102
were
THE HONGKONG WEEKLY PRESS AND
be per diem, but he thought it would be ontside the mark if he put it at 1,200 gallons. This multiplied by 365 days in the year gave an annual consumption of 438,000 gallons, or about one-third per cent. the increased storage supply. Was such a trifling consumption worth consi- daring? It amounted to an annual expenditure of water less than one-sixth of the daily con- sumption in the colony. With regard to the evidence produced before the committee, a series of questions were compiled and sent ont to various persons then in the colony, and replies were received from 19. These replies as a rule were very guarded, but he found that such eminent authorities as Colonel Preston, Captain Ramsey, Mr. Cooper, Mr. McCallum, Mr. W. St. J. Hancock, and Mr. J. Orange were more or less in favour of the water car-
riage system, if the proper conditious existed, which he took to be sufficient water, a perfect system of sewers, and tidal currents through the harbour. This bugbear of the pollution of the harbour was more imaginary than real. The floating Chinese population in the harbour
was
over 21,000. When the harbour was crowded with warships and passenger ships quite another 9,000 persons might be added, or 30,000 persons using the harbour daily in the same way as it was now proposed to let a few soldiers and their families use it-about 200 per- sons in all, he was informed. In conclusion he maintained that it would be absurd for the Board to consider itself bound by the recommendation of a committee of two persons who sat over four years ago not to consider cases affecting Earo- peans only like that now before them but the general adoption of water closets for the whole population of Hongkong, a committee, more- over, on their own showing, prejudiced before they had heard or weighed the evidence before them, a committee which started with erroneous ideas regarding the action of the tides in the harbour, and whose argument as to the inade buacy of the water supply no longer held good. He, therefore, opposed the proposition of the Vice-President.
The ACTING REGISTRAR GENERAL-How many servants are there in the Hongkong Hotel? You allow water closets there. There are about 100 I should think, or more.
water and of sewers fit for the conveyance of exoreta, I consider the trough latrine to be decidedly the best, for it may be kept almost perfectly clean with a minimum amount of labour and attendance. It seems specially suited for public institutions, such as schools, gaols, native hospitals, and for the barracks of Chinese and Indian police or troops." In these extracts Mr. Chadwick was dealing with the question of the
sanitation of the whole city, the Chinese included. If he had been only considering the best system for a small body of Europeans he rather thought he would still more strongly have urged the ad- vantages of water carriage. And now he would refer to the report of the committee of the Sanitary Board which was opposed to the introduction of water-closets into Hongkong, and which it was urged should be their guide in this case and for the future. In the first place he noted that even before this committee had listened to evidence they from the first opposed to the introduction into the colony of water closets." He quoted the committee's own words. It was rather a strange confession to make, and one calculated to make one doubt that this committee approached the subject with an unbiassed mind. However, he would let that pass. The com mittee then proceeded to give their reasons for objecting to the water-closet system. Here, he might remark that it seemed unfortunate that a commission on this very important question originally consisted of only three gentlemen and that only two signed the report, one of the members having been obliged to leave almost before the enquiry commenced. He maintained that it was absurd to contend that the Board should be for all future time bound by the opinions expressed several years ago by two members of the community. In the first place the committee said, "That the intro- duction into the sewers of large quantities of excreta, however carefully managed, is in this climate and under the local conditions under which the city is built on the side of a steep hill, a probable cause of danger to the health of the inhabitants and almost certain to cause disagreeable smells." This was rather begging the question. Another reason they gave was, "That the sewer outfalls, discharg- The MEDICAL OFFICER OF HEALTH said ing as they do into the harbour, and in his reason for seconding the resolution oppos- view of the rapid silting up of the foreshore ing the introduction of water closets
First be and the absence of any current through the two-fold.
not
yet con- harbour and out to sea (all the ebb and flood rinced that there was or ever would be a being through the Lyemoon Pass) would water supply in this colony sufficient to in the course of time cause a dangerous serve water-closets even for the European anisance along the sea shore and seriously population alone, and secondly the Chinese defile the waters of the harbour." In this population of the colony were so unaccustomed they were arguing on incorrect premises, aud to drainage arrangements generally, that was he had only to refer to the last letter in the to underground house drains such as they had report, from an officer presumably well ac- in use in Victoria, that the drains were constant- quainted with the flow of the tides in Hong-ly being choked, and that if they introduced kong, to prove bis statement. Captain Hastings excreta more than the small amount which said, "Referring to the question of introducing was at present inevitably introduced into water closets into the colony, the only remark I the sowers, there would be, he feared, an have to offer is that the suggested analogy be increase in the number of cases of typhoid tween this port and Malta and Bombay does not fever and diphtheria amongst the population exist, they being close harbours. Here we have generally. With regard to the water supply. a constant stream east and west with the ebb and the Director of Public Works estimated flood tide causing a steady scour, as shown by the that they had a storage of water at Tytam and fact that Kellett Bunk has not silted from the Pokfulam sufficient for a population of 214,000 earliest surveys." The third reason ouly re- persons. At the present moment in the city of ferred to the Chinese population, so had no
Victoria they had a population of 200,000, so bearing on the question before the Board. The they had only the small margin of about 14,000 fourth and most important reason was the persous outside their present storage supply. following, "That eved for the European por- That was estimated on the basis of 15 gallons tion of the town the introduction of water per head per day, and he thought the Director closets, even if otherwise desirable, is out of the of Public Works would bear him out that the question in view of the inadequacy of the water consumption in some districts was nearer 17 supply for general public requirements. If gallons per head than 15, so that they were water closets came into general use an addi- retting near the finality of their water storage tional abundant supply of water over and above is it existed at present. Then he had a any now contemplated would be required for conviction in his own mind that within
Times had changed since
the next five flushing purposes."
have years they would
to 1894, when this report was written The fol- eriously consider the abolition of the re- lowing addition had been made to the storage servoir at Pokfulam. The conversion of of water in the colony: 102 million gallous at Mount Austin Hotel into a barracks for 400 Tytam, to be further supplemented by 27 soldiers, the increase in the number of houses millions at Wongneichong at the end of this which were being built at the Peak, and the year or in all 129 million gallons. In addi- increased demand for building sites at the Peak tion to this by the catch-waters leading would, he was convinced, if not within five to these reservoirs water from 500 addi- years certainly within ten years result in the tional
was daily collected. In the abolition of the Pokfulam reservoir, which was absence of plans of the proposed trough situated in such position that sooner or later closets and information of the number of persons it must go if the colony was to extend at the who would use them, he could not say with any rate it was doing at present. The population accuracy what the consumption of water would of the city of Victoria was increasing at the
acres
1
was
was
|
[July 30, 1898.
rate of five or six thousand per annum. There- fore with their reservoirs at Tytam only hold- ing 400 million gallons, with an increasing population, and with a prospect of the abolition of the reservoir at Pokfulam, he was strongly of opinion that it would be inadvisable to intro- duce water-closets generally into this city. The argument of the Director of Public Works was largely based upon the question as to whether or not it was advisable to allow water-closets for a couple of hundred soldiers, but that to his mind was not the point at all. It was a ques tion of principle. If they were to let the soldiers in the new barracks in Kennedy Road have water-closets what possible reason could they produce for refusing
the private dwellings in Kennedy Road and Macdonald Road the same privilege? Another objection to the granting of the application that the drain would discharge into the sewer in Queen's Road East, which also received a large Chinese tenement
number of drains from houses.
Was
These drains were being constantly choked, constantly untrapped, and in the event of the application being granted the -conse- quences would undoubtedly be very serious.
The VICE-PRESIDENT, referring to the re- mark of the Director of Public Works that this report was simply the opinion of two in- dividuals, pointed out that it was adopted at a fall meeting of the Sanitary Board at which three medical men were present. Therefore he thought the report carried considerable weight. He entirely endorsed the remarks of Dr. Clark when he said that he opposed the application on the ground of principle. That was the very reason why he (Mr. May) opposed it. The Board agreed, acting on the recommendation of this report, to allow water closets in a certain class of premises. Since they came to that decision they had had application after applica- tion for water-closets in varions buildings in the colony, and if they gave way now and made an exception they weakened their hands.
The PRESIDENT said he was at one time in favour of granting the request on the ground firstly of cleanliness and secondly because Enropeans would be living in these quarters, but having heard the remarks made by the Medical Officer of Health and that these trongh closets would enter into the sewer which re- ceived the drains from many Chinese houses he felt he could not support the application
The proposition was then put to the meeting and carried, Messrs. Atkinson, May, and Clark voting for and Messrs. Ormsby and Brewin against.
THE POLICE AND THE RECENT EPIDEMIC OF PLAGUE. The Hon. F. H. May, Captain Superintend- ent of Police, reported as follows to the Acting Secretary of the Sanitary Board concerning the search parties of police during the recent epide- mic of bubonic plague :-
"
--
Police Office, 14th July, 1898.
'Sir,-I have the honour to forward for the information, of the Board the following report on the work carried out during the recent epide- mic of plague in connection with the house to house search for plague patients.
"The work, which began on the 19th April and ceased on the 11th June, was orgainsed in the following manner :
"No. 2 health district was divided into two sections, and a search party consisting of two European police sergeants, three soldiers, and three Chinese constables visited each section on alternate days.
'No. 4 health district was divided into three sections, and a search party consisting of one European poliot constable, two soldiers, and three Chinese constables visited one section day.
3
No. 5 health district was divided into four sections, and a search party consisting of one European police sergeant, one European police constable, four soldiers, and three Chinese con- stables visited one and a half sections a day.
"No. 6 health district was divided into three sections, and a search party consisting of one European police constable, two soldiers, and three Chinese constables visited two sections a day.
No. 7 and 8 health districts were divided into three sections, and a search party consisting of one European police constable, two soldiers, and three Chinese constables visited two of the sections each on alternate days.
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