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THE MEDICAL INSPECTION OF
"two
SHIPS.
THE HONGKONG WEEKLY PRESS AND
As
went to Stanley to escape inspection-which they would not be at all likely to do, seeing that the medical inspection might| detain them perhaps an hour, while the voyage to Stanley might with contrary winds occupy a day-the question could be very readily dealt with when it arose. to the land traffic across the Kowloon frontier, people do not come afoot from very great distances, and the general state of health prevailing in our immediate neigh bourhood is a matter on which the health authorities are supposed to keep them-
in selves permanently posted; the event of an outbreak of epidemic
the disease there
measures necessary
[July 29, 1897,
tions of the Local Government Board. It is idle to say trade would be dislocated without giving some indication of how the disloca- tion would take place,
THE LEKIN FARM QUESTION AT WUCHOW.
The trade of the newly opened port of Wuchow carried by foreign steamers, though as yet small, is sufficient, we believe, to more than cover the expenses of the vessels employed in it, while the prospects for the future are encouraging. There has been some grumbling and dissatisfaction
to
We are afraid the Committee requested by the Chamber of Commerce to report upon the proposal to submit all vessels arriving at Hongkong to medical inspection cannot be congratulated upon affording much assistance to the Government or much enlightenment to the public. Whether on balancing the advantages and disadvantages of medical inspection it is desirable that the system should be introduced here may be a moot point, but it is surprising at this time of day to find a body of practical business men attacking the principle on which that system rests. Medical inspection has in the United Kingdom replaced the old barbarous system of indiscriminate quarantine, but, according to the Committee whose advice was solicited by the Chamber of Commerce, the system is ineffective, because passengers arriving from adjacent points "might have plague and other disease germs in their systems not in a sufficiently advanced stage to be observed at the time of "examination, but liable to develop in our midst, perhaps within a day or after being passed as healthy." If that be admitted as a objection to medical inspection, the con- clusion would be that we should go back to quarantine, with its pecuniary loss, incon- venience, and physical suffering and danger. It will be observed that the Committee of It would hardly be contended that no bar: the Chamber of Commerce, while they say rier should be opposed to the introduction of they are in substantial agreement with the disease, and if, as the Committee say, medical Committee of shipping experts, do not agree inspection is ineffective, there is nothing but with them as to the ineffectiveness of quarantine to fall back upon. But medical medical inspection. On the contrary, they inspection is not ineffective, and the passage say they are prepared to admit the desirabi- of the report to which we have drawn atten- lity of medical inspection when occasions tion must have been penned in ignorance of arise which seem to demand it, such as the what the system really is and how it works outbreak of an epidemic like that recently in practice. The system was put to a severe experienced in Hongkong, to which they practical test in England on the occasion of understand that the Local Government the cholera epidemic at Hamburg: constant Board regulations only apply. On that communication with the infected district point we believe the Committee's under- was maintained, but the introduction of the standing is mistaken. Any vessel arriving disease into England was effectually pre- in a port of the United Kingdom is liable vented by the system which the Committee to medical inspection; the only difference of Hongkong shipping experts condemn between the system in the United Kingdom as ineffective-and prevented with the and that proposed for Hongkong is that în most trifling loss and delay to shipping. the former the responsibility is thrown on One or two cases of the disease did the Customs officers of reporting if there is in fact declare themselves after landing, any sickness on board a vessel, and the visit but as the system of medical inspection of the doctor is dependent to some extent on keeps track of the passengers for some time the Customs officer's report, whereas in after arrival these cases were promptly Hongkong, where vessels are not boarded by detected and isolated and they gave rise to a Customs officer, the visit of the doctor no outbreak.
would take place in all cases. But while the Committee of the Chamber admit the desirability of medical inspection when occasions arise which seem to demand it, they are of opinion that under normal conditions the dislocation of trade and the heavy expense which a systematic and really thorough inspection of vessels would involve render its maintenance undesirable if not impracticable. We do not know what is meant by a really thorough "inspection," but an inspection suffici-
to ascertain ent
whether there was
that the trade has not at once sprung would be taken as a matter of course. large proportions, and complaints have been (3) The magnitude of the staff necessary made that the Chinese authorities were for such an inspection and the consequent proving obstructive. The opening of Wu- expense to the colony will, the committee chow has, however, been attended with a that think, be apparent. The expense would be greater immediate success than was the salaries of four doctors. (4) The Com-of the Yangtsze port of Ichang. The latter mittee are of opinion that medical inspection port was opened in April, 1877, and during would divert the Chinese passenger trade the first nine months of its existence as a from Hongkong. We see no ground for such Treaty port the trade coming under the an opinion. The detention in the case of cognisance of the Foreign Customs was vessels carrying a surgeon and having no almost ùil, being in fact less than Tls. 5,000. sickness on board would be nil and in In 1878 the amount was only Tls. 71,000, the case of other vessels would probably and in 1879 Tls. 612,508. Last year the not exceed a couple of hours at the outside.
over fifteen million taels. It seems inconceivable that such a nominal. Whether the trade of Wuchow will ever delay as that should divert trade from the reach that figure time alone can show, but colony.
there can be no doubt that it will attain respectable proportions. The Commissioner of Customs at Ichang, writing on the trade of the port in 1877 and 1878, said, "It has,
WAS amount substantial
The other points mentioned by the Com- mittee we will briefly notice seriatim. (1) The geographical situation of Hongkong is, according to the Committee, so peculiar that the prevention of the im- portation of disease is impracticable. We should say, on the contrary, there are few places in the world so favourably situated geographically for preventing the importation of disease if adequate mea- sures for that purpose be taken. That is a simple matter on which each reader may safely exercise his own common sense. (2) The Committee think that provision would have to be made for inspection at Stanley, Aberdeen, and other places where it is possible for passengers to land, in addition to which some system would have to be devised for inspecting persons crossing the Kowloon border from Chinese into British territory. That strikes us as a mere straining at a gnat. How many pas sengers land in a year at Stanley or Aber deen from places outside the colony? If after the institution of medical inspection at the entrances of Victoria harbour junks
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any dangerous infectious or contagious disease on board would occupy but a short time, the expense would be inconsiderable, and it has not been shown in what way trade would be dislocated. On the other hand, the colony would be kept free of disease and the danger of vessels proceeding hence being quarantined in other ports would be materially lessened. If there are any strong reasons against a uni- form system of medical inspection they should be clearly stated; in the absence of such reasons it seems to us the Government would be well advised to act on the sugges-
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however, to be borne in mind that, a new "scheme will seldom work well at the very "outset and must have a certain time to 'develop," and that the exporting mer- chants at Chungking, the nearest Szechuen market of importance, could not make new arrangements all at once. Similar con- siderations might be urged with respect to
Wuchow.
As to the obstructiveness of the Chinese officials, the mandarins are much the same all over China, and it was not to be anticipated that they would be found more tractable at Wuchow than at the other open ports. So far, however, it
fair to
the that since say seems opening of the port their efforts do not appear to have been directed so much to the levying of illegal charges, or the keeping out of foreign goods, as to keeping out the foreigner himself and monopolising the import trade in the hands of natives, with whom they would no doubt be themselves beneficially associated. The first step was to establish a kerosine oil and match färm, which was to collect the whole of the lekin on these articles, by whomsoever imported, and also itself to trade in the articles. In our issue of the 10th July we drew attention to this organisation and its prob- able effects. A correspondent signing him- self" B.F.S.R." a few days ago attempted to traverse certain of our statements and arguments. This correspondent stated that he had bad an interview with the agent of the Company which has been formed to farm the collection of Ti-shui (lit : local tax) on kerosine and matches in Kwangsi, that the agent assured him there was no intention whatever on the part of the Com- pany to extend its operations to piece goods and other articles of import, or, with the supposed __ enjoy, to privileges it was
matches imported by undersell kerosine itself with the object of ultimately having a monopoly of these two articles in the province of Kwangsi; in fact the Company was prepared “to give up the right to ** import kerosine and matches and to contine “itself to the collection of the tax fair and
e ano
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