April 9, 1898.]
THE SITUATION AND THE RECTI- FICATION OF THE KOWLOON FRONTIER.
(8th April.)
CHINA OVERLAND TRADE REPORT.
271
round to the other side of the island is of no
occurred there and these are supposed to | in sanitation, but so long as the free im, have been imported from Hongkong. It portation of disease into the colony strikes us, however, as somewhat remarkablé is allowed so long must we expect to that the Consul should be in a position to experience epidemics from time to time In the summary of Mr. BALFOUR'S state- large city with no system of death registra other ports. If a well equipped mail give such precise information. Canton is a and to be subjected to quarantine by ment in the House of Commons telegraphed by tion, and many cases of any particular steamer carrying a duly qualified doctor ar Reuter no mention is made of the restifica disease might occur without attracting rives in port with a single case of infectious tion of the boundaries of Hongkong, and it must be assumed either that the matter has special notice. It is only when the number disease on board she flies the quarantine flag been shelved or that it is still pending. The becomes so excessive as to excite remark Medical Officer before communicating with of funerals passing through the streets and awaits the directions of the Port latter is the more probable. Possibly some offer has been made to France with respect epidemic exists; contagious disease might fected passengers into the port and land that the public awakes to the fact that an the shore, but a junk may bring a dozen in- to the South of China similar to that which exist to a considerable extent before it them without let or hindrance. The medical was made to Russia with respect to the Gulf reached such dimensions that foreigners inspection of junks offers no difficulty what of Pechili. Great Britain offered, if Russia would become aware of it, and it would ever, beyond the provision of an adequate abstained from Port Arthur, to take no part never be safe to declare that it was alto- staff for the purpose, and that would not of the Gulf of Pechili. It will be noticed that Mr. BALFOUR makes no mention of the gether absent. The Chinese say that there be a matter of very great expense. The French demands, from which the inference hope they are correct, but although it may inspection would spend their time in sailing is at present no plague at Canton, and we suggestion that junks in order to escape may be drawn that no settlement has yet not be present in epidemic form we can been arrived at with reference to them, and hardly help thinking that a good many more the omission also of all reference to the than four cases must have occurred. Kowloon extension question leads to the whatever may be the case with regard to But further supposition that there may be some Canton it is certain that plague exists at connection between the two. It may be Macao and the Sanitary Board has adopted a very desirable to arrive at an understanding correct course in recommending the medical with France, but whatever the nature of inspection of passengers arriving thence. the understanding if arrived at be it is sincerely to
may It is rather a peculiar conicidence, however, be hoped that that only a few weeks ago one of the Macao it will not tie the hands of the British Government with respect to the much papers recommended the adoption of medi- needed extension of the boundaries of vent the introduction of the disease from cal inspection at Macao in order to pre- Hongkong. The acquisition of Kwongchau- Hongkong, and wan by France might be tolerated, but we is there it will no doubt be said that that the disease could certainly not tolerate any agreement it has been imported from this colony, by which France would acquire the right to Medical inspection has since been adopted say that the frontiers of this colong should not be adjusted as circumstances may re-bouring colony has as much warrant in the at Macao, a course for which the neigh- quire. That, however, appears to be the circumstances as Hongkong has. real meaning of France's demand for a guarantee from China that no part of the three Southern Provinces shall be ceded to any other Power. Great Britain would not dream of interfering in any small boundary question between the Tonkin Protectorate and China, and France has no possible claim whatever to interfere in any similar question with reference to Hong- kong.
Plague and ITS INTRODUCTION.
(2nd April.)
From the proceedings of the special meet- ing of the Sanitary Board held on the 31st March it will be seen that the members of the Board agree with the shipping community in ascribing the present epidemic of plague to the large influx of visitors that took place at the time of the Races. If that ascription is correct there would appear to be good reason for discouraging any large influx of Chinese visitors to the colony. It will be remembered that the outbreak of plague in 1894 occurred shortly after a large influx of visitors had been attracted to the colony by the holding of grand land and water pro- cessions, and it was popularly supposed that the disease was introduced at that time. . With the fearful epidemic prevailing in Canton during that year it was almost certain that, in the absence of special precautions, the disease would sooner or later reach Hongkong, but it might possibly never have raged as it did had the germs not been imported in such large quantities. This year there has been again a great in- flux of visitors-larger than usual even at Race time and again it has been followed by an outbreak of plague. The connection between the supposed cause and the effect can- not, however, be clearly traced. The bulk of the visitors came from Canton, and Canton is said to be practically free from plague, a letter having been received from the Consul to the effect that only about four cases have
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now
MEDICAL INSPECTION OF SHIPPING.
(8th April.)
Chamber of Commerce the Hon. T. H. At the meeting of the Hongkong General WHITEHEAD said the question of medical inspection and the stoppage of immigration should be studied, carefully reconsidered, and grappled with in the light of more recent experiences. In a previous part of his speech he had said medical inspection could no doubt be carried out, but he considered proper surveillance-by which presumably the hon. gentleman meant medical sur- veillance after the passengers had landed- was not practicable with the large number of persons arriving daily in the colony. He estimated that number at five thousand, which we believe is considerably over the mark; two thousand five hundred would be more nearly correct. In the annual report of the Medical Officer of Health laid before the meeting of the Sanitary Board yesterday Dr. CLARK makes some remarks regarding medical inspection which will prove a valuable contribution to the reconsideration of the question ге- commended by Mr. WHITEHEAD. When it is remembered that all the mail steamers and many other lines carry surgeons, whose certificate would be accepted by the board- ing medical officer, it will be seen, Dr. CLARK says, that not many of the thirteen steamers which enter the port daily will need a very prolonged visit from the officer, and that the time of these officers will be largely occupied in supervising the junk passenger traffic, which is generally admitted to be largely responsible for the introduc- tion of infectious diseases into the colony. The medical inspection of junks seems to us to be of great importance. It is all very well to talk about rendering the colony im- mune to infectious disease by improvements
What
weight; neither is the objection that pas junk would land at some point on the main- sengers instead of entering the harbour by land and walk across the Kowloon bound- ary. The passenger traffic enters the colony by well defined routes and any deviation from those routes would be at once detected and could be dealt with as it arose. has to be guarded against is not any deli- berate attempt to smuggle sick people into through ignorance or carelessness, and it is the colony, but the introduction of cases
time would be incurred by junks in order inconceivable that any expense or loss of to escape an inspection that would only in rare cases subject them to detention! Asto overland, it all has to pass the Chinese the traffic ordinarily coming in to Kowloon
Customs stations, and if it were found that disease was being introduced by that route it would be a very simple matter to apply medical inspection there also. With re- spect to the medical surveillance of pass engers after landing, it would only be from infected ports; as a rule surveillance applied in suspicious cases or to arrivals would not be called for and when it was the average number of cases could never be so large as to present any real difficulty. The whole scheme is quite feasible and the only question is whether in the interests of the public health and for the possible avoidance of quarantine on arrivals from Hongkong at other ports it is worth while incurring the trouble and expense that would be in- volved.
SUPREME COURT.
4th April.
IN APPELLATE JURISDICTION.
BEFORE SIR JOHN CARRINGTON (CHIEF JUSTICE) AND MR. JUSTICE WISE (PUISNE JUDGE).
GARDEN
THE CHAMPERTY CASE.—THE CONVICTIONS QUASHED. This was the appeal of Wong Chuk Lam, a clerk in Mr. K. W. Mounsey's Office, and Pang Kun Chee, against the decision of the Hon. H. E. Wodehouse given on the fourth of N vember of last year, when a charge of champerty was brought against the appellants, Wong Chuk Lam being fined $100 and Pang Kun Chee ordered to pay a similar amount and also sentenced to six weeks' imprisonment. Leave to appeal was given. A junk belonging to Kwok Hin Tai was run down by the P. and O. steamer Rosetta and some of the boat people were drowned. The owner of the junk saw Pang Kun Chi, who promised, it was alleged by the prosecution, to obtain compensa. tion from the P. and O. Company. He also undertook to pay costs on the understanding that the owner paid Pang Kun 60 per cent, of
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