454
THE HONGKONG WEEKLY PRESS AND
Inspector Moffat said that not one of the witnesses had stuck to the statement that be
had made to him.
In consequence of the contradictory nature of the evidence defendant was discharged.
THE PLAGUE IN HONGKONG.
SPECIAL MEETING OF THE SANITARY
BOARD.
THE OVERCROWDING QUESTION.
|
85
[June 3, 1899.
witnesses. Complainant and defendant went to- | in the colony, or such part thereof as by such | I think you will appreciate the fact that over- wards Un Loong quarrelling.
proclamation may be specified. and may crowding-as now defined by Ord. 15 of 1894– from time to time revoke or renew any in domestic dwellings, can hardly be said to exist such proclamation; and, subject to such in this city to any great extent. I am inclined revocation and renewal, every such proclama-to think that the President has been somewhat tion shall be in force for such period as in such misled by the figures given to him by Inspector proclamatiou shall be expressed, and every such Phillips. As the Board are aware, a large proclamation shall be published in the Govern- uumber of cases of plague have occurred in ment Gazette, and such publication shall be con- No. 9 Health District, and a certain number of clusive evidence thereof." Section 37 states:- those houses are unoccupied owing to deaths When any such proclamation is in force, and from plague-but the ordinary population of upon any evidence that the Board may deem the District-Hakkas mostly, have not left the sufficient that any premises are so overcrowded neighbourhood-they are for the time being to to be injurious to health, the Board be found in contiguous dwellings. Hence there shall have power to make such order e8 may be now some amount of overcrowding in that it shall see fit to abale such overcrowd district, but not to anything like the extent ing, and the householder, tenant, or occu- suggested by the President, whose estimate, be pier of such premises who shall permit it noted, is based on the inspection of twelve such overcrowding to continue after such selected floors. Butat ordinary times and periods order shall have been served upon him shall this is not so, for the population of No. 9 District forfeit a sum not exceeding one hundred dollars (census figures) was 24,435 and the number of for every day during which such overcrowding floors 2,619. This works out at 9.3 persons per shall continue, aud in default of payment he floor and as a floor 13.6 x 20 ft. will accom. shall be liable to imprisonment for any period modate that number, and almost all the floors not exceeding three months." According to are larger than this, I submit that overcrowding these sections the Board has power to make this as a general thing does not exist to any great order straight away without any delay at all, extent, except perhaps during such periods of dis only in order that that may be done it will be tress as No. 9 district is just now passing through. necessary for the Board to recommend the As a further argument in support of my Governor in Council to proclaim the dis- conteution the Board will no doubt remember trict as being part of the colony where that in 1888 a Committee was appointed, con- plague exists. It might appear that the sisting of Mr. Mitchell Innes and Mr. N. J. Ede, Board bas neglected its duty in not dealing to report fully on the question of ovorerowd. with this nuisance earlier. However, such is ing in houses of the city of Viotoria, and after not the case The Board in 1896 had the ques- a most elaborate and complete enquiry extending - tion before it and both Mr. Ede and the Medi- over nearly two years, they reported that 745 cal Officer of Health then suggested to the houses in the city out of a total of 6,854 houses Government that a more expeditious way of were overcrowded, this overcrowding amount- dealing with overcrowding be provided in the ing to the fact that 107 persons occupied the proposed new health Ordinance. The matter space legally allowable to 100 persons. This of overcrowding has also been dealt with was before any regulations for the prevention. by the Board in regard to opinm divans of overcrowding in common lodging houses, and lodging-houses, both of which have opinm divans, and mat-sheds had been adopted been brought under the law. Again, by the Board and the legislature, and I claim only as recently as last year the Government therefore, from these figures, and from our were informed by the Board in the report on preiodical inspections, that what overcrowding the Insantary Properties Commission, section does exist in this city is to be found almost 20, that we were not satisfied that the provisions entirely in such buildings, and of sectión 9 of Ordinance 15 of 1894 are suffici- have already, and have put in force, the ent for the purpose of prevening overcrowding. necessary processes for its abatement. The Notices have also been served upon overcrowded method of procedure for the abatement of houses during the last three years under the overcrowding in tenement dwellings is, as I prolonged aud tedions precedure already pointed out to the Board in 1896 and have again detailed, but in order to do this to any extent recently pointed out to the Government, cum- au increased staff will be necessary. I more, brous and defective, but when this small defect That the Board advises that No. 9 health district has been rectified, the powers of this Board will be proclaimed by the Governor, with the advice in this respect be adequate. But, now, Sir. I by the Exentire Council, as a part of the colony must take up the far more serious question of affected by plague, and that he directs that the the overcrowding of domestic dwellings, provisions contained in sections 32 to 37 of this or surface crowding, which exists to such Ordinauce be put in force in this part of the an alarming extent in this City, This colony."
A special meeting of the Hongkong Sanitary Board was held yesterday afternoon to consider what further steps are necessary in dealing with the plague, more especially with reference to overcrowding. The chair was occupied by the President (Dr. J. M. Atkinson, Principal Civil Medical Officer), and there were also pre- sent the Vice-President (the Hon. F. H. May, Captain Superintendent of Police), the Hou. R. D. Ormsby (Director of Public Works), Mr. A. W. Brewin (Acting Registrar-General), Mr. E. Osborne, Dr. Clark (Medical Officer of Health), and Mr. C. W. Duggan (Secretary.
The PRESIDENT said-The object of this meeting is to consider what further steps are necessary in dealing with plague, more especi- ally with reference to overcrowding. am convinced that overcrowding is an important factor in the causation of the recurring epidemics of plague. That overcrowding exists in the Chinese domestic buildings is generally admitted. To prove that, a week ago to-day I had a return prepared by Inspector Phillips of certain floors in different houses. He has taken 12 floors in different houses in No 9 district, and gives the floor area, cubic capacity, the number of occupants, the legal number of occu- pants, and the number of cases of plague there from 1896.. From this return it will be seen that the number of occupants of these 12 floors is 181, whilst the legal number is 133. That is to say, there are 48. more persons in these 12 floors than there ought to be. An excess of 48 in 12 floors means au average excess of four in each floor: There are 2,619 floors in the whole of No. 9 district, and on this basis the district is, orefcrowded to the extent of 10,000. I take it that it is our duty as 8 Sanitary Board to deal with this question of overcrowding, but we must do so if possible in a practicable manner. The steps to be taken ordinarily in non-epidemic times to avert`overcrowding under Ordinance 24 of 1887 are as follows:-The first one is to ascertain whether the building is in an overcrowded condition. The second is to serve a written notice on the tenant or householder to Dr. CLARK-I beg to second that proposal, abate such overcrowding within a period Sir, and I should like to say a few words in of one calendar month. The third is, if the regard to the question of overcrowding in notice is not obeyed, the Board can apply to the city of Victoria The prevention of a magistrate to issue a summons upon the per- overcrowding has two aspects. (L) The son upon whom the above notice was served. overcrowding in dwellings, by which 1 Number four is, if it is proved that the house is mean the occupation of a domestic building by overcrowded to the satisfaction of the magistrate, such a number of persons that the floor space he makes an order for the abatement of the and cubic space required by sec. 9 of Ordinance nuisance. Number five is, if the magistrate's 15 of 1894 (namely, 80 square feet and 400 cubic order for the abatemeat of the nuisance is not feet per head) is not allowed. (8) The overcrowd- complied with a summons should be taken out iug of dwellings, or “surface crowding as it under section 75 for the enforcement of a peualty is termed, which unhappily exists to a very for disobeying the magistrate. This is the serious extent in this city of Victoria. With course laid down by our Legislature for dealing regard to the first question—that of overcrowd. with this nuisance in ordinary non-epidemicing in dwellings-the Board are aware that the times. After all this has been done what hap-matter is already fully dealt with as far as pens? That at the end of the mouth the people regards common lodging houses, opium divans. have left the overcrowded house and over- and mat-sheds, and during last year 136 prosecn. orowded another one. That was found to be tious for the overcrowding of such premises the case in 1894. I maintain that this pro- were instituted by me and 1:9 convictions ob- cedure is impracticable and I suggested that the tained. I submit that overcrowding in tene Board recommend the law officers of the Crown meat dwellings does not exist to any great to prepare an amendment of the Ordinance so extent in this city and my reasons' are as as to enable the Board to abate this nuisance by follows: We had last year 7,042 Chinese dwell. some more simple and speedy procedure. No. ings with 18,80 floors in the city and the 9 health district can, however, be dealt with now Chinese population of the city was 164,250; in a much more expeditious manner under sectious this works out at a little over 23 persons per on 31 and 37. Section 31 reads:-"Whenever house or about 84 persons per floor, and there any part of the colony appears to be threatened are very few Chinese floors so small that they with or is affected by any formidable spidemic, will not legally accomodate 8 persons, while endemic, or contagious disease, the Governor, many will accomodate 3 and 4 times that with the advice of the Executive Council, may, number. When I tell you that this Board by proclamation from time to time, direct that room will legally accomodate 25 persons and the provisions contained in sections 32 to 37 of that it is not any longer (40) ft.) than this Ordinance, both inclusive, be put in force an ordinary Chinese floor and but little wider,
|
|
that we
surface crowding is a matter which has been brought to the attention of the Govern- ment at intervals during the past 25 years. In 1874 the late Colonial Surgeon, Dr. Ayres, di- rected attention to the matter; in 1882 and again in 1890 Mr. Osbert Chadwick spoke most forcibly, in his Reports on the sanitary condition of this colony, of this very matter. In 1889. Sir William Des Voeux reported to the Secre tary of State for the Colonies that one of the principal objects of the Prays Reclamation scheme was "to afford an opening for relief from the present overcrowding of the popula tion," but unhappily this object has not been attained to any great. extent, for almost the whole of the Reclamation bids fair to be occupied by large godowns and blocks of offices. In 1894 both the Permanent Committee of the Sanitary Board and the "Committee on the Honsing of the Chinese" directed attention to the amount of surface crowding which existed in this city, while in my Annual Reports I have reiterated their statements and endeavoured to show by statistics that the surface crowding here is greater far than in the most densely populated metropolitan districts of the City of London, Again, the Insanitary Properties Commission appointed in 1897 dealt largely with this matter and recommended further legis- lation-hopelessly inadequate I admit on the subject. The Sanitary Board, at the requst of the Government, deliberated upon the Report of this Commission and submitted a report of its own, dated June 9th, 1898, dealing fully with the various points raised by the evidence taken before the commission and making a number of - suggestions which, if adopted, would unques-
No comments yet.
Private notes are available after approval.