486
THE CRISIS: TELEGRAMS.
[FROM OUR CORRESPONDENTS.)
SHANGHAI, 8th June, 9.10 a.m. The Italian Legation at Peking has received the news of the massacre in April last of 15 Belgian priests and all their male converts on the Mongolian border.
SHANGHAI, 9th June, 7.20 p.m. An Imperial decree issued on Friday, the 7th instant, appoints the 1st September as the date in which the Court will leave Hsianfu for Peking.
SHANGHAI, 12th June, 8 p.m. Prince Chun's mission of apology to Germany will leave Peking at the end of July.
An Imperial Decree has been issued ordering the people to respect the Lu Han railway and telegraph line as Chinese Government property, and also ordering the enrolment of an Imperial Railway Guard.
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SHANGHAI, 18th June, 7.38 p.m. An Imperial Decree suspends all military and civil examinations for five years in all places where anti-foreign riots have occurred.
HONGKONG SANITARY BOARD.
On the 13th inst. a meeting of the Sani- tary Board was held at the Board Room. The President (Hon. W. Chatham, Acting Director of Public Works) occupied the chair, and there. were also present the Vice-President (Hon. F. H. May, Ü.M.G., Captain Superintendent of Police), Dr. Bell (Acting Principal Civil Medical Officer), Lieut.-Col. Hughes, R.A.M.C, Mr. A. Brewin (Registrar General), Mr. E. Osborne, Dr. Clark (Medical Officer of Health), Mr. Chan A Fook, Mr. Fung Wa Chuen, and Mr. G. A. Woodcock (Secretary).
HEALTHY CHINESE HOUSES.
The following letter, with plans attached, was submitted from Mr. Fang Wa Chuen relative to the minute of H.E. the Governor regarding the erection of properly-lighted and
ventilated Chiness houses: —
"Sir, I have the honour to report, for the information of the members of the Board, that I have consulted the leading Chinese of the colony about the plan of new houses suggested by HE. the Governor. After duo con- sideration, they are of opinion that although the proposed houses will be far better lighted and ventilated than those at present in existence, they can stiil be improv. They therefore recommend that the scheme of semi- detached houses be adopted instead, as the erection of blocks of two houses, 15 feet by 50 feet each, within a 15 feet lane between each pair of houses and at the back, permits of light and ventilation getting to the houses from three sides, and also allows the lanes to be publicly scavenged. I beg to enclose a rough sketch which I have made of the houses in question."
*
The following minutes were appended :- Mr. Fang Wa Chuen-"Every two houses means an additional area of 250 square feet."
Mr. Osborne-"Mr. Fung Wa Chuen's plan is the only really effective solution of the difficulty, but it would be very costly."
Dr. Clark-"The Government should provide the side lanes and the owner the back lane."
Hon. F. H. May-“I am afraid the cost puts the plan out of the question."
The PRESIDENT thought the plan was the best that could be adopted, but it had one draw- back-it would be a very costly one.
One itein of expenditure would be the lighting necessary for the lanes, which would necessitate the erec- tion of numerous lamps. Otherwise the scheme was an excellent one and well worthy of con- sideration. He was of opinion that it might be adopted.
Mr. FUNG WA CHUEN said his plan com- pared very favourably with that of the Governor's, which proposed a house 20 feet by 5, while his (the speaker's) contemplated a
THE HONGKONG WEEKLY PRESS AND
house 15 fent by 50. Besides that, the plan was not so costly, looked at properly.
Dr CLARK saw nothing to object to in the plan except its cost.
Mr. BEEWIN-Then the case is simply the cost to the Government? The Government
is not going to make so much profit out of a square foot of land as formerly?
Mr MAY-Yes.
The PRESIDENT pointed out that the plan, as it stood, did not conform to the existing Ordinance, which would have to be amended to
meet it.
After discussion, Mr. OSBORNE asked-What
are we to do ?
Dr. BELL-We must either adopt it or not adopt it.
Mr. MAY-I move we ask the Government what the specific proposal is-whether these building regulations should apply to land breafter sold by the Crown, or whether they are also intended to apply to land already sold for the re-erection of houses.
that plan and asked our opinion of it.
Mr. OSBORNE-The Governor has sent down
Dr. CLARK asked if the Chinese had any ob- jections to the plan.
Mr. FUNG WA CHUEN said there were two ob-
jections-the first that the inmates of one cubicle
could see into the next cubicle, and the second that if people on any of the upper floors threw rubbish into the street, no one could say where it came from, and the blame was generally fixed
on the ten ints of the ground floor.
The PRESIDENT then put Mr. May's proposal to the meeting-that the Board ask the Govern- ment whether the plan submitted refers only which houses are to be re-erected. to Crown land to be sold, or also to land on
Dr. BELL seconded, and the motion was carried.
INFANT MORTALITY,
The report was laid on the table of the com- mittes appointed to consider the suggestions of Dr. Clark for reducing the excessive infaut mortality of the colony.
The PRESIDENT proposed that the report adopted and forwarded to the Government.
[June 17, 1901.
The PRESIDENT's motion to adopt the raport and forward it to the Government, which was seconded by Dr. CLARK, was put to the meeting and carried. Neither Mr. May nor Mr. Brewin voted.
LIGHTING OF THE CENTRAL MARKET.
At a meeting of the Sanitary Board on 4th April, it was resolved to recommend the Govern- ment to call upon the acting Director of ments could be effected in the natural and Public Works for a report as to what improve- artificial lighting of the Central Market.
This recommendation was submitted to the in replying, under date 17th May, the Hon. Government in a letter dated 5th April, and
stated that the Director of Public Works, on T. Sercombe Smith, Acting Colonial Secretary,
Central Market had been experimentally fitted 16th May, reported that a section of the
lamp over each shop in such section. The up by the Electric Light Company with a Government, it was further stated, would be glad to have a report from the Board had received a fair trial. The letter concluded on the working of the experiment after it
had also submitted a proposal to heighten 92 by stating that the Director of Public Works
windows in the ground floor at an estimated Governor intended to recommend the Legisla cost of $3,100-
-n sum which His Excellency the
tive Council to vote for the purpose.
Dr. CLARK-I think this is a matter that
should be referred to a committee. The Presi dent and myself were in the market one night
ments. We suggested that a committee of after serou q'clock, and we made a few experi-
of lighting the Central Market, and report to two should be appointed to decide the best way
the Board to that effect.
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Mr. BREWIN seconded. The proposal was adopted, the President and Dr. Clark being appointed as the committee.
THE 1932 ESTIMATES.
On 3rd June, Mr. G. A. Woodcock (Acting Secretary to the Board) wrote to the Hon. T. Sercombe Smi.h (Acting Colonial Secretary) drawing attention to the following recom. bemendations of the Board in connection with the 1902 Estimates:-(1) That the sum of $15 a month be paid to the Police Inspector in charge of Kowloon City; (2) that an increase be made in the pay of the engineer at the disinfecting station of from $18 to $35 a month; (3) that a stoker be engaged at $12 a month for the disinfecting station, in lieu of the watchman who now gets $9.
Mr. MAY said that in his opinion the infant mortality was greatly exaggerated by the Medical Officer of Health, and that the importation of infants had been left out in the count. The number coming from Canton and Macao, if included, would be found to average three a day. The number of Chinese coming into the colony during the year had been estimated at 10,000, and he (Mr. May) did not think that that estimate was very far out.
Dr. CLARK did not think that the infant death- rate had been exaggerated. Chinese parents were not bound to register a birth before six weeks, and in his opinion the number of infants who died before they reached that age, and whose deaths consequently could not he registered, counterbalanced the number of deaths registered amongst infants imported into the colony.
Mr. BREWIN asked if it was the caso, as the Medical Officer of Health said in his report, that of every thousand children born in the colony seventy-two died.
Dr. CLARK-No, seventy-two live.
Mr. BREWIN, continuing, said they ought not to take measures simply on account of an exceptional death-rate in one year. In either 1895 or 1896, for instance, 400 out of a thousand infants lived a great contrast to the present death-rate.
Dr. BELL, speaking with reference to a proposal to offer a fee for every birth registered, said the first step was to get the births registered. They were registered in every blessed British colony except Hongkong. The colony had been running for 55 years, and yet it had never been able to get it done. If the Chinese could not be made to obey the law, it would be impossible to compile correct figures. He was surprised to know that a law to compel registration existed here, but in his sixteen years of living in the colony he had never heard of a man being prosecuted for non-compliancs | with that law.
Mr. BREWIN—It has only been in force for four years.
Dr. BELL-It ought to have twenty-four years. In these four years I have never heard of anyone being prosecuted.
|
Intimation has now been received that the
recommendations have been approved by Government.
The papers were laid on the table.
THE LAYING OUT OF NEW DISTRICTS.
At a meeting of the Board on the 30th ult., it was unanimously decided to ask H.E. the Governor to direct that before any district was laid out for building purposes the plan showing the proposed laying out should be submitted to the Board.
The resolution was forwarded to the Govern- ment, and a reply has been received in which the Governor suggests that the following resolution should be adopted by the Board:-
戚
That H.E. the Governor be pleased to direct that, when any district has been laid out on a plan with a view to the sale of the land for building parposos, the plan be submitted to the Board for its consideration." The resolution extends only to areas in which there is prospect of considerable development in the near future. The PRESIDENT, after reading the resolution in its new form, said-I see no objection to the adoption of this proposal, and suggest that it be passed.
Q.
Dr. BELL seconded, and the resolution was carried.
CLOSING OF CHINESE THEATRES.
Papers were laid on the table relative to the recommendation made at a recent meeting of the Board to close Chinese theatres during the prevalence of the present epidemic of bubonis plague. The reply from Government showed that the theatres had been closed from the 10th inst.
QUICKLINE AND PLAGUE BURIALS. The following letter, dated 3th May, 1901, from the Colonial Secretary's Office was read :—
* Sir,-I am directed by H.E. the Governor to enquire whether, in the opinion of the Sanitary Board, the use of quicklime in the
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Private notes are available after approval.