July 7, 1897.1
feel quite sure that the Vice-President is fully acquainted with Rule 76 of the Colonial Rules and Regulations :-" All salaried public officers are prohibited from engaging in any trade or connecting themselves with any commercial undertaking without leave of the Govern- ment approved by the Secretary of State." If the Vice-President has any reason to believe that that Rule is in this colony more honoured in the breach than in the observance by the subordinates in this or any other department I think the proper course to adopt is for the Government to make such a demand as this upon the subordinate officers generally in the colony. It seems to me that to bring such a resolution as this before the Sanitary Board casts a slur upon the subordin- ate officers. If such things do take place--and I presume the Vice-President thinks they do, otherwise he would not have brought forward this resolution-one can hardly believe that the subordinate officials in this department alone are to blame. Why those officials should be more blameworthy than those of any other department I cannot say, but in order to have the matter tested I think the proper course would be for it to be dealt with by the Government and for a general order applicable to all depart- ments to be promulgated. Why I say that this Board is not in the position of an employer of labour is to accentuate the fact that we have no power, even supposing the subordinate officers are connected with business proceedings, to make the demand. The Government have the power, because it is a breach of the Colonial regulations, but so long as a man performs the duty for which he is paid we have no power. For that reason I think the matter had far
better be brought forward before the Executive Council, and therefore I am reluctantly compelled to vote against the resolution. I do not think it is wise to case imputations on officers of this Board and to ignore the other departments.
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CHINA OVERLAND TRADE REPORT.
that the Medical Officer of Health had not seen certain papers that passed between the late President and myself, but I do not think he is altogether correct in saying what he did about the evidence. There is more evidence than he thinks.
The MEDICAL OFFICER OF HEALTH-Before the Board, I said,
The CAPTAIN SUPERINTENDENT OF POLICE I do not know what the late President did with the papers.
The PRESIDENT-I certainly think that as these rumours do exist in the colony it is necessary, in the interests of the public service, to take some steps in this matter, and for that reason I have seconded the motion calling upon each and everyone of the subordinate officers to make a full and accurate statement of the business concerns, if any, in which they are interested, so that we shall be enabled to clearly find out whether there is any truth in these rumours or not. If they are denied and evidence brought for ward we shall have a clear and definite basis to go upon.
The resolution was then put. The mover and seconder voted in favour of it and the Acting Director of Public Works and the Medical Officer of Health voted against it.
The resolution was carried by the casting vote of the Chairman.
BUBONIC PLAGUE IN FORMOSA,
An official return from Taiwan, Formosa, showed that from 26th May to 9th June there were 75 cases of plague and 60 deaths in Taiwan.
MORTALITY STATISTICS.
The death rate for the week ended 19th June was 23.2, as against 11.3 for the corresponding period of last year. For the week ended 26th June, the death-rate was 18.9 as compared with 24.4 in the corresponding period last year.
A NEW MARKET FOR TAIKOKTSUI,
Mr. John Lemm made an application on
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the exception of a serious outbreak of a virulent communicable disease amongst the stock of animals on the Dairy Farm Company's premises at Pok-fu-lum, the health of the animals in the Colony, both in the public depôts and in the private sheds, was on the whole good.
The occurrence of cattle plague amongst the animals at Pokfulum presents some features which deserve careful attention. On the 9th March the Chairman of the Dairy Farm Com- pany reported to the colonial secretary that a number of their animals were suffering from a communicable disease of an influenza type, and on the 10th be described it as spreading amongst the animals on the farm with lightning-like rapidity. So far as have been able to as- certain, cases of illness, i.e., minor ailments, had been fairly prevalent amongst the animals on this farm for some months previous to the occur- rence of the first case of rinderpest. However, there does not appear to be any connection be- tween these cases of illness, which were mainly characterised by a marked increase in the animals' temperature, and the subsequent cases of rinderpest. The rapidity with which a num- ber of animals became ill is enough to throw doubt on the canse being the ordinary infection of one animal by another and forcibly suggests that the real causation of the disease in the first instance was a contaminated food supply. This source of causation is rendered more probable when there is very good reason to believe that cases of cattle plague wera occurring in the neighbourhood of Canton at about the same time. Unfortunately, it is not known for cer- tain that the cattle disease, which was more or less prevalent in the neighbourhood of Can- ton, was cattle plague. Even if it was cattle plague, I have no reliable information that any cases there preceded those which first occur- red in this colony. It is, however, beyond question that bran is regularly imported here from a district not very far from Canton, and
The CAPTAIN SUPERINTENDENT OF POLICE behalf of two squatters to erect a building at / that this bran forms a very considerable part of
Taikoktsui for use as a market.
On the application being circulated all the members of the Board notified their opinion that a market was necessary in the neighbour hood, but they thought it would be a mistake to allow the establishing of a public market by private enterprise. The Acting Director of
the food supply of the milch cows in the colony. These circumstances indicate pretty clearly the need which exists that the dairymen in the colony should exercise rigorons care in the pur- chase of the imported food stuffs which they give to their animals.
During July and August four ships arrived
-Dr. Clark has said that this Board stands in the place of the head of a department. I thoroughly concur in that, and it is the duty of the head of the department, and therefore of this Board, to see that the Colonial regulations, and any other regulations affecting the public service, are observed. It is not pretended in this resolution that we have any power Public Works reported that a building to suit from Hainan with 37, 21, 8, and 8, dead swine to deal with any officers who may contravene the Colonial regulations, but it is our duty to investigate such matters when they exist and report thereon to the Government. I cannot agree with Dr. Clark that if in any one department there should be reason to sus- pect that any irregularities are occurring therefore the whole service should be called on.
to furnish a return such as this, no more do I
present requirements could be erected on land which was now available at Taikoktsui. The
estimated cost was $3,000.
It was resolved to request the Government to carry out the recommendations of the Acting Director of Public Works.
THE REPORT OF THE SECRETARY
OF THE SANITARY BOARD,
At the meeting of the Sanitary Board on 30th June the report for 1896 of the Secre- tary, Mr. Hugh McCallum, was laid on the table. We make the following extracts from it :-
DRAINAGE WORKS.
This branch of the Board's work is dealt with in detail by the Sanitary Surveyor in his report for the year. From his report it will be seen that very considerable progress has been made in the systematic inspection of the house drains in the Colony, and in getting the necessary work of re-draining those houses, where the drains have been found to be in a defective and insanitary condition, accomp.sued. This very necessary work would have been practically completed, so far as the City of Victoria is concerne, had the Assistant Surveyor not found it to his advantage to resign his public appointment, and resume his private practice. His place has not yet been filled and as a result, since his resignation in July, only such inspec- tions have been made as could not be postponed.
think that by passing such a resolution as that I have just proposed any slur is cast upon this department. If the thing does not exist, well and good; if it does consequences will ensue. I would only add that the work of this particular department is of such a nature that there is more room for its subordinate officers to engage in business transactions than in any other department except- perhaps not even excepting the Public Works Department. It is obvious that where a vast number of houses are concreted and a vast number of houses limewashed and a vast amount of sanitary work of all sorts is being done, the door is opened to subordinate officers engaging in business transactions. The door is not open 80 wide in other departments because there are not the same opportunities. Now, Sir, since Dr. Clark has forced me to somewhat show my hand, I say that during the last six or nine months the rumours outside regarding the business transactions of the subordinate mem- bers of this department have been most persistent, and I think it is quite time that this Board should take some notice of it, and It is satisfactory to be able to record that therefore I deem it my duty to bring forward the malicious choking of house drains, which the resolution I have proposed.
was so prevalent some three years ago. has The MEDICAL OFFICER OF HEALTH-The practically ceased. Such choking of these Board absolutely no evidence to show drains as now takes place is, I feel sure, in the that going on. I asked if there main, due either to ignorance or to carelessness, was any argument in support of the allegation and chiefly to the former canse. and none was brought forward. That was why I said a slur would be cast upon this department if the resolution is passed.
The CAPTAIN SUPERINTENDENT OF POLICE
As regards the evidence, I was not aware'
MARKETS AND SLAUGHTER-HOUSES. The annual report of the officer performing the duties of the Colonial Veterinary Surgeon deals with this branch of the Board's work. From his report it will be observed that with
on board. There was a suspicion that death
resulted from swine fever, but I am inclined to
think that the heat of the sun and the manner in which the animals were packed opo above the other in baskets, together with little or no fluid food during the passage was the real cause of the illness which resulted fatally. The cir- cumstance that out of a very large number of these animals brought up by the same ship and that were in a very exhausted condition on being lauded, only five died after landing, is enough of itself to throw doubt on the assertion that
death resulted from the disease known as swine
fever.
36 sheds capable of housing 1.266 head of cattle, 8 sheds capable of housing 260 head of goats, and 867 pens capable of housing 6,790 head of swine were licensed during the year. The housing of these animals may now be fairly considered to be in a satisfactory condition,
MORTALITY STATISTICS.
Inasmuch as these are now fully dealt with by the Medical Officer of Health in his annual report, I have asked him to append to it the tabular statements and diagrams which I have submitted to the Board with this report for a number of years past.
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CEMETERIES.
The remarks made last year regarding the laying out of the public cemeteries for Chinese still hold good. However, it is hoped the Assis tant Surveyor will be able soon after his arrival to take is very necessary work in hand.
INFECTIOUS DISEASES,
The following are the number of cases of the various communicable diseases which have been notified during the year, viz. :--
Bubonic Plague Small-pux Typhus Fever Puerperal Fever Enteric Fever Diphtheria Cholera
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