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"2. His Excellency does not feel competent to decide the vexed question of the drainage system, and has requested that the services of an expert on sanitation should be obtained in England with a view to his visiting Hongkong and reporting generally upon the sanitation of the colony."
THE HONGKONG WEEKLY PRESS AND
[July 15, 1901.
initial cost of a scheme for flushing the sewerstrict difficult for them to deal with, and they submitted to the operation at an European All stories to the contrary with Ben-water would be about $200,000, and its thus be enabled to concentrate their efforts doctor's hands. annual cost about $10,000.
elsewhere to the benefit of the colony, and were absolutely false. There were fifty or mxty would further avoid such distressing incidents Chinese out-patients attending the Government as that reported to us by our manager yester-Civil Hospital every day. days, viz., a woman having died at Quarry Bay the previous day, on her death being reported to the authorities, a burial certificate was issued, on receipt of which the husband set off to procure a coffin and bearers, but on his return with same found, to his dismay, the Sanitary Board officials had removed the body to Kennedy Town.
The minute by Mr. Ormsby, dated February, 17 1899, is as follows:-" There are now in use in the city 32 automatic flushing tanks placed in the most suitable positions. The sowers have been laid to self-cleaning grades in nearly every case, and through them passes daily most of the 3,000,000 gallons of water consumed in the city every 24 hours. An examination of these sewers at any of the man-holes usually, shows them running half fall with water."
recent
Regarding the use of sea water for flushing drains, Mr. Cooper, in his report on the Water Supply in 1896, wrote as follows:-" During years, many seaside towns have adopted a system of water supply, using 808 water for watering streets, flushing drains, fire-service, etc. In considering the foregoing, the practicability of adopting such a system for the City of Victoria has not been lost sight of, and though the use of sea water favours deposits in sewers, its adoption for street
the watering has advantages over use of fresh water, and may with advantage be used in comparatively level localities. Any project for the utilisation of sea water for such purposes in the City of Victoria, owing to the varying elevations of the built area, viz., from practically sea-level to 600 feet above sea-level, must necessarily involve the installation and maintenance of pumping machinery and the construction of service reservoirs in addition to those used for the water supplied for potable It would further be necessary to lay throughout the city a separate system of distribution mains and hydrants. The cost of such a project would not compare favourably with the gravitation projects put forward in the preceding pages of this report, and, con- sequently, Iam of opinion nosuch project should be entertained so long as a supply of fresh water sufficient for all purposes can be obtained at a reasonable cost by gravitation. The cost of pumping up sea-water to the 600 foot level, and laying distribution mains to use it for flashing sewers, would be prohibitive, even if desirable. Further storage of water in the Tytam Valley is projected, and with a more abundant supply, the flushing tanks may be used more freely."
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As we understand the Board will hold a meeting to-morrow afternoon, we would request that this letter be placed before them for discussion and their final decision.”
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(8d.) BUTTErfield & SwIRE.” Mr. OSBORNE asked that Mossrs. Butterfield and Swire's request be allowed, and that the hospital be run without the attendance of an European doctor. In doing so, he could not refrain from commenting on what ho con. sidered the obstruction on the part of the Board- unnecessary obstruction. The only represents tive of the Sanitary Board in the Quarry By district was a police inspector at Shankiwan,; who probably had in his charge the sanitary arrangements of Quarry Bay, including this hospital of Butterfield and Swire's An inspec- tor worthy of the name was just as cap. able of seeing the arrangements in that matshed carried out-that the place was kept clean, and that all the surroundings were such as the Medical Officer of Health would ask-just as capable as any European medical man in the colony. Butterfield and Swire had laid great stress upon the fact that they wanted the coolies to be benefited by having a native doctor to attend them. Everyone knew perfectly well that the very sight of an European coming to attend him frightened a coolie, and that he would not submit to treatment by an European doctor. That very question, Mr. Osborne said, crop- ped up in connection with his own company, and he agreed to the conditions laid down because he could get an European doctor easily. With Butterfield and Swire it was different. An European doctor could not waste precious time by running down to Quarry Bay every now and again, and the speaker thought Butterfield and Swire were right in refusing to submit to such a stipulation. Dr. Bell a plan by had minuted that this was Butterfield and Swire to keep their coolies working, and was not suggested in order to keep to combat the plague. Assuming that the promptings of the commercial mind were sordid-(laughter)-absolutely sordid, he did not see why they should not consent to the request of those sordid minds, when that request Hongkong, 10th July, 1901. happened to coincide with the philanthropic "Sir,--We are in receipt of your letter of the efforts of the non-commercial mind. Messrs. 4th inst.. from which we note the Board still ad- Butterfield and Swire's offer of assistance to com- heres to its decision that they think it necessary bat the plague was one deserving the heartiest to have an European doctor in charge of our pro-support, and it came with very bad grace for
purposes.
THE PROPOSED HOSPITAL AT QUARRY BAY.
The Secretary read the following letter from Messrs Butterfield and Swire:-
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Mr. OSBORNE They are driven into the hospital.
Dr. BELL-Who drives them ? Mr. OSBORNE Their employers. Dr. BELL-I tell you, sir, we have fifty destitute cases there every morning.
Mr. OSBORNE continuing in his line of argument, Dr. BELL retorted-Well, I am either a liar, or I am not. I give you absolute facts. Five hundred Chinamen wanted to come in last year, and there was no room for them.
After further discussion Mr. May's motion was put to the meeting and carried.
SUPPOSED PLAGUE CASES AT BAIGON. Dr. CLARK intimated that in response to an enquiry from the Board the British onsul at Saigon had informed them that no cases of plague had occurred there. These enquiries were made, Dr. CLAEK explained, in consequence of a case of plague having occurred on board the steamer Shantung on arrival from Saigon. Since then, two Chinese suffering from plague had been landed from two steamers arriving here from Saigon, one on the 3rd and the other on the 4th. These patients were sent to the Tung Wa Hos. pital, but died in the course of a few hours. Under these circumstances, it would be advis- able to recommend the Government to ask the British Consul at Saigon to make further enquiries, as plague might be existing without the authorities there knowing the fact.
This suggestion was unanimously agreed to. This concluded the business of the meeting. HONGKONG VOLUNTEER CORPS.
PRESENTATION OF GOVERNOR'S SHIELD, ! A parade of all units of the Hongkong Volunteer Corps took place at Headquarters on the 9th inst, when His Excellency the Governor presented his Shield for musketry to the winning team, "D" Company. The parade, despite the importance of the occasion, was not a large one.
His Excellency, who was accompanied by Lady Blake and his aide-de-camp, arrived on .. the parade ground shortly after half-past five, dressed in his uniform as Hon. Colonel of the Corps, and was received with the general salute.
Captain PRITCHARD, Adjutant of the Corps, welcomed His Excellency, in the absence of Sir John Carrington, C.M.G., Commandant. In a few words Captain Pritchard thanked His Excellency for his generous present of the Shield and also for his kindness in coming to the parade ground. Commenting on the fact that the winners of had fired with rifles
posed hospital at Quarry Bay. We gather they the members of the Board to thwart them. Pritchard said 20 shield, "D" Company,
We
do not object to Dr. Kwan as not being fit and duly qualified for this post, but solely on account of his nationality, and would be glad to be informed if this is so. We may state that in engaging this gentleman, in anticipation of the Board gladly accepting what services could render in assisting the Government to stamp out the plague, we were influenced by the fact of his nationality, as it enabled him to converse with his patients in their own language, and more readily to diagnose their symptoms. We venture to submit that no European doctor, if he be unable to converse with his patients, and be ignorant of their ways and mode of life, can be classed as equal to a local native practitioner of large experience and duly qualified.
“As already stated, that, having engaged Dr. Kwan, we do not see our way to go to the expense of employing another European doctor, who would simply have to certify to the correo tions of Dr. Kwan's treatment, which of course a thing we should not care to ask Dr. Kwan to submit to. We, therefore, beg to again arge the Board's reconsideration of the matter, and in doing so would call their attention to the fact that the Government provide no local medical attendance or facilities to the inhabitants in the large and populous district our scheme they would be relieved of the care of a dis-
carbines, Captain mat'or was under the
Mr. Osborne, in concluding, trusted that the consideration of the Shield Committee, which whole question Board would reconsider the matter, and grant would weigh・fully the
whether or not the two woapons were equal in Messrs. Butterfield and Swire's request.
Mr. MAY was entirely opposed to the applica-accuracy and range. He then asked His tion. The Board required an European doctor Excellency to present the Shield, and intimated - to visit and supervise for the very same reason that the Corps had provided a small replica that an European medical officer visited daily for each member of the winning team. the Tang Wa Hospital and every other p'ague In presenting the Shield the Governor hospital open in the colony. When the Board said it had been presented by him to the Corps
control .of its plague for the purpose of inducing the gave ap hospitals they had better give up control practice shooting, and, if possible, to evolve of everything. Careful supervision was necessary competition between the different units of the in order to tell whether a case was one of plague Corps. The Hongkong Volunteers bad now or not. Mr. May moved that Butterfield and arrived at a very critical stage in their Swire be notified that the Board could not existence. reconsider its decision.
the
04 anquiet
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When His Excellency came here in 1898, the Corps numbered 150 men. Dr. BELL seconded. He characterised the The first impulse towards the increasing statement that a Chinaman does not like an of the strength of the Corps came in the European practitioner as nonsense, and if mem- April of 1899, when the trouble in the bers liked to believe the statement-well, they Now Territory arose. One afternoon Colonel could. For its contradiction, however, they Ainsley came over and informed His Excellency,
Government Civil that matters in the New Territory were nearing had only to go to the Hospital and they would find every Chinese a crisis, and that it was necessary to despatch ward full. Last year there were nine hun-at once a number of men to the other dred Chinese patients. There was another side to repel a possible attack. The cock-and-bull story that a Chinaman did not Hongkong Volunteer Corps was apparently at like being cut about by an European. The that time not taken seriously, but His Excellency surgery ward at the Government Civil Hospital nevertheless suggested that they should be called was now chock-a-block. A Chinaman did not upon. How well that call had been responded than an European, but when it was necessary Col. Mainwairing, would be remembered by all.
Bagould embrace, that by conceding to our request | like to have an arm or leg taken off any more] to, and how well they had done their work under
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