450
dition, some in houses returned as "good" and very few in houses returned as “bad." The epidemic in Hunghom was among the best paid working population in the colony, and the three-storied houses, all lately built, were situsted in streets fifty feet wide. However, there seemed to be a strong feeling that ill-lighted dwell ings were at the bottom of the mischief, and there could be no doubt that the Chinese house of the usual pattern, as constructed in Hongkong, was an ill-lighted and ill-ventilated dwelling. The population was increasing rapidly, and hundreds of Chinese dwellings were being erected. It seemed to him (His Excellency) that the time had come when the Government should insist upon the erection of none but properly lighted dwellings in Hongkong and Kowloon, and he sent for the consideration of the Sanitary Board a plan of Chinese house that would appear to satisfy those conditions, inasmuch as every cubicle would be lighted by its own window. It had been remarked by the M.O.H. that the greatest proportion of cases occurred on the first floors, where presumably rats would not be so numerous as on the ground floor, and the possibility had been suggested that the concrete and cement of the ground floors was less likely to be infected, or to retain infection than the wooden floors of the upper stories. If, as he (His Excellency) was informed, the Chinese frequently cover the boards with tiles, which they liked better than the wooden floor, it might be worth considering if all floors of the Chinese houses to be built in future as work-peoples' dwellings should not be covered with tiles, or a mixture of concrete and cement, that would be non-absorptive and easily kept clean. He (His Excellency) understood that the floors of the new barracks in Kowloon had been constructed with concrete and iron girders, but he presumed that if tiles were used on wooden joists rough boards could equally be coated with concrete. The cost of such houses would be greater than that of the blocks at present erected, but he took it that the additional expense might be saved in the premium paid for the building lot, the amount of which was settled by the purchasers in open competition. Should the Sanitary Board ap- prove of his suggestion, intending purchasers would have due notice that houses to be erected for occupation by the Chinese working classes must satisfy certain conditions as to lighting and ventilation, &c., &c., to be laid down.
The Hon. F. H. May minúted:-" The plan is a good one and with a back lane in rear of the house would be a vast improvement."
The President minuted: The division be. tween the yards on ground floor might be partly wall and partly railing. The height of the wall shown on the plan is only 9 ft. 6 in., so it will not tend to affect the light or ventilation to any great extent. Instead of the limitations suggested by the Medical Officer of Health, I think it would be preferable to specify an increased width of open yard, which involves an increase in the width of the houses, in proportion to the increase in the depth of the house.
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Dr. Clark (Medical Officer of Health) minuted :--“ I am afraid I cannot agree with the President that a brick wall 9 feet high, within five feet of the windows of the ground floor, would "not tend to affect the light or ventilation to any great extent. I think the Board should allow iron railings only, although I would have no objection to the railings being set on a wall three or four feet high, if that would be any advantage to the tenants. With regard to the yard, and adopting the President's sugges tion to increase the size of this in proportion to the size of the house rather than increasing the back lane, I would say: Let the yard be always half length of the house (as
this
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THE HONGKONG WEEKLY PRESS AND
[June 3, 1901.
Mr. OSBORNE thought that with regard to | destructor they would do away with th the proposed model houses it would be advisable nuisance of smoke, and other disagrees to take the opinion of those Chinese who are likely to live in them.
It was ultimately agreed that Mr. Fung Wa Chuen should take the plan away and consult the Chinese on the subject..
THE 1902 ESTIMATES,
The Secretary read a number of proposals of the Medical Officer of Health relative to the estimates for 1902. Dr. Clark anggested that the Board should strongly recommend the Government to provide for the erection of a || disinfecting station in British Kowloon. The buildings would cost about $9,000, | and he suggested that the apparatus be removed from the Caine Lane station to the Kowloon station, and that a new machine be purchased for Victoria, as the present one was too small to meet the demands of the city, and at the present time was working night and day to get through the work. The cost of the new machine would be about $5, 00. It would also be necessary, Dr. Clark added, for the Government to er et quarters at the Kowloon station which would cost about $4,000, and which would save the Government a house allowance of $360 a year. A new shed and annexes for the disinfecting staff at Caine Road were also needed, and that would cost about $8,000. The Board must also consider what was to be done in regard to Kowloon City, which wa: now under their control; either an inspector of nuisances must be engaged for that district, or the same arrangement made which now obtained in the villages of Hongkong, namely, that the police officer in charge be paid $15 a month for sanitary duties. The pay of the engineor at the disinfecting station was only $18 3 month, and consequently he was not an engineer, whereas one was necessary. and ha (Dr. Clark) would suggest therefore that a Chinese engineor be obtained at 835 a month, and that, in lieu of the watchman who now got $9 a month, they should have a stoker at $12 a month. He might add that the present watchman was leaving on account of inadequate pay. Three more spray machines were also required, with extra fittings, and these would cost about $500.
new
The President minuted that the proposals were practically to spend $26,700 "on" disinfecting apparatus.
The Hon. F. H, May minute:-" These pro- posals should have been put forward earlier in the year.",
Dr. Clark: I fail to see why; the estimates are now being prepared and do not go home until nearly the end of the year
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THE REFUse destrUCTOR.
The PRESIDENT said it was agreed in Febru ary that the consideration of the report should be deferred till the estimates for next year were under consideration. That time was now approaching, and the question for the Board was to make a recommendation with regard to it. The circumstances had not altered, and it only remained for the Board to say what action should be taken in the matter.
Mr. OSBORNE rose and begged to propose that the Government be asked to redeem its promise, and give them the refuse-destructor, notwithstanding what the committee had said in their report. He thought the majority of the Board would agree with him that the refuse-destructor would be 8 very valuable assistance in the stamping out of the plague. In one item alone he thought it would be of very great value to the colony-that was in the distribution of the refuse before it was pounced upon by rag-sorters, and men of the streets. For years past it had been the practice to damp the refuse on the Prays, and long before the shipment took place it was gradually sifted
tit-bits of odds and ends were taken away. That would avoid the rubbish being deposited anywhere, for it would be taken direct from
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causos.^
́`Dr. BELL – I suppose there is no use askin for two. I agree with the destructor. want something to bura the refuse,
Mr. Fung WA CHUEN—Yes.
Dr. BELL, continuing, said that during th plague of 1894 in every corner of the city the had fires. He thought there should be thre destructors, one east, one west, and the third Yaumati. If they did not get three, they ce tainly should have one.
The PRESIDENT deprecated the idea because would be “a rather expensive matter." If th proposed destructors were to be erected in conce nection with plague cases he thought the Gu vernment would recommend it, but if on t other hand it was proposed to use them gene ally he thought the Government would reject
On the motion of Mr. OSBORNs, seconded 1 Dr. CLARK, the Board decided to ask Government to obtain the proposed destructo AUTOMATIC FLUSHING OF BEWERS – SALE
CROWN LANDS.
The MEDICAL OFFICER OF HEAL H, pursuar to notice, moved—
1. That the Government be requested direct that, in future, no sales of Crown La d shall take place within the jurisdiction of the Board (i.e, in Hongkong, Kowloon nor New Kowloon) until the question has been referred to the Board for its opinion.
2. That the Board" recommend [the Govern ment to utilise all the fresh water which now runs to waste in the trained and untrained nullahs of the City, by building dams and forming tanks for the automatic flushing of the swers and storm-water drains.
3. That the Government ba requested again consider the question of the Hushing the sewers and storm-water drains of the Cit with sea-water pumped from the harbour
uitable storage tanks.
4. That the Government be requested consider the advisability of trapping all inlet to the storm-water drains, in view of the fac that the "Report on the latrine and urin accommodation of the City and its connection with the fouling of the storm-water drains forwarded to the Government in 1899 showed that the contents of the storm-water drains are as foul and in some cases even fonler than the contents of the sewers.
The Hon. F. H. May minuted :-" The report referred to in No. 4 is utterly untrustworthy and is not safe ground to take our opinion or theory on."
Dr. Clark minuted:- 'The Governmen Analyst's report is certainly reliable, and this all I refer to.
Dr. CLARK said that the Board would admi thatitwas a most unfortunate thing for the colon that Crown land had been sold, which, had t Sanitary Board been consulted, would nev have been placed under the hammer. He forred. for instance, to a sale at the corn of Winglook Street last year to show th the Board would have raised its voic against it. They wanted open spaces, sitet for public latrines, markets, and bath-houses, and yet could not obtain them because the Government had sold the land. He then quoted Mr. Chadwick's report of 1882 which urged that continuous back alleys should be insisted upon; that 600 cubic feet of air space should be required per head in all rooms divided cubicles; that the ground surfaces of all dwelling should be concreted; that an improvement fung should be formed to carry out the larger sanitary reforms, such as the purchase of insanitary perties, and then demolition and the acquisit of the privately owned public latrines; thatm dwellings should be erected by the Governmen and that roads and drains should be prepared
tanks for the sewers to be filled by the flow the nullahs; that the number of the public latrines should be greatly increased and
a lot its width be for each hon feet by old men; and even young ones, and little before the building lots are sold, that flushing-
for two story buildings, 5) feet for three story buildings, 7 feet for four story buildings, 9 feet for buildings of more than four storys.
TORTUA E713, 02 WOLFER, & yard 8 feet wida | the house to the destructor, and even in that also were greatly needed,
the
Purinals
for each pair of two story houses, and so on. The Board, in November, 1899, asked the Government to offer a premium for the best design for a block of Chinese tenement houses, and the request was refused. Since then plans of over two thousand new houses on the old design had been sent in and approved, and could not now be recalled.”
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way alone it would be worth their while to accept it.
Dr. CLARK said he would second the proposal that they again ask the Government to give them a destructor. Year after year they had had complaints as to the burning of plague rubbish on the very small pieces of Crown land which remained in the city. If they had the
nuisance publio
caused by hawkers squatting streets should be abolished, ket accommodation was lamentably deficient that Public bath houses were much and should be furnished good supply of hot water; and that the sanitary condition Hongkong was defective, and calls for energeti remedial measures Mr. Chadwick had
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