286
emanating from putrid matter in the holes and féotive joints of granite stones must in jurions to the health of the workers.
Sing In Lane needs repaving or, better still, concreting, as it is evident on all sides that Anite paving is unsuitable for back yards
lanes.
Dr. Hartigan_minuted: "The defects noted should be attended to promptly."
.↑
THE INSPECTOR's 'quarters at
KENNEDYTOWN.
é
In his reply the Colonial Secretary says :-- "I am directed to inform you that the Go- vernment considers the site selected by the sub-committee for the erection of new quarters for the Inspectorat Kennedytown to be most un- desirable. The Government is informed that the site would entail a large outlay for reclamation, and the erection of a building thereon would be very expensive owing to the necessity for piled foundations. The proposed site, moreover, is in close proximity to the permanent plague hospital, and still closer to the site on which the Tung Wa Hospital authorities are going to build another plague hospital."
THE HONGKONG WEEKLY PRESS AND ged to propose that a reply be addressed to the Government in accordance with the terms of the minutes appended to the papers
Mr. OSBORNE seconded, and the motion was carried.
Road. In additi the was to be duplicate
Dr. CLARK, pu “That the Governor.
October 13, 1900.
to Council
to give general authority to the to modify at their discretion of section 7 of the Insanitary ance, 1899, in the case of corne than fifteen feet each provided on t two public streets
area and proper arrangements as to dra of the Board in every such case." He said the shall have been provided to the satisf tion resolution was merely formal, and was to do away with the necessity of having to submit to His Excellency the Governor any case where exemption with regard to backyards was applied for.
THE PROPOSED REFUSE DESTRUCTOR. Mr. OSBORNE, pursuant to notice, moved :— That the Government be asked to inform the Board why the Refuse Destructor which was Dr. Clark minuted:“ Will do so."
unanimously recommended by the Board and 17 The PRESIDENT said that he had issued an sanctioned by His Excellency the Governor in order for these markets to be limewashed through June, 1899, has not been included in the estimates out. He quite agreed that they should be lime-of Public Works Extraordinary for next year." washed twice a year, and he would see to the He said it might be within the recollection of matter in future.
the Board that the proposal to erect a public On the motion of: Mr. OSBORNE, seconded refuse destructor was first brought up some one by Mr. McKIE, the report was adopted. and a half or two years ago, and Mr. Crook,
who was then on leave or about to
go on leave, was asked by the Government to draw up a re- A reply to the report of the sub-committee port. Mr. Crook spent a great deal of time and for the erection of new quarters for the In- trouble in England in visiting different refuse
PUBLIC NUISANCE AN spector at Kennedytown was submitted. The destructors at work there, and he drew Major BROWN had given notice to move :— committee recommended the erection of a two-up a very able and exhaustive report as to the That the Sanitary Board pass a resolution storeyed building to the north or north-west best kind of destructor for this place, and on bringing to the notice of the Government the of Inland Lot 1,082 and fronting the sea, his recommendation, and after weighing the urgent need of making a change in the follow- adding that to do this it would be necessary to pros and cons of the matter, after considering ing Bye-law, viz., No. 3 made under sub-section reclaim a small area of the foreshore.
all the objections which had been raised to this 6 of section 13 of Ordinance No. 24 of 1887 to destructor, the Board unanimously came to the read thus-Except between the hours of 1 a conclusion that it was very desirable on grounds and 6 a.m. the conveyance of excretal of public health that by this means they should | along any public road or street is prohibited.” be able to get rid of the garbage of the town in The PRESIDENT pointed out that this motion very much easier and more expeditions manner. was not quite in order. The making or repeal- than they did at present, that they should be ing of Bye-laws rested not with the Government, able to stop a good deal of the dumping of but with the Board. Therefore it would be refuse along the Praya which went on at pre- rather absurd for them to apply to the Govern- sent. On the recommendation of the Boardment to do something which they were bound the Government promised to put this destruc- to do themselves. A resolution to mest Major tor in the estimates for 1901. That satisfied Brown's proposal had been drawn up. the Board, who were somewhat astonished at the prompt way in which their recommendation was granted. The other day the list of Public Works Extraordinary was published in the Gazette, and he noticed that there was no mention made of this destructor. No word of warning had been sent to the Board that the destructor was to be withdrawn from the estimates. No ex- planation was given, and apparently the whole question was shelved and they were not go. ing to get their destructor. Apart from the desirability of this destructor on the ground of public health, it seemed to him to be somewhat wanting in courtesy to the Board that the Government should first of all definitely promise to grant their request and six or nine months afterwards quiet- ly shelve the question. He proposed the resolution because he thought this another snub from the Government. He thought they were being treated by the Government as children. "Yes, keep them quiet at any cost, but give them nothing." They should not rest content until they had a satisfactory explanation as to why this vote was not included in the Public Works Extraordinary for next year.
Dr. Clark minuted:-" The committee were accompanied by the D. P. W., who informed them that the cost of building on the site selected would not be great. The Board have had no information from the Govern. ment as to the erection of a plague hospital by the Tung Wa Hospital authorities on any The site selected by the committee was to the north of the proposed Jubilee Road, and if this latter is to be regarded as safe for pedes trians the dwelling would surely be equally safe. I suggest that these matters be brought to the attention of the Government."
site.
Dr. HARTIGAN said the sub-committee searched the whole place, and where they were going to get a more desirable site than the one suggested he was at a loss to understand. They could not put it on the hill, which was covered with the dead bodies of animals. The place was saturated with filth, and how they could expect any quarters to be erected there without the expenditure of a great deal more. money than would be expended in reclaiming this small portion of seashore he was at a loss to understand. With regard to the outlay in reclaiming they put the question to the Acting Director of Public Works, who was with them, and he told them distinctly that the outlay would not be large one. In fact, when he sug- gested that the hill was an undesirable site, he agreed with him and recommended the site pro- posed Immediately afterwards they got a letter from the Government contradicting him and making fools of the sub-committee and wasting their time; for they lost two hours in going down to this place at West Point. The site was not in close proximity to the Plague Hospital, which was at the top of the hill, whilst the proposed site of the Inspector's quarters was at the bottom. With regard to the infectious hospital men- tioned in the letter, this was the first they had heard of it, as Dr. Clark had remarked. He had always understood that that Board was the Sanitary Authority for Hongkong, and as such it was certainly one of its duties to select sites for hospitals of all sorts. He did not know what "their locus standi was, or what their object was in meeting together if a small-pox or plague hospital could be dumped down in any part of the town without any skilled evidence being taken as to the suitability of the site. He did not ask this as a favour. He said that that Board had a right to be consulted on a matter of this sort, and he considered that the Govern- ment had snubbed the Board and every mem- ber of it including its President. He beg.
|
Major BROWN seconded, and the resolution was carried.
This resolution was carried, on the motion of Major BROWN, seconded by Mr. MCKIE.
THE DUST BIN AT WANCHAI MARKET.
Correspondence relative to a dust bin Wanchai Market was submitted,
The majority of the Board expressed a desire that it should be provided with a roof, and the President promised to attend to the matter
THE SMOKE NUISANCES AT WANCHAI. The following petition, addressed to Dr. Clark from St. Francis Church and dated September, was submitted - T
"With reference to your statement in the meeting of the Sanitary Board which appeared in the issue of the Daily Press of 6th July, 1900, about complaints received against a foundry in Queen's Road, permit us to make a few remarks on this establishment.
""
'It is with unfeigned regret we learn that your motion the Board should recohimend the Government to introduce a short smoke abate- ment Ordinance similar to the Imperial Pub lio Health Act, 1875, was not carried, in conse. quence, we believe, that the honourable members in opposition were not aware of the gravityof the offence committed by the above-mentioned firm.
46
'At the same time while you were trying to introduce a Bill to suppress smoke nuisance, etc., we, the undersigned owners and residents, of Holy Infant Lane, St. Francis Street, Queen's Road East, etc., have forwarded a petition to the Government praying for removal of this manu- facturing company, and since then we are sorry state we have not heard anything on the matter.
THE WATER SERVICE ON THE HIGHER LEVELS, Mr. MoKIE had given notice to move- "That the Government be asked to state what steps are being taken to provide pumping apparatus of a sufficiently effective description to prevent a repetition of the great inconveni- ence caused to Peak residents on the higher “The subject of our complaint is with regard levels during the last fourteen days by failure to two companies conducting business on an exten- of the water service and the danger thereby sive scale with their factories attached to the pro- caused by the said residents having to resort, mises adjoining each other, the first one carry- for their supplies of drinking water, to wellsing on as sweatment preservers and the other that are filled from very dubious sources. He said that after the explanation given to him by the President he begged to withdraw his motion.
The PRESIDENT, in explanation, said the question of the Peak Water supply had been before the Government for a considerable time, Proposals for meeting the supply for the Peak were taken up almost immediately after he came to the colony. The Peak residents were supplied by one small pipe from Bonham Road and if anything happened to that pipe the Penk would be without water. It was then decided to establish pumping machinery on Bowen Road filter bed, and another reservoir at Mount Gough. The machinery for the pumping station at Bowen Road had been out for s-me months. There had been a difficulty about getting a site for the reservoir, but the difficulty was about to be overcome. He that next year they would have's pumping station in Bowen Road as well
an engineering and shipbuilding concern, and they are both situated in Queen's Road East.
We would point out that there are six ill. constructed funnels erected between these two firms which in almost every hour of the day issue dense volumes of smoke which entirely envelop all the adjacent houses, causing great inconvenience to the inmates.
Allow us to mention that besides coni smoke, which was bad enough, these factories melt their leads, tins, coppers, and some mysterious chemi- cals and compositions in connection with their business, which give the fumes an odour quite repugnant to the sense
We are
to inte
Bonham protection.
power
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