 18th day of March, were also read :---
Present-The Director of Public Works (Hon. F. A. Cooper), President; the Acting Colonial Surgeon (Dr. J. M. Atkinson, M.B.), Vice-President; the Acting Captain Superin- tendent of Police (Hon. W. C. H. Hastings, R.N.), the Medical Officer of Health (Dr. F. W. Clark), and Mr. N. J. Ede. Absent: The Registrar-General (Hon. J. H. Stewart Lock- hart).
Minutes.-The minutes of a meeting held in the 14th March, 1896, were read and confirmed. Bubonic Plague.-Three communications from the honourable Colonial Secretary--which had been circulated to members-were laid on the table and the minutes on the circulating covers read.
The President addressed the Board.
The Honourable the Acting Captain Super- intendent of Police addressed the Board and laid on the table a scheme for allowing persons who are suffering from bubonic plague to leave the colony.
The scheme was read clause by clause, dis- cussed, and amended.
Adjournment.-The Board then adjourned. BAD WELL WATER.
The Analyst reported that six samples of water drawn from wells in the colony contained matter which would prove injurious to health. It was resolved to order the closing of the wells.
HEALTHY SINGAPORE,
A letter was read from the Colonial Seare- tary at Singapore forwarding, in answer to enquiries made by the Board as to an alleged serious outbreak of fever at Singapore, a report on the subject by the medical officer. The report stated there was no truth in the rumour. Singapore was now singularly free from con- tagious and epidemic disease.
THE ATTENDANC, OF SCHOOL CHILDREN.
IMPORTANT LETTERS.
The following letter to the Colonial Secretary was read-
Education Department, Hongkong, 11th March, 1896. Sir, I have the honour to report on an ex- traordinary and sudden falling off in the school attendance of certain districts.
2-For some 14 days after the Chinese New Year the school teachers everywhere had reason to expect a normal attendance, but since the last few days of February, and particularly since the first week of March, the school attendance in certain districts has received a sudden and serious check such as indicates a panic, which is however, at present, not general, but confined to a few localities.
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way in which the sanitary regulations have been enforced lately, receiving little or no notice for whitewashing their houses and the exposure to which they have been subjected. while the whitewashing is being done. They are supposed to get twenty hours' notice, but this is very rarely done.
I have been informed that as soon as the plague has abated, and the enforcement of the sanitary regulations somewhat relaxed, the women and children who have left the colony during the exodus will return.-I have the honour to be, &c.,
W. QUINCEY.
To Hon. W. C. H. Hastings, R.N.,
Acting Captain Superintendant of Police.
In a memo to His Excellency the Governor the Colonial Secretary said-Submitted. With regard to the opinions of two schoolmasters (see the portion of the enclosed letter marked A) the Inspector of Schools should call upon them to give specific instances of the alleged harsh- ness of the Sanitary Board.-11.3.96.
His Excellency, in reply, wrote-To request. This "panic" is doubtless got up by the school- masters themselves and they should be held responsible.-11.3.96.
In a report to the Colonial Secretary Dr. Eitel wrote as follows-The schoolmasters con- cerned derive their living from the school atten- dauce. A panic, in diminishing the attendance, not only diminishes their income, but threatens to deprive them of their living. Identity of in- terest guarantees their loyalty to the Govern ment from which their living is derived.
As to proving specific instances of unneces- sary harshness, you know, from your experi. ence of the Chinese, that they will never do that against any individual Government officer, and that their not doing so does not disprove the occurrence of harsh acts. The masters expressed their opinion, as derived from the explanations given by parents, on withdrawing their children, for the information of the Gov. ernment, when questioned as to the sudden falling off of the attendance. They would have remained silent if they had not been asked for an explanation.
I now append the opinions of their managers, and I entreat his Excellency the Governor to 3.-The schools which have suffered most, consider the statements made by Bishop Bur- losing on an average 35 per cent. of their averagedon. Dr. Hager, Mr. Pearce, and Miss Davies. attendance, are situated in Chung-wan and Wanchai. The localities most affected are Chinese Street, Hollywood Road, Staunton Street, Aberdeen Street. Wanchai is less affected than Chung-wan.
The Chinese are a docile and submissive people. They have never yet complained of oppression in Hongkong unless they actually felt Government measures to work oppressively. A yoke may be light and yet chafe terribly. It depends upon the way in which it is put on.
4-Strange to say. Taipingshan, including the neighbourhood of Lascar Row, is least af- The appended statements are, in my opinion, a true explanation of the causes of the extra- fected by this panid, and while a few schools in Sai-ying-pun complain of a retrocession of ordinary falling off in the attendance of the attendance, in the majority of the Sai-ying-schools as reported by me on the 11th instant. pun and Shek-tong-tзui, and Queen's Road West Schools the attendance is normal. So also in Hawan.
The Honourable the Acting Captain Super-affected districts the opinion prevails that intendent of Police moved-
That the Board recommend that persons suffering from bubonic plague be allowed to leage the colony subject to the conditions set forth in the scheme as amended.
Mr. N. J. Ede seconded. The Board divided.
Mr. N. J. Ede.
AYES.
The Medical Officer of Health.
The Hon. the Acting Captain Superintendent of Police.
NOES.
The Vice-President, The President. Motion carried.
It was agreed that the scheme as amended be printed and a copy sent to each member for his consideration and remarks for transmission to the Colonial Secretary.
It was also agreed that His Excellency the Governor should be informed that the Board consider it inadvisable to offer any reward at present to persons reporting cases of bubonic plague,
Cattle Disease.-A letter, which had been circulated to members, having reference to the destruction by fire of the carcases of animals dying at the Dairy Farm Company's premises,
5.Among the schoolmasters in the most
unnecessary harshness on the part of the Sanitary officers has caused inany native re- sidents to send their wives and children away from Hongkong, though the kindness with which people sent to the marriage boats appear to be treated is freely acknowledged. I have the honour to be, &c.,
E. J. EITEL, Inspector of Schools.
Hon. J. H. Stewart-Lockhart,
Colonial Secretary.
In a note to the Acting Captain Superin. tendent of Police the Colonial Secretary said- I understand that the exodus of Chinese from the colony is increasing. Please let me have the latest information in your possession on this subject.
Reply by Acting Captain Superintendent of Police Report herewith. It is not increasing.
The following is the report:
Central Police Station. 16th March, 1896. Sir, I have the honour to report that the daily departure of women and children from the colony for the last three weeks is about the
game.
!
The reason for leaving the colony is an old one. They complain of the severe and drastic
14.3.96.
13th March, 1896.
Dear Dr. Eitel,-After a talk with Li Kwan- fui my own impressions are confirmed as to the cause of the leaving of the scholars and of the people generally. I believe it is to be owing to the Government arrangements in visiting and cleans- This caused the stampede in ing the houses. 1894, and it will cause its repetition this year.
The Chinese do not understand our motives and are quite unaccustomed to our methods. The visitations seem to us absolutely necessary, but to a poor ignorant population they are the height of tyranny. Some go off to junks in the harbour and suffer in such weather as this from insufficient clothing. The rest scatter themselves in Canton and the country round and of course give us a dreadful name.
Could anything be done to modify matters in the visitations ?-Yours very truly,
J. S. BURDON,
Bishop.
Hongkong, March 13th, 1896. Dear Sir, I have just visited some of my schools and find that the total attendance of the five schools belonging to the American Board Mission is 85, whereas last year the attendance of these same schools had an enrollment of 208. One girls' school which had 37 pupils last year has only 11 now. Enquiring into the cause of this decrease of scholars, I find that many pupils with their relatives have moved away, not
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