P88
THE HONGKONG WEEKLY PRESS AND
continuous use of which might have pre- vented the disease altogether, is quite on a par with the folly of tearing down and burning the internal fittings of houses that
October 14-1896
looked for, and the firing of the gun has generally been taken as indicative of its near approach, Bay
two or three hours. To fire the gun
law is to relieve the Board of responsibility (in the sense of accountability) and to let that body and its officers do what they please without the necessity of holding the fear of the law before their eyes. We will | ought never to be allowed to get into such a before there is any likėli
condition as to require tearing down and burning. If chloride of lime is of no use then the Sanitary Board has been wasting public money for many months past; on the other hand, if the article is of use, its employment ought certainly not to be discontinued at the present critical juncture, when every nerve ought to be strained to prevent the recurrence of plague.
be much surprised if the Legislative Council is found ready to meet the views of the Sanitary Board in that respect. It was pointed out in a previous article that if the Board and its officers do their duty steadily and continuously there ought to be no necessity for the tearing down and burning of cocklofts in a panic whenever an epidemic happens to make its appearance. The character and extent of the fixtures that may be put up in houses are strictly re- gulated by law, and it is the business of the Board to see that the requirements of the law in that respect are complied with. The -law also requires that every house shall be cleansed and whitewashed twice a year. If compliance with that law is enforced there ought to be no irremediably filthy cocklofts in existence. Full power of inspection exists for ascertaining the condition of the houses, and what is required is that cleanliness shall be permanently observed in the colony, not that things shall be allowed to drift into the old groove and that we shall have an absurd crusade of pulling down and burning when ever an epidemic breaks out.
|
LONIAL MEDICAL SERVICE,
urs.
xpected there is still a
gale breaking, and chance that the storm may pass usby altogether, results in a good deal of practical. inconvenience. The small craft immed clear off to places of safety and business afloat is either stopped or greatly impeded by the want of the usual facilities, while on shore preparations for the expected blow are made hours before there is any. for them. It may be urged that if a blow
5
casio
THE UNDERMANNING OF THE CO at all likely to come it is better that the warning should be given too soon thân too late, and that it is well to afford as much time as possible for preparation. The reply to that is that the hoisting of the black cone or drum ought to be taken as indicating the likelihood of bad weather, and the firing of the gun as indicating its certainty and im- minence. At present there appears to be some confusion on this point, hich it would be desirable to remove. If the gun is to be taken as having no more value than the black signals, but simply as calling attention to them, the public ought officially to be given to understand that such in the case; but it seems to us it would be better to reserve it as a signal that the storm is close at hand. In last week's typhoon the firing of the gun might with ndvantage have been deferred for several hours, and in the last one it would have been better if it had not been fired at all.
As we remarked in a previous article the autumnal lull in the attacks of plague which is now with us should be utilized in preparing in every way to meet the threatened spring outbreak so charac- teristic of this disorder. An opportunity now exists for the Colonial Surgeon to put forward his application for the employment of a perfectly qualified medical man for the plague and infectious hospitals of the colony. It seems strange that during, the reeent outbreak of 1896 the medical care of the plague patients devolved on a German Naval doctor lent from a German warship cruising on the coast. Such a condition of affairs is to say the least extraordinary in an English colony, and time now admits of better arrangements being made for the future. A specially qualified medical man should be obtained from England, who, in addition to his duty at the hospitals, would be able to conduct the bacteriological work so needful in modern hygiene, and also conduct experiments as to the treatment proposed by Dr. YERSIN. When not so employed this medical man should be an Assistant Health Officer working under Dr. CLARK and able in case of necessity to carry on his work. To-day with a much undermanned colonial medical service there is absolutely no one to take up Dr. CLARK's duty in case of leave or illness. This calls for early remedy. Let the Colonial Surgeon look to it.
TYPHOON WARNINGS.
(13th October.)
There are other points in the proposed new by-laws that require attention and that seem to show how incompetent the Sanitary Board as at present constituted is for the discharge of its important duties. A num- ber of the by-laws are to be in operation permanently, and then comes a note to the effect that "The following by-laws are only "to be enforced during the prevalence, to “the extent of an epidemic, of any con- tagious or infectious disease in the colony or in any specified district thereof." The first by-law following this note provides that during the prevalence of an epidemic "all latrines and all receptacles for excre- mental matter shall be thoroughly cleansed and disinfected." To any ordinary person it would seem desirable that such places should be cleansed regularly all the year round and disinfected either daily or at fre- quent intervals, but the wise men of the Sanitary Board say it is only necessary that this should be done when an epidemic pre- vails. The reader will probably say that that cannot have been the intention of the Board, that it is obviously a simple error in The threatened typhoon has on this occa- drafting. That no doubt is correct, but it sion happily given Hongkong the go-by, and does not say much for the scrutiny the we may now consider the typhoon season at members of the Board have given to the an end. On the whole the system of storm -by-laws that none of them detected the warnings has during the past season worked error. It is a curious coincidence, too, that satisfactorily, but a mistake was evidently at the same meeting at which this by-law pro- made on Sunday in firing the gun, indicat- viding that latrines need only be kept cleaning that a gale was to be expected in the and disinfected in times of epidemic was colony, because the gale did not come, the passed the Board also resolved to discon- typhoon having apparently recurved and tinue the use of chloride of lime in the gone off in some other direction. We do not latrines. Whether chloride of lime when know that any general fault is to be found with used in latrines possesses any efficacy as a the Observatory forecasts in relation to this preventive of the propagation of plague storm, because the recurving of typhoons is may be considered a technical question on an unknown quantity and cannot be taken which a layman has no right to offer an opinion, into account, but the experience gained on but as it was used throughout the recent this occasion goes to show the error of epidemic and has continued in use up to the firing the gun too prematurely. We are present presumably the Board is of opinion told in the notes on the Hongkong it does possess such efficacy. If that be so Observatory meteorological signals and it seems the height of foolhardiness to storms warnings that the signals hoisted at discontinue its use. We are at present the masthead are for the information of enjoying the autumnal Tull of the plague; masters of vessels leaving the port and do whether the disease will break out again in not imply that bad weather is expected the spring or not no one can say, but that here, the colony itself being warned of ap- there is very great danger of its doing so proaching typhoons by means of the typhoon everyone will admit. No preventive mea- gun. As a matter of fact, however, when sures therefore, should be neglected To the black signals are hoisted, signifying that wait until the disease makes its reappearance the typhoon is within three hundred miles
· and then resume the use of disinfectants, the of the colony, bad weather locally is usually
ANOTHER MAN-OF-WAR'S BOATA
CAPSIZED.
AN OFFICER DROWNED.
[SPECIAL TELEGRAM TO THE “ DAILY PRESS.”
SHANGHAI, 9th October The Grafton's boat capsized at Siroutch, Korea.
Mr. Troughton, Secretary to Rear Admiral Oxley, was drowned.*
MR. DUDGEON'S MISSION A FAILURE.
THE COMMISSIONER LEAVES PEKING,
[SPECIAL TELEGRAM TO THE "DAILY FEEBS.”]
SHANGHAI, 9th October. Mr. Dudgeon has left Peking. It is feared his mission has proved a failure.
:
[Mr. Dudgeon went to Peking to lay before the Ministers the views of the Shanghai mercantile community with reference to the proposed taxation of local manufactures and the revision of the tariff.]
SUPREME COURT..
9th October.
IN ORIGINAL JURISDICTION.
BEFORE HIS HONOUR DE. ( CARRINGTO
(CHIEF JUSTICE.)
THE BANK OF CHINA, JAPAN, AND THE STE
LIMITED, #. CHEUNG YAU TO AND OTHERS. The plaintiffs sought to recover $100,000, debt due on a bond.
Mr. J. J. Francis, Q.C., and Hon. H. I Pollock (instructed by Messrs. Johnson, Bloke and Master) appeared for the plaintif Mr. WV Drummond and Hon. Ho (instructed by Mr. Dennys) appeared defendants.
Mr. Francis first of all
A
Acting Attorney- precedence and had all to conduct the case. the case had
been
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