July 16, 1898.1
current of air is shut off from that direction. This smoke nuisance can be easily abated, as suitable clay fireplaces can be easily and cheaply put in.
"Many dark houses would be greatly im. proved by letting a small square of glass into the roof. Dark houses were nearly always dirty.
"Houses 1, 2, 3, 4, and 5, Fourth lane, are in a dirty and insanitary condition; they are all little better than hovels. They have been disinfected three times. Some boats on the foreshore above high-water mark at Yaumati | should be removed.
"The houses in Fuk Sing lane will require a lot of attention, as a number of cases of plague have occurred there. The drains in several of these houses have had to be unblocked 'several times; probably they need repair.
£
On May 31st all the sampans in this district (No. 12) were examined. The boats were very clean for Chinese sampans; no sick people were found except two children just recovering from smallpox.
"A large number of houses have been dis- infected with chlorine. The process employed for disinfecting simultaneously a large number of houses without removal of the inmates was to place in each room on each floor two ounces of a mixture of one part of salt and one part of manganese dioxide. On this mixture was poured six ounces of diluted sulphuric acid (1 in 4). This gave off slowly but continuously for about 12 hours a stream of chlorine which did not greatly interfere with the inmates, who were told to open all their doors and windows if the action of the chlorine became too suf- focating. Throughout Kowloon the Chinese gladly received this disinfectant, and speaking generally we found that they were ready to obey any directions in order to be protected from plague, provided that such directions did not mean that they were put to any expense.
For disinfection of closed houses in which plague had occurred the following process was employed: close the doors, windows, and all apertures as completely as possible (a cerpen ter is required for this). Then place half a pound of chlorinated lime in a pot and well mix with a quart of water. Place this in the centre of the floor and pour on a quart of diluted sulphuric acid (1 in 5). Where the floors are large two pots to each should be used. Commence to disinfect on the top floor. The following quantities of substances for disinfection have been used: 3 owl. man- ganese dioxide, 3 cwt. salt, 800 pounds of sul- phuric acid, 3,000 pounds of chlorinated lime.
"House to house visitation was carried on by Sergeant Cameron and P.C. Cormack after the cleansing of the whole district of Kowloon was completed on June 2nd. All the Chinese houses in British Kowloon were visited. The
visitation was considered by me to be unneces- sary after June 18th,
"C.P. C. Lovell was in charge of a cleansing party from April 20th to May 3rd, when his place was taken by P.C. Cormack, who returned to his ordinary duties on June 19th. Sergeant Cameron was in charge of a cleansing party from April 20th to June 18th, after which he returned to his ordinary duties. C. P. C. Lovell, P.C. Cormack, and Sergeant Cameron carried out extremely satisfactorily the work entrusted to them."
Attached to the report is a return which shows that in No. 11 district 26 cases of plague were removed from March 16th to June 18th, and that in No. 12 district during the same period 149 cases of plague were removed.
The following minutes were appended :- The PRESIDENT-"The Board should by resolution thank Mr. Browne for the very valuable work he has voluntarily done for the Board, and a synopsis report should be for warded to Government. . I should like to know whether the Medical Officer of Health does not think that disinfection by chlorine is better than disinfection by sulphur. If he does then it would be well if the method adopted by Mr. Browne were always adopted by the Board. Personally I have not much faith in the sulphur disinfection.
~ The MEDICAL OFFICER OF HEALTH-The
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CHINA OVERLAND TRADE REPORT.
I do not consider that chlorine in germicidal | lead to a discussion. The matter came to him quantities is a safe disinfectant for general use as Director of Public Works, and he approved and in small quantities (as used in occupied of these water-closets. He had not the slightest houses in Kowloon) I do not consider that it is idea at the time that the thing would come of any value."
before the Sanitary Board. He forgot that it required their sanction. He would suggest that the matter be allowed to stand over. to another meeting to enable them to consider the thing a little more fully.
The report alluded to by the Medical Officer of Health is one which he presented to the Board in January last, in which he expressed his dissatisfaction with the process of fami- gation with burning sulphur in operation in the colony, and recommending the purchase of two disinfecting sprayers as used in the city of Paris for some years past with great success.
The VICE-PRESIDENT-I beg to move a vote of thanks to Mr. Browne for the valuable services rendered by him during the epidemic of bubonic plague. Mr. Browne gave up a great deal of his time. He is not in any way connected with the Board and his assistance certainly has been of very great value.
The DIRECTOR OF PUBLIC WORKS-I beg to second.
The motion was carried.
THE PLAGUE AT AMOY AND SWATOW,
A letter from the British Consul at Amoy, dated July 2nd, said :--" I have the honour to inform you that it is universally stated that the epidemic of bubonic plague is abating here. The medical men here are of opinion that the plague is dying ont and that they will soon be able to declare this port free. The Chinese authorities take a still more rosy view of the situation, and state that the plague is finished, I think it best, before declaring the port free. to wait a little."
A return from Macao showed that during the week ended June 26th there were two deaths from plague.
A letter from the British Consulate ut Swatow, dated July 9th, said "I am of opinion that the disease is practically stamped out here, and that there is no further danger of its importation into Hongkong from this port. Under these circumstances I venture to hope that His Excellency will no longer insist on the medical examination of passengers leaving this port for the colony. Swatow is a big shipping port and has only one medical officer, and this examination, besides being a considerable expense to ship-owners, is frequently a cause of delay in the departure of steamers."
The MEDICAL OFFICER OF HEALTH stated that the Board had taken no action with regard to Swatow. Swatow had not been proclaimed.
The PRESIDENT-Is there any recent in- formation with regard to Amoy ?
The MEDICAL ÖFFICER OF HEALTH-No; I am expecting another letter, because in the last letter the Consul said we had better wait a lit tle before we do anything further.
The subject then dropped.
THE WATER CLOSET QUESTION.
Application was made for permission to erect trough-closets at the new married quarters to be erected by the military authorities.
The VICE-PRESIDENT said he begged leave to move that the Board adhere to the lines of the policy adopted by the Board on the re- commendation of the sub-committee in days gone by, and that, this application fall- ing outside the category of buildings which they had agreed to allow to have water-closets, they inform the applicants that they regretted they were unable to entertain the application He thought the less they had to do with water. closets in this colony the better. Unfortunately they had gone a certain distance, and personally he was very averse to going any further.
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in favour of postponing the matter until the The PRESIDENT said that personally he was next meeting before coming to a conclusion. He thought himself that the main reason which led the sub-committee to oppose the introduc. tion of water-closets was the limited water supply. Now that they had an abundant water supply he, thought the matter might be reconsidered. He might remark that only that morning he was reading about an epidemic of typhoid fever at Norwich, and he saw that there were fewer cases in houses with water-closets than in thoge without,
The VICE-PRESIDENT said an application had been made to them, and they had got to gay either yes or no. Military Authorities to know whether the It was better for the
Board would grant the application or not. The Board had got the fullest information on the subject, and he did not know what further information it required.
The DIRECTOR beg to move as an amendment that the matter OF PUBLIC WORKS-I
be reconsidered in a fortnight.
The ACTING REGISTRAR-GENERAL seconded, The Amendment was carried.
AMALYST'S REPORT.
Mr. Frank Browne, Acting Government Analyst, in his report for the quarter ended June 30th, says that he examined six samples of milk and nine of whisky. Of the former two were genuine, and of the latter eight, the rest being adulterated.
HONGKONG MORTALITY RETURNS.
week ended July 2nd showed the death rate per The Hongkong mortality returns for the 1,000 per annum to be 15'9, against 147 for the previous week and 22.9 for the corresponding week last year.
The proceedings then terminated.
RIOTING IN SZECHUEN. MISSIONS DESTROYED.
A FRENCH PRIEST CAPTURED.
[SPECIAL TELEGRAM TO THE “
DAILY PRESS."]. SHANGHAI, 11th July. The Protestant and Roman Catholic Missions at Shuinching, in Szechnen, have been destroyed inta riot. Yamchang and adjacent towns are disturbed by brigands, who have captured a French priest, for whom they demand a myriad
taels ransom. Several natives have been killed. Much property has been destroyed. The situa tion is critical. Chunking is quiet. The foreign consuls are on the alert.
DEATH OF MR. TENNANT OF YOKOHAMA.
[SPECIAL TELEGRAMS TO THE "DAILY PRESS."']
YOKOHAMA, 11th July.
the Japan Gazette, died this afternoon from the Mr. H. Tennant, the editor and manager of effects of a pistol shot.
[Mr. Tennant arrived in Japan from England The funeral takes place to-morrow, the 12th,
in 1890, having been appointed editor of the Hiogo News. In 1892 he left Hiogo for Yokohama to assume the editorship and management of the Japan Gasette. He was highly esteemed in both ports, both socially and professionally, and bis death will be re- gretted by a wide circle of friends.-ED, D.P.)
The MEDICAL OFFICER OF HEALTH Seconded. The DIRECTOR OF PUBLIC WORKS opposed the motion. He was not aware to what rule the Vice-President referred. He was not aware that while he had been on that Board any such rule had been laid down, and he felt in no way bound by suggestions made by a former Foard. Whenever this question had came up he had always been in favour of water- closets. He thought it a much more civilised manner of getting rid of night-soil than the system in vogue in Hongkong, and if there was a sufficiency of water he would strongly ad. morning and died in the afternoon. His vocate its general introduction into the colony. The VICE-PRESIDENT—There is a resolution on record founded on the report of the com-
SHANGHAI, 11th July, Mr. Tennant, of Yokohama, shot himself this
motive in unknown.
The China Gasette understands that Boyd & Co., Limited, have obtained a contract
harbour work at Fort
attached report gives my opinion concerning/mittee of the Board appointed to consider the the Russian Government to build ten tay
burning sulphur as a disinfectant. The ́ap. paratas ordered by the Board is dus here now.
whole question.
did not realise that this question was likely to The DIRECTOR OF PUBLIC WORKS mid he
launches, and Arthur and Talenw
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