December 15, 1900;]
in itself and thus keep the Board in a sub-1 ordinate and ridiculous position.
When this fever question was previously before the Board, both the Président and Vice-President squashed all attempts at doing something practical, partly because they did not believe in the mosquito theory; incidentally because, in their opinion, the in- cidence and effects of malarial fever were exaggerated, but principally because it would be a
an unnecessary and expensive experiment and therefore not justifiable. This was the same argument, be it noted, used by the President in opposing the erection of a refuse-destructor in face of the convincing reports of the responsible officials that such was urgently required.
The first two reasons may be taken for what they are worth-to argue would be like trying to convince the one sensible Irish juror, who, when the jury had been sent back four times to find a verdict, which the judge told them should be as clear as daylight, told his Lordship that eleven more obstinate men he had never met in the whole course of his experience." With regard to the third, expense, whilst the cost of my practical proposal, which could have at once been made effective. would have been. counted in hundreds per annum, the outlay on the scheme supported by the President and Vice-President entails a cost-I am quoting from their own words-of between $30 to $40,000 dollars per nullah, not including the proposed medical officer's or his assistant's salary.
Moreover, if government precedents are to be followed, nothing practical can be done for more than a year (reports and memoranda will not eradicate malaria), as no provision has been made in the estimates for this expenditure. The President must be quite aware of this, for it was he who vetoed a request to the Gov. ernment to allow a wretched sum of $1,200 for the salary of an additional cattle-inspector-who, in the unanimous mirabile dictu opinion of the Board, was urgently required-to be insert- ed in the estimates, the requisition having been sent in two days late, saying "such a would be quite impossible." Likewise he told the Board that for the same reason the much needed Kowloon markets cannot be commenced for another year, but, of course, this argument may only apply to schemes advanced by the pestilent agitators!
course
The Vice-President also, who had been arguing
that for some occult reason in connection with his police in the New Territory the anophele had been much maligned, suddenly discovers that action should be at once taken, but that the medical department should undertake the work for the curious reason that "the Sanitary Board had too much to do and no means of doing it.' Surely the obvious remedy, if such wore the case, would be to increase the Board's staff, give it the means of overtaking its work, and not create a new Health Department, as from the words used by the P.C.M.O. is clearly the Gor. ernment's intention. Modical Officer for mosquitoes" may be a joke, but contains its sting. Even the Board's own Vice-President must do his best to nullify its efforts and show what a whited sepulchre it is. Dr. Bell, though opposing, has been consistent throughout. He thoroughly believes the theory, advocates a large expenditure, does not like cheap schemes, and if he wishes to see his own department supreme in matters pertaining to preventive as well as curative medicine he is only following the footstops of his predecessors. The Military representative, who does not believe in either scheme, and the Chinese momber saw the Government proposed to spend a large sum of money and did not trouble to consider by whom or in what manner it was to be expended.
But surely the Government might be consis tent. If they create a Sanitary Board to un- dertake certain definite responsibilities, to that Board alone should such sanitary duties be con- fided.
Everyone knows that Dr. Thomson is a most excellent and efficient officer and will throw his heart into his proposed duties (why Mr. Ladds, an officer of the Board and the original discoverer of the anophele in Hongkong and first worker in anopheles pools, is not associated in the scheme, I can't say), but it certainly would have been more natural to make him Asst. Health Officer an officer asked for by the Board bat refused by Government, and thus keep
(CHINA OVERLAND TRADE REPORT.IT
Sanitation and the Sanitary Department one consistent whole.
Again, whilst we are all glad that His Excel- lency takes such an intelligent interest in the malarial question, and is willing to expend colonial funds in stamping out fever, we cannot help thinking that he will not bo hore for ever, that his successor may dub the whole scheme an expensive fad and squash it, whereas had a permanent addition been made to the Sanitary Department, the work would continue without interruption.
The position of the Board is a most ourions anomaly. Its President says that infectious hospitals, so long as they are privately owned. are not within the jurisdiction of the Board, yet by law every infected person is to be taken to such places as the Board may approve. So they are to approve of a building and its sur» roundings without seeing them.
Anyone can build an infectious hospital where and when he likes, receive small-pox, plague or leprosy within its walls in what manner and under what circumstances he pleases, and this without endangering the public health, as of course if it did the Board should take cogni- sance of it.
so. The President of the Board will not ask him-
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him to say "the Board had already too much to do.” Evidently our views still more divergent. Whilst my proposal is a simple expedient for stamping out malaris in inhabited and infected localities (the intelligent spade and barrel of cement frequently sumidos), the Vice-President will be satisfled with nothing less than a grand s cientific research to be con- ducted by Government on a question which has been already proved up to the hilt-Yours, &c.,
WILLIAM HARTIGAN.
BRITISH COMMERCIAL SUPREMACY.
i
TO THE EDITOR OF THE “DAILY PRESS,” (v)
Hongkong, 10th December: SIR, The P. & O. 8.8: Bengal left Singapore at 3 p.m. on Monday, the 3rd Decomber, and arrived here yesterday morning. The Imperial German Mail 8.8. Prinsese Irene left Singapore on Wednesday, the 5th December, at 6 pm., and arrived here only twenty-four hours after the Bengal. She was carrying mails with dates from Berlin of the 12th November. The Bengal's mail is that of the 9th. The Bengal is manned by Lascars, the Prinzess Irene by Europeană, and any of your readers who have chanced to be at the Kowloon Wharves to-day can completo the comparison between the two ships for them- selves. The local branch of the Navy League has been fassing considerably of late; if they will only possess their souls in patience a little- longer, there will be no need to worry about tlie safety of the British Mercantile Marine in China at any rate. It will probably have conșed to exist.-I am, sir, Yours, etc butt
Answers from Government are likewise inter- preted in quite a Pickwickian sense. The Government, being distinctly asked to submit all plans and give all information regarding buildings connected with sanitation, agree to do self to give them to himself. He might be ex- pected to advocate anything and everything which would assist the Board in its work, or increase its importance. No such thing-that answer refers only to Government buildings. Person- ally I should have thought the private building intended for public purposes would the more require supervision, but this is only the opinion THE RECENT FIRE: A REPUDIATION:
of the unofficial.
Council and the Hongkong public support the Board or will they at once declare it is useless and-cut it down ?-Yours, etc.,
Will the Hon. Unofficial Mombers of the
WILLIAM HARTIGAN.
TO THE EDITOR OF THE " 'DAILY PRESS."
Hongkong, 10th December. ST-With reference to Dr. William Harti- gan's letter in your issue of to-day, will you give
me space for two corrections?
I never said that “in connection with the
Police in the New Territory the anopheles had been much maligned." What I did say was that the dictum that dwellings for Europeans should not be constructed within 500 yards of the dwellings of natives did not hold "good in the New Territory, because Polico Stations situated in Chinese villages there were found to be healthier than Police Stations situated out- side and at a distance from villages. I added that some stations where anopheles had been found were healthy and others where they had been found were not, and I ventured to express the opinion that anopheles were not the sole cause, but only one of the causes, of malaria.
Further, I never said that the Sanitary Board should not undertake the work of in- vestigation of the mosquito question because it had too much to do and no means of doing it." What I said was that the Board had plenty of other work to do and might leave this work (which I termed a scientific research) to the Government.-I have the honour to be, your obedient sorvant,
F. H. MAY.
TO THE Editor of THE “DAILY PRESS
"
“TOM BOWLING." SA
TO THE EDITOR OF THE “DAILY PRÉSS.
this
Hongkong, 10th December, BIB, Will you be so kind as to insert letter of repudiation in your next issue?
Having by chance happened to see in to-day's " issue of your paper an article headed "Out- break of Fire," I commenced its perusal with great expectations of reading at least a small" tribute of praise to those bluejackets who, res gardless of the risk they ran, and the damage to their clothing, endeavoured their uttermost to render assistance. Instead of such," judge of my amazement, sir, at the following words "But for the interference of a number of biné- jackets
the outbreak would have been subdued before ten dollars' worth of damage was done." May I bag, sir, as a start, being myself one of those undisciplined and interfering blue. jackets, to entirely, and emphatically deny any impeachment, and demand, in justice to myself and comrades, of both Army and Navy, that the gentleman who asked myself and chums' assist ance in rescuing books and other articles, and also those policemen and Hongkong populacé who saw our efforts, both inside and outside the building, to quench the flames-may I'ask them to show slight appreciation of such by supporting this, our protest? In order to sup port my denial, may I venture to trespass on your space by giving a short and concise an account of events from the first alarm to the finish.
I and my chums arrived on the scene within a couple of minutes of the alarm, to find on such arrival no sign of fire-brigade, either Chinese or European. Shortly afterwards a fow yell- ing, frantic, undisciplined, mob of Chinese, with hose and like apparatus, 'made their appear. ance, but, either from timidness or total lack SIR,--Referring to Mr. May's letter in your of intelligence, did nothing save gase up at the morning issue, I regret he should have thought fire, utter most discordant noises and rush about I was quoting him verbatim. My expression like madmen. I dare venture to assume that intended as “the anopheles had been much maligned" was no one will deny that, had it depended on a summing up of Mr. May's their assistance alone, the fire might possibly opinions as expressed on various occasions at have been extinguished, say by next Christmas the Sanitary Board, and I think not an unfair | However the "Bluejacket mob”, having description of what he has again written in his little method in their madness," managed some- communication to you. When, at the last meet-how or other to connect the hous, but owing ing, I pointed out that the question of dealing | to total incapability to understand the orders, with anopheles pools was simply a practical on the part of the Chiness-they bould' not application of the methods of Preventive manage to get the water switched on. Medicine," and therefore eminently the duty of At length, sppearance of the European fr the Board, thinking this was the point of Mr, brigade!— most probablý 'melading May's ́minuto “this should be left to the midst the gallant person your Inform Medical Department" I certainly understood ** ' eight years' standing."!" By dint 'of
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