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On the motion of Mr. EDE, seconded by Mr. CRAWFORD, the following Executive Committee was appointed in order to facilitate the conduct of business and to carry on the work which had hitherto been discharged by the General Com- mittes.-The Chairman, the Hon. Secretary, the Hon. Treasurer, Hon. J. J. Bell-Irving, Hon. Ho Kai, Mr. J. J. Francis, Q.C., and Mr. W. Danby.
The Committee then adjourned.
HONGKONG SANITARY BOARD.
THE HONGKONG WEEKLY PRESS AND
A meeting of the Sanitary Board was held on Thursday at the offices. Dr. Atkinson (Prin- cipal Civil Medical Officer) presided and there were also present-Hou.. F. H. May (Captain Superintendent of Police), Dr. Clark (Medical Officer of Health), Mr. N. J. Ede, and Mr. H. MoCallum (Secretary).
MINUTES.
The minutes of the previous ordinary meeting and of the special meeting were read and con- firmed.
THE PERIODICAL DISINFECTION OF PAWNED ARTICLES.
The PRESIDENT-The supposition is pretty | well correct; it is a matter of common sense. The clothes are there during the summer months and they are taken out at the commencement of the winter, and the germs are then set free.
The CAPTAIN SUPERINTENDENT OF POLICE remarked that there was smallpox in Canton and he doubted whether with the great traffic be- tween Canton and Hongkong, the number of cases would not be about the same.
In reply to a question the MEDICAL OFFICER OF HEALTH said that there had been sixteen cases of smallpox this month. There were sixty-seven case of plague last month, but he was not cer tain of the number of smallpox cases. There had been only one case of smallpox during the last five days.
The CAPTAIN SUPERINTENDENT OF POLICE thought the disinfection of articles in pawn- brokers' shops was a big and delicate job. Unless there was a very urgent reason for it he did not think they should adopt it.
The PRESIDENT replied that the urgent rea- son was the presence of plague and smallpox in the colony.
Mr. EDE remarked that he foresaw many diffi. culties in the way, and in view of the fact that we were in daily communication with Canton- hundreds of people went to and fro-he was not in favour of the proposal.
colony.
Mr. EDE thought that epidemics of smallpox came in periods. This, he believed, was the maximum number, as it was the third year.
The PRESIDENT said there was an epidemie in 1887, another in 1896, and there was one this year.
The CAPTAIN SUPERINTENDENT OF POLICE enquired if the disease was considered epidemic
LOW.
The PRESIDENT replied that there were more cases than usual and two districts had been declared infected.
A long petition was presented by the Pawn- brokers' Guild against a proposal that the articles in their shops should be disinfected twice a
The SECRETARY said that from the 1st Janu- year. The petitioners stated that they had given the matter careful considera-ary last there were 157 cases of smallpox,in the tion and had come to the conclusion that there were a great many objections and difficul- ties attending the disinfection of articles. Wearing apparel was discoloured and more easily worn out by the disinfecting process, and people redeeming them would claim compensa- tion. Would the Government or the Secretary of the Sanitary Board pay that compensation? At present wealthy people used the pawnshops as store-houses, but if the proposal to disin. fect was carried out people would refrain from pawning articles in Hongkong and go to Chinese Kowloon and Samshuipo. Two days would be devoted to the purposes of disin- fection. The employés would have to give up ten days in getting the articles ready and twenty days in putting them back. So that alto- gether the employés would have to work seventy odd days during the year. The expenditure was very heavy and the cost of the licences was also heavy, and the using of seventy odd days would be a great injury to the business of the guild. Further, people wanting to redeem would perhaps have to wait thirty days before they could get their articles, and they would have to pay interest for those thirty days. Cost of labour would be increased as thousands of arti cles would have to be taken to the disinfection station by coolies, and perhaps many things would be lost. Only about eighty or ninety per cent. of the people using the pawnshops re deemed their clothes, and if the things had to be disinfected the percentage of people redeeming would be much lower, and the pawnbrokers would therefore not be able to get back their capital, and conseqently would not be able to pay rent and other expenses.
The CAPTAIN SUPERINTENDENT OF POLICE expressed the opinion that with the constant coming and going of Canton people the gain would be inappreciable. It was not a very nice job to interfere with a Chinaman's habits. He had no doubt it could be done, but the game was not worth the caudle.
The PRESIDENT said the Board's duty was to consider whether the scheme was advisable in the interests of public health. As a sanitary measure it was advisable and should be done.
[March 12, 1898. Government were going to pay for all infected property that was destroyed.
It was resolved to reply that this was a case Each case would be considered on special. its merits and it was not the intention of the Board to recommend compensation in all cases.
L
THE OUTBREAK OF RINDERPEST, Mr. JAMES WALKER, manager of the Pok- fulum Dairy Farm, wrote asking the Board for the lot on which the cow-sheds at Sassoon Villa are situated to be declared free and for the re- maining portion of the lot to be declared an infected area. He pointed out that Nos. 2, 3, and
sheds had been empty for some time, and that 1, 2, 3, and 4 had been fumigated and thoroughly disinfected, while in No. 5 shed there had been no disease. The six European bred cattle had been removed to a distance of 500 yards from these sheds and separated from each other by sixty or seventy yards, segregation thus being complete. All the cow boys are and had heen since the outbreak looked in the sheds and not allowed egress, while the cow boys had been locked in their respective sheds at Pokfulum as well as at Sussoon Villa.
The MEDICAL OFFICER OF HEALTH ap- pended the following minute-I think that if the Colonial Veterinary Surgeon is satisfied that these sheds bave been thoroughly disin fected and can state that the period of incuba- tion of the disease has expired since any cattle contained in these sheds were affected, with the disease, the request might be granted. The Dairy Farm Company are no doubt just as anxious to save their cattle as the Board is to prevent the spread of the disease.
The PRESIDENT-I may mention that we have information from Mr. Ladds that there have been no further cases at the farm.
Mr. ELE asked if the burning of the carcase of the last animal affected had been successful.
The SECRETARY, at the request of the Pre- sident, read the following letter:
Government Offices, 10th March, 1898. Sir, I have the honour to report for the in- formation of the Sanitary Board that in ac cordance with their instructions the last animal which was suffering from rinderpest at Sas- soon Villa, Pokfulum, was destroyed at 10 a.m. on the 8th instant, and his carcase was burned under the direction of Sheik Ranjah, the man supplied by the Board to carry out the work.
After burning for twenty-eight hours the carcase was completely consumed at a cost for Mr. EDE-Theoretically, no doubt, but prac fuel, labour, etc., of $153.70. Since then there tically we should, in my opinion fail.
The PRESIDENT-I move that the disinfec-
tion of clothing in Chinese pawnbrokers' shops in the city of Victoria shall be periodically car- ried out in October and April. There are six- teen shops altogether.
The MEDICAL OFFICER OF HEALTH said there could be no question about the benefits which might be derived from disinfecting articles in pawnbrokers' shops, but he was in- clined to agree with Mr. Ede and the Captain Superintendent of Police that the advantages The following minutes were appended:- would be counterbalanced by the difficulties that Mr. EDE-I think the difficulties in the way would be met. If this scheme was carried out of this scheme are very considerable, and if the at the present moment it would be very like tell- pawnbroking business goes over to Mongkoking the ventilator man to make the window wider. we shall have no security at all and less con- The clothes were a small source of infection and trol over disease spreading garments than we there was a large source of infection in the. have now.
thousands of coolies who went backwards and forwards from Canton. As there was no medi- cal control over that traffic he was unable to second the resolution. If the Government were exercising all possible control to prevent infec. tion from every source this door also might be closed, but while there were so many other doors open the best thing the Board could do was to postpone action until a future day.
The resolution not being seconded fell to the ground. COMPENSATION FOR DESTROYED INFECTED
The CAPTAIN SUPERINTENDENT OF POLICE -It is really a question of utility. Are the prospective advantages to be gained such as justify the somewhat arbitrary proceeding which will cost a great deal of trouble and possibly expense ?
The PRINCIPAL CIVIL MEDICAL OFFICER -I have ascertained that there have been no complaints re injury to clothing during the process of disinfection at the Tung Wah Hos- pital. There, at my suggestion every patient's clothing that he wears on admission is dis- infected, this occurring twice weekly. I am of opinion that the existence of smallpox and plague in our midst at present renders some such measure imperative.
The minutes having been read the CAPTAIN SUPERINTENDENT OF POLICE asked what was the evidence that smallpox was let loose when clothes were taken out of the pawnshop.
The MEDICAL OFFICER OF HEALTH-It is purely presumptive evidence.
ARTICLES.
At the last ordinary meeting the Board re- commended the Government to grant compensa- tion to a shopkeeper in First Street on whose premises there were two cases of plague. His goods were ordered to be destroyed and it was for these goods that the compensation was re- commended.
The Government authorised the payment. The Officer administering the Government for- warded a minute asking if it was thought the
have been no fresh cases.
I should be glad to know, in the event of any more cases of disease occurring, whether it is the wish of the Board that I should continue to destroy the carcases by fire or if they consider that burial with quicklime will meet the re- quirements.-I have the honour to be, etc.
C. VIVIAN Ladds.
The Secretary,
Sanitary Board, The PRESIDENT It seems to me to be a pretty expensive business.
Mr. EDE-Burial with quicklime is the best. The CAPTAIN SUPERINTENDENT OF POLICE -I got the man and he estimated the cost would be $40 and that it would take twelve hours to burn the carcase.
The SECRETARY said that the quantity of fuel the man first asked for would not have consumed half the carcase.
Mr. EDE moved that the animals be buried with quicklime in a place selected for the purpose.
The PRESIDENT said that some time ago there was an epidemic of rinderpest in Ayrshire, Scotland. The cattle were buried in a field, which was walled in. The field was re-opened about five years afterwards and in three months there was a fresh outbreak of rinderpest amongst the cattle, showing that the disease germs were in the soil all the time.
Mr. EDE said that in Japan carcases were burnt in the crematoriums for $1.50 each.
The CAPTAIN SUPERINTENDENT OF POLICE said the skin of the carcase should be first removed.
Mr. EDE withdrew his resolution and it was decided to continue the burning process should any more cases occur.
It was resolved to grant the application of the Manager of the Dairy Farm.
No comments yet.
Private notes are available after approval.