August 10, 1901.]
service (Chater Road). The results show that the water in each case is of excellent quality,
LIMEWASHING RETURN,
CHINA OVERLAND TRADE REPORT.
The limewashing return for the fortnight ended 6th August was laid on the table. There | trio of experts, who proclaim the triumphant were no remarks.
This was all the business.
THE
INSANITARY
the colony is in an insanitary state. In this connection how could he? But his letters and actions are admissions of entire want of confidence in the statements of his subordinate progress of sanitation in Hongkong "during the last twenty years," and who represent unconvincingly to the sufferer it is true-that CONDI-everything Officially that can be done has been done to place it in a thorough sanitary condition. The community will unhesitatingly agree with His Excellency, however much they may admire the great ability, magnificent resourcefulness and supreme audacity of the three apologists.
TION OF HONGKONG.
THE OFFICIAL EXPLANATION.
The pleasure of roading the Official explana tion concerning the (in)sanitary condition of this colony has unfortunately so far been limited to a few. The correspondence between the Chamber of Commerce and the Government, the Petition of the Residents to the Right Hon. the Principal Secretary of State for the Colonies, and the reply to that Potition pre- pared by local officials, dealing with the sanita- tion of the colony, have been collected and published in the form of a blue-book. This book is made up of sixty-four foolscap folio pages mostly of small type-and is thus a formidable volume, considering the subject matter, for the average reader to tackle. Had the book been printed on octavo pages and in large and more convenient type, it would have been roughly equal in bulk to a colonial novel; in fact some of the Official statements are really entertaining fiction, but the subject would naturally pall after the few opening chapters. Published in such a form, with the insertion of a few vivid allegorical illustrations depicting the wicked Unofficials triumphant in the enormity of their wickedness, and half-tone photographs of unreasonable newspaper editors -the alleged real and sole opponents to and frustrators of the progress of Sanitation in Hongkong-the book would have been of intrinsic value and provided a permanent royalty for its authors. Its value would have been even further in- creased by the inclusion of facsimile autographs of those three worthy, though despondent, Officials, who in the face of continuous Un- Official opposition, and retarded by an apathetic community, have so nobly brought the Sanitary system of Hongkong to that sublime state of perfection they represent it to be in to-day. This would have completed a volume which would, like the speeches of one of them, have justified its claim to " go down to posterity." What an opportunity lost to an enterprising publisher!
It is consoling, however, to learn that the blue-book, which was apparently rushed through in order to be sent home with the Petition, will beer printed in an improved form; and thus all will have an opportunity of reading it—that is, those who may possess enough public spirit to so desire. I recommend it for devout Sabbath perusal.
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It has been suggested that this is not the time for recrimination; and one local journal has good-naturedly withheld much criticism in consequence. It would have been well if the Officials responsible for the Memor- anda had followed this example: it would have been better still had they kept before them the inestimable virtues of accuracy in statement and of sympathy with a good cause; for they were well aware that the Petitioners had but one object-the prosperity of the colony-and that the Petition was drafted with an earnest and studied desire to avoid offence and person. alities. Had the case of the Petitioners been presented as vigorously as the subject de- room for robust served, there was much
censure. Seeing the language and direct Petitioners have not had the opportunity of forwarding a reply to and with the Official statements, it is only proper that the Memor auda should be dealt with, however inefficient- ly; otherwise, in future years it may be quoted as a compilation of facts. In the in- terests of equity and truth this would indeed be sad, though it may be admitted that many facts are contained therein, and a good many facts have been carefully omitted.
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and the Government naturally did not appreciate the publication of the true state of affairs. The Government was not slow to avail itself of several good suggestions made by that same newspaper correspondence, though its feeble and sporadic efforts had but little part in causing the gradual disappearance of the epidemic. The Military Authorities did likewise, but unlike the Government, have not hesitated to acknowledge such indebtedness.
In par. 7. H.E. refers to his possible theory that the plague epidemic is due to atmospheric condition, which is somewhat analogous to the idea that malaria is due to mists. There aro but fow laymen who dare venturo to discuss the clinical aspects of plague, and H.E.'s courage in doing so is worthy of admiration if unsafe for general emulation. Personally the writer favours H.E.'s "Atmospheric theory" that is in Hongkong-for if H.E, in his rambles will get within even a thirty yards' radius of one of the shafts of our local drains-the system of which we are told is so perfect he will be at once convinced that not only plague but many other deadly diseases are traceable to Hongkong's "atmospheric condition."
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H.E. surely cannot be serious in writing “I have no reason to believe that the sanitary staff* are not doing their duty faithfully?" "If so, then he is an unconscious humourist. The sanitary staff is so absolutely insufficient—and inefficient-that as the Petitioners pointed out two months "a Sanitary Inspector takes to visit thoroughly his health district, a duty which should be done daily, and there is but one Inspector for the whole of the markets in H E. goes on, and if they are, the colony." then with the large powers given to the M.O.H. there should not be in Hongkong a bouse unfit for habitation, nor should any house be permitted to continue in an insanitary state." With due deference and respect to H.E., this may H.E. should The first thing that presents itself for ob- be described as absolute nonsense. servation is a letter of H.E. the Governor, know-and as Mr. May once pointed out, it is dated 5th July, 191. The moderation of His the duty of a Governor to know-that houses Excellency, his marked sympathy with the unfit for human habitation have been repeatedly Petitioners, and his evident earnest desire to closed by the Sanitary Board and illegally of the police. undertake what may be essential to eradicate reoccupied under the nose plague and other infectious diseases, have im- There are numbers of houses absolutely in pressed most people. It is to be regretted that sanitary which the law cannot tough; and the the gentlemen he engaged to rebut the state Government knows well that half the Chiness ments in the Petition were not as reason buildings in the colony are insanitary owing to able. Unlike them H.E. is evidently open the habits of the Chine 3, the majority of whom do not hesitate to use down rain-pipes, oven to conviction. Recognising the serious con- dition of affairs, he requests the services closely adjoining their kitchens as urinals of an expert. This, of course, had been and W.C.'s, and jam filth and rubbish into suggested previous H.E.'s dispatch-pipes not intended to receive it. The report on Hunghom, page 17, is eloquent comment in the third letter of " Scrutator" (a copy of
on H.E.'s statement. which had been sent to the Colonial Office à month before) in numerous Press telegrams, Therefore H.E. is and in the local newspapers.
to
to be praised for his prompt and sympathetic action in response to the manifest wish of the community. It is a tribute also to the utility of the local Press, which Officials are not apt to recognise until somewhat late in the day.
In par. 3, H.E. points out that he has "observed some mysterious connection between H.E. is probably rinderpest and plague." unaware that this was threshed out in 1896, when Staff-Surgeon Wilm identified the bacillus of plague and rinderpest as the same, a state- ment which unfortunately was completely disproved by Koch during his researches in South Africa.
Ia sub-section (f), H.E. describes the Tang Wa Hospital as ** an excellent charitable institution supported entirely by the Chinese." This hospital is in receipt of a large Govern. In par. 5, when the health ment grant. of the only trained sanitary inspector broke down, H.E. "recommended the appointment For of an assistant medical officer of health."
The book is an extremely able production, apart from technical defects, and the joint- authors are to be heartily congratulated on having produced a volume worthy of their united efforts and abilities. Few of its readers will be ungenerous enough to suppose that the authors individually and personally believed all the statements they have made themselves responsible for in their Official capacity, because many of these are audacious prevarications, and literary twistings, which may be considered pardonable only in the Official character. Likewise, in a private capacity, the fairness of the authors would at once be ques- tioned; for the extent of their resource in explanation is only excelled by their great ingenuity in evasion. Their casuistry is charming, and the telescope and blind eye are very much in evidence. Many will rightly consider this blue-book to be one of the ablest produc- tions the Hongkong Government has yet
In par. 6, it is stated that the public Press sponsored, for reading the Official Memoranda published letters and articles "that increased alone, without consulting the Petition, and the alarm." Apparently this is a reference to without the misfortune of a personal experience the articles and correspondence which appeared of Hongkong, one could not fail to be con- in the newspapers, pointing out the existence vinced by it. Unfortunately, however, taking of grave scandals, the apathy of the Govern- it as a purely literary effort, it has one cardinalment and its inability to adequately cope with weakness, namely, a want of seqnen os.
the disastrous situation. When within a few weeks-to quote H.E.-"twenty-five Europeans had been attacked and nine had died," surely "the alarm ” needed no incentive from the news- papers? The articles in the Press were endorsed by every doctor and civil engineer in the colony
In the first part, of the book, H.E. the Gover- nor admits the necessity of sanitary reform: he wires and or writes for an expert to come from. home. He mentions the "causes of insanitary conditions." He does not openly state that
two years the Sanitary Board have been urging the appointment of an assistant to Dr. Clark.
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In connection with H.E. having ordered wheeled ambulances, replacing the cots slung on poles, it must be remembered that the Sanitary Board asked for launches and ambulances, hat could not get them "on account of expense," and ambulances were finally given on the strong memorandum sout in by Dr. Bell.
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In par. 9, H.E. diplomatically remarks that he obtained from Major-General Gascoigno the services of Dr. Stewart of the Indian Medical Service to relieve Dr. Thomson from his duties as medical officer of the gaol, so that his entire time should be devoted to plague
Those who read “* Scrutator's third · work." article will recollect the criminal negligence which was pointed out in connection with the Plague Hospital, and though it may be quite true | H.E. applied for Lieut. Stewart, I.M.S., yet H.E. omits to state that Lieut. Stewart never acted as gaol surgeon but was acting assistant in the Civil Hospital, from the early part of the year. Dr. Lamort, a French physician, was gazetted for duty at the gaol, two days after the article describing the scandal appeared, and is still so acting. This error is made in two places in the book, and suggests a timidity in giving further publicity to the engagement of
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■ French doctor.
In par. 11, H.E. refers to that very ex- cellent innovation, the introduction of public bath-houses for Chinese. H.E. has deservedly received much credit for having sanctioned what the Government had hitherto persistently neglected, though recommended by Mr. Chadwick. As far back as 1892, the Sanitary Board proposed the erection of ten bath-houses a proposal ignored by the Government. A few public baths for poor Europeans would also be appreciated.
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