May 12, 19001
A Bill entitled An Ordinance to amend Ordinance No. 10 of 1872.
A Bill entitled An Ordinance to further amend the Regulation of Chinese Ordinance,
1888
A Bill entitled An Ordinance to consolidate and amend the law providing for the grant of pensions to the widows and orphans of deceased public officers..
The Council adjourned until next Monday. FINANCE COMMITTEE.
A meeting of the Finance Committee was held immediately after the Council meeting, the Acting Colonial Secretary presiding.
The CHAIRMAN said the Governor recom. mended the Council to vote "a sum of $550 to defray the cost of an addition of $20 per men. sem to the pay of the Corps Quarter Master Sergeant in the Hongkong Volunteer Corps on his appointment as Corps Sergeant Major. and of the pay of an Orderly Room Clerk." The number of volunteers had incresed so much and the oflse work was now so heavy that this addition to the staff had been recommended as necessary.
The vote was agreed to,
The CHAIRMAN said the Officer Administer ing the Government recommended the Council to vote "a sum of (83,201.40) for the provision of a Rifle Range for the Hongkong Volunteer Corps in the Sokompoo Valley." The Rifle Range hitherto used had been the Police Range at Kowloon, which was no longer safe for the new carbine with which the Volunteer Corps was armed. The police would have the use of the range.
The vote was agreed to.
The CHAIRMAN said the Officer Admini- stering the Government recommended the Council to vote "a sum of $420, to cover the salary of a Temporary Clerk at the Colonial Secretary's Office for the current year at $35 per mensem." The clerk in question was taken on soon after the New Territory was taken over, and he was not paid anything last year and no provision was made for his salary this year.
The vote was agreed to.
The CHAIRMAN said the Officer Administer- ing the Government recommended the Council to vote "a sum of $544, to cover certain expenses of a Survey for Rent Roll purposes in the New Territory during four months of the current year.'" The survey in question was for the purpose of ascertaining who were the real cultivators of the soil.
The vote was passed.
The CHAIRMAN said the Officer Adminis tering the Government recommended the Council to vote "a sum of $690 to defray, dur- ing the current year, the increase in salary of Mr. Charles Ford, Superintendent of the Botanical and Afforestation Department, Department, sanctioned in the Secretary of State's Despatch No. 41 of 12th February, 1900." Mr. Ford was left out of the general increase given to superior officers, and this was to remedy the error.
The vote was passed.
The CHAIEMAN said the Officer Administer. ing the Government recommended the Council to vote “the following sums for further Public Works Extraordinary to be undertaken in the year 1900 :—1) Road from Upper Tram Station to High West, $6,050.00; (2) Completion of im- provements Wongneichong Recreation round,
$15,897,00; (3) No. 7, Police Station, Vote on ac- count of Estimate for $45,000, $8,000.00; total. $29,947,0." These were all works which had been approved of by the Public Works Com-
mittes.
The vote was passed.
The CHAIRMAN said the Officer Administering the Government recommended the Council to vote" a sum of $3,000 for the erection of a Pub- lic Latrine in Gough Street."
The vote was passed. This was all the business.
Intelligence comes from Seoul to the effect that the Japanese Representative is very strong ly pressing the claim of his national, Mr. Asano, to the Chukshan mine. The Corean Government had rejec ed this application, but there are prospects that the decision will be re-considered, since it would amount to an un- friendly discrimination against Japan.
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CHINA OVERLAND TRADE REPORT. HONGKONG SANITARY BOARD.
kong Sanitary Board was held on Thursday, the The usual fortnightly meeting of the Hong 10th inst. The Hon. R. D. Ormsby presided, and Osborne, Dr. Clark, Dr. Hartigan, Mr. J. there were also present Lieut.-Col. Ryan; Mr. M.Kie, Dr. Lowson, Mr. Fang Wah Chuen, Mr. Chan A Fook, and Mr. G. A. Woodcock (Secretary).
THÉ MEDICAL OFFICEE'S REPORT. The report of the Medical Officer of Health for the year 1899 was submitted.
The PRESIDENT proposed that the report be adopted and forwarde to the Colonial ment.
Lient. Col. Rran seconded.
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Lient. Col. Ryan minuted—“I think the Xng- gestion
a. the Acting Governor an ex- cellent dealing with epidemics, should be prepared by A thorough scheme of sanitary reform, including, improvement of means of the Board."
That in accordance with the suggestion of Liont-Col. Ryan, pursuant to notice, moved : His Excellency the Officer Administering the Government, the Sanitary Board in Committee appointed by the Sanitary Board prepare with a little delay as possible, for submission to Government, a comprehensive scheme of samit ary reform for this colony, with special reference to arrangements for dealing with Govern.epidemics such as bubonic plague," "pint more immediate urgency being first dealt and forming the subject of interim reports. observed that there was no necessity to upon the Board the fact that sanitary was necessary; there was no need to impress on the community that sanitary reform was neces sary. What was needed was to impress upen the Government the necessity of giving effect te the suggestions of the Board. If the committee which he proposed wore to meet and exchange views he had no doubt they could make most valuable suggestions in addition to those they had already made.
Dr. CLARK explained that on page 6 there wis an error of one figure, which would be corrected in the copies which would be sent out later on to the members of the Board.
Mr. MoKin suggested that in forwarding the report to the Government special attention be drawn to what was written by the Medical Officer of Health on page 2 under the heading of "Public Urinals." It was stated that there were only three of these conveniences in the colony for a population of 120.000, to Bay nothing of a European population not resident of something like 50,000. He thought thin state of affairs was a disgrace to a civilised colony like Hongkong.
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Mr. OSBORNE, in seconding, said he quite agreed with Colonel Rayan that it seemed to be useless for the Board to be continually making spasmodic efforts of sanitary referm Dr. HARTIGAN supported Mr. McKie's augand sanding in isolated suggestions. They gestion, and the motion was carried with this might attain some good by putting on resord addition.
ence and for all a comprehensive report as to what they wanted to place the town in a proper condition and deal with epidemics. The only danger from his point of view was that the committee might meet and spend a large ams ing these reports and then the reports might be ount of time and trouble and energy in form-
pigeon-holed.
ANNUAL REPORT OF THE Sanitary SURVEYOR.
The report of the Sanitary Surveyor for the year 1899 was submitted, and on the motion of the PRESIDENT, seconded by Dr. HARTIGAN, the report was adopted, and it was decided to forward a copy to the Government.
THI SANITARY BURVEYOR'S QUARTERLY REPORT.
In his report for the first quarter of 1900 the Sanitary Surveyor (Mr. R. F. Drury) said:- "Plans have been deposited during the quarter for the re-drainage of 166 houses; plans for 464 were carried forward from 1899, making a total of 630 in band during the quarter. The drain age of 68 has been completed and the plans for 12 houses have been cancelled, leaving 550 to carry forward. Repairs to drainage arrange- ments have been carried out in 33 instances, and 254 houses were carried forward from last year, making a total of 237 houses in hand for repairs during the quarter. Certificates have been granted under section 74 of Ordinance 24 of 1887 for 91 new buildings that they have been built in accordance with the provisions of that Ordinance. The drains of 40 houses have been inspected and reported on. Of this number one required reconstruction and 39 amending. Notices have been served on the owners of 40 houses calling on them to execute the necessary work."
The report was adopted, on the motion of the PRESIDENT, seconded by Dr. Lowson.
THE SANITARY REFORM QUESTION. The following letter, dated 1st May, from the Acting Colonial Secretary was submitted "I am directed by the Officer Administering the Government to acknowledge the receipt of
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your letter No. 67 of the 27th ultimo, forward- ing. copy of a resolution passed by the Sanitary Board at a meeting held on the is asked to set aside annually a fixed percentage ultimo, in which the Government
of the assessed taxes and premia on land sales Hongkong in such manner as the Sanitary for the purpose of improving the sanitation of Board with the approval of the Government may suggest. In reply I am to state that His Excellency feels that the request made in the resolution is too large a one for him in his capacity as Acting Governor only to deal with, but that as His Excellency is in sympathy with the object which the Board has in view, he would suggest that the Board should draw up a scheme of what sanitary improvements they consider necessary which can be laid before the Governor on his return to the colony."
Dr. Hardigan minuted-" I think the Board have already given a list of works to be carried out at once.'
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Dr. HARTIGAN thought that under the cir cumstances it was a matter of duty to do so was proposed, though he was afraid that after they had spent a great deal of time their suggestions might be pigeon-holed as before. However, in this case they were asked by the Ofloor Admin- istering the Government, who he believed had the interests of the colony very much at heart, to prepare a ishems, and he thought they should do so.
The PRESIDENT said that before putting the resolution to the Board, a resolution which he was quite in sympathy with in one way, he might say he had often been struck with the pessimistic view taken by members of the Sani- tary Board and by the press, and a good many others in the colony, as to the state of Hongkong, and the amount of abuse heaped on the Government for doing nothing as regarded the sanitary state of the colony. He was not a doctor, but on looking at the death rate of Hongkong and comparing it with the death rate of his own beautiful city of Dublin he found that in Hongkong with plague in its midst they had a death rate of 22 per thousand, whilst in Dublin, there was a death rate of 5 per thousand. He did not mean to say that having plague here was not a very terrible thing and a great loss to Hongkong, but at the same time the death returns showed that Hongkong was not an unhealthy city. With regard to the Government, a good deal was said about the Government having done nothing towards the sanitation, but as far as he knew they had done a great deal, though of course there was more to be done, Bome years ago the Government bails oconpied it, the Government having handed it a palatial police station, but the pelice never
over as a plague hospital. Then the drainage wick at an enormous expense. “A great many of the town was carried out under Mr. Chad- other things had been done by the overnment, and to condemn the Government in the whole- sale fashion that they were sometimes con- demned, charging them with sitting still and doing nothing with the recommendations of the Board, was, he thought unfair. Howeve much remained to be done, and if somethi could be done to reduce the deaths from plague they might be proud of Hongkong being one of the healthiest cities in the British empire.
The motion was carried.
On the motion of Dr. CLAEK“ seconded by out. Col. Ryan, it was decided that the hole Board should form the committee.
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