Fuary 17, 1897
cer of the port.""I mean that lation is agreed to it should be information of His Excellency and if His Excellency is of et the adoption of the recommenda- tion is practicable the amendment of the re- gulations will have to be made by the Governor Council and it is a matter for the Govern- ment to consider what further steps, if any, are necessary to enforce such regulation.”
همه
Mr. EDE Would it be possible at present to convey to the Governor the importance of not putting these regulations into force unless there is a sufficient staff so as not to detain ships unnecessarily It would be a great loss and a great inconvenience for ships to be de- tained, especially those which are healthy. I do not think it ought to be done in regard to ships which are in good health. It would take the Health Officer a long time to examine the passengers, and all the ships would have to wait
their turn.
The PRESIDENT-Ships carrying passengers ought to have a surgeon. They have the re- medy in their own hands,
CHINA OVERLAND TRADE REPORT
Board would have an opportunity of seeing the proposed alteration before its adoption.
The resolution was then put and carried. All the members, with the exception of the Colonial Surgeon, who voted against it, were in favour of the proposal.
The CAPTAIN SUPERINTENDENT OF POLICE then proposed that plague be included amongst the infectious or contagious diseases mentioned in the regulations.
The MEDICAL OFFICER OF HEALTH seconded.
Carried.
The MEDICAL OFFICER OF HEALTH moved that the period of three days be altered to fifteen days in section 2 sub-section A of the regala- tions.
The PRESIDENT—It is not much use putting vessels into quarantine unless you are prepared to keep them for a sufficient incubation period. In a case of smallpor a vessel which had been three days between ports would have to go into quarantine for twelve days.
a ship here during the
The MEDICAL Nobody suggested
The CAPTAIN SUPERI -In England they go in for
The COLONIAL SURGEON Th do not in for stopping a vessel.
The MEDICAL OFFICER OF HEALTH ~~ do if there are any cases aboard. I sugge the resolution be altered to “after a vo any port or place," leaving out the nu days. If the Governor in Council port infected ships ought to be inspected. is what occurs to me. At present a ship coming from a port three days off may have an accid and the four days and the regulation anyone from being inspected if more than days away. It seems to me absurd. Hyogo more than three days away.
Mr. EDI was in favour of this resolution, considering that the Health Officer was obliged to let everybody go who was not siek.
The MEDICAL OFFICER OF HEALTH-No. The PRESIDENT said he had no serious objec The COLONIAL SURGEON here interrupted tion to the alteration. He thought, considering with an inaudible remark and the PRESIDENT what had been said about this section, that the Mr. EDE Can you add a word or two in then asked-What is the use of putting fifteen residents in the colony could congratulate them- regard to ships not being detained unnecessarily ? days if the vessel can be released in four days?selves upon the fact that although cholera and
The PRESIDENT, in reply to a question by
The CAPTAIN SUPERINTENDENT OF POLICE smallpox had been so prevalent in Japan for the the Medical Officer of Health, said-The-Supposing you proclaimed Hyogo it would last six or eight months, we had escaped. He Governor in Council certainly can say that a
have no effect. If you proclaim a place which believed there was scarcely a case imported from port is infected.
is over three days' journey it would have no Japan. effect at all.
The MEDICAL OFFICER OF HEALTH-Hoi- how, where these men came from, is infected
The MEDICAL OFFICER OF HEALTH-The with smallpox and it has not been declared in-regulations to my mind, are contradictory at fested, but if it was declared infected the present. regulations as they now stand would carry out what I suggest. Hoihow is within three days and if Hoihow had been declared infected the very thing we are asking for would have been dons,
The COLONIAL SURGEON-Practically the whole of China is infected:
The MEDICAL OFFICER OF HEALTH-Should not the ports be proclaimed if they are infected? The COLONIAL SURGEON-You never declare a port infected unless a disease is in a serious epidemic form. It is endemic every winter in China everywhere in China and all over India for the matter of that. ·
Mr. EDE-You have to get information from the authorities of the port that there is a dis- ease in an epidemic form.
The COLONIAL SURGEON—You have, and we should not declare a port infected because there were even twenty or thirty cases.
The MEDICAL OFFICER OF HEALTH-We have had weekly returns of cases in Hyogo and that port has not been declared infected.
The COLONIAL SURGEON-They will declare our port infected; they will say
EX Bo many cases a day; it must be infected!'
The CAPTAIN SUPERINTENDENT OF POLICE Bombay ought to be declared infected. The COLONIAL SURGEON-Bombay filters through Colombo. Smallpox is endemic all over the East and if you injure English ship- ping here there will be a howl. You just see what the shipping members of Council will say. The MEDICAL OFFICER OF HEALTH sug; gested as an alternative that only every vessel arriving here without a surgeon should be
inspected and said there ought to be a larger
ta to do the work.
The COLONIAL SURGEON—You had better ke all the junks as well, and you would want good deal more than the two you are talking about. This is a matter which has been thrashed out several times and I kicked about it myself a long time ago, but the idea has not been practicable. How many patients have there been in the hospital with poz! I do not think we were declared in- when we had over 50 or 60 in the hospital d they were coming in every day and dying smoke and we had mat-sheds in the hospital full of patients. There is no earthly why a person in this colony should get smallpor so long as there is any vaccine, so it
nonsense to tal about it
fect
IDENT again read his resolution.
econd
posed to send the out the direction Board
to amend the regulation and hoping that if Approved of by the Governor in Council the
|
The PRESIDENT-If a vessel comes in here under less than the incubation period what is the use of altering the quarantine regulations for a longer period if you are going to permit persons to land and settle in this colony before the incubation period has expired? It is no safeguard at all.
Mr. EDE-I agree with the President. I do not so the use of making the alteration unless you keep the vessels in- quarantine. The Health Officer goes on board a vessel that has been out five or six days and she goes into quarantine. There are, say, twenty persons with the germs of the disease in them and unless he keeps them for the remainder of the incuba. tion period he cannot tell them what to do.
The COLONIAL SURGEON-He has the power to say "I suggest this vessel be kept in quaran- tine for another ten days," and then there will be Glory Hallelujah.
The MEDICAL Officee of Health—Who says that P
The COLONIAL SURGEON-The Medienl Officer.
The MEDICAL OFFICER OF HEALTH-He has not power.
The COLONIAL SURGEON-But suppose you put it in the regulations he will have the power and there will be a dispute. Supposing board--Oh Lord! In England if there is no there are two or three vessels and no cases on
case on board the vessel is released at once. They would not stand it for a month in an
English port. If you are going to do that you will ruin this port.
The MEDICAL OFFICER OF HEALTH-If you are going to do what?
The COLONIAL SURGEON-If you are going to give the Medical Officer undisputed anthority to detain a ship.
The MEDICAL OFFICER OF HEALTH—Those passengers who are free from sickness are always allowed to land at once; the dealth officer has no power to detain them. What ever time it has taken a ship to come it ought to be boarded.
The COLONIAL SURGEON—1+ is utter nonsense to declare a port infected when you can protect yourselves. There is no necessity here for a soul to suffer from smallpox; that's a known fact.
The CAPTAIN SUPERINTENDENT OF POLICE Smallpox is not the only thing.
The COLONIAL SURGEON-We are talking about smallpox now and that is the most serious thing here to interfere with the ship- ping. Practically smallpox is all round us.
The MEDICAL OFFICER OF HEALTH-You mean that ships ought to be allowed to land cases of smallpox here.
The COLONIAL - SURGEON-NO. If there are cases of smallpox and you are going to stop
The MEDICAL OFFICER OF HEALTH-We cannot say that cases came lately in considerable numbers.
The resolution deleting "after a voyage of less than three days" in sub-section A. of section 2 of the quarantine regulations was carried. Dr. Ayres voted against it.
It was then resolved to recommend the Go- vernor in Council to declare Bombay infected with plague. Dr. Ayres did not vote on this resolution.
A similar resolution, which was proposed by the Captain Superintendent of Police, seconded by the President, affecting Tung Kun was lost. The Medical Officer of Health and Mr. Ede voted against it; Dr. Ayres did not veto:
It was also resolved to recommend the Governor in Council to declare Kobe and Hyogo infected with smallpox. Dr. Ayres voted against this resolution.
ADJOURNMENT. The Board then adjourned. HONGKONG VOLUNTEER CORPS DANCE.
It must be a very fine line that could be drawn between a function bearing the superior title of ball and the dance given by the Hong- kong Volunteer Corps on Wednesday night (10th Feb.) at the City Hall: the distinction, if there were any, was certainly not perceptible. Every feature associated with a grand ball was in ' evidence. With the exception of the theatre the whole of the building was utilized for the。 occasion, and the seven hundred people who were present must all acknowledge that for hearty enjoyment and warmth of hospitality
the Volunteer Dance will rank as one of the best_dancos given in the colony this season. The occasion was a most noted one. It was the first public function given by the Corps since Sir John Carrington assumed com- mand and it emphatically marks an important era in the history of the Corps—the rapid in- road which the Volunteer o
movement in making in popular favour. And we think there can be little doubt that this happy turn is in a great measure due to the appointment of such a highly esteemed oivilian as Sir John Carring ton to the post of Commandant, and there is every likelihood, now that the Corps has been so ably wrenched from the troubled waters of apathy, that the future will be conspic successful and that the ranks will be ma increased in numbers and efficiency. of the officers and men who were responsible for the arrangements of the ball congratulated upon the success They could not have decorations were military char indeed. The entrance with bamboo trees sup phreys and they electric glow lamps which creat
done
course in
The
No comments yet.
Private notes are available after approval.