November 23, 19 '1.]
HONGKONG SANITARY BOARD.
PLAGUE AND DISINFECTION.
CHINA OVERLAND TRADE REPORT.
419
Mr. LAU CHU PAK-I second that. The motion was put to the meeting and carried, the board immediately thereafter going into committee and considering the entire sub- ject in detail.
On the Board resuming. Dr. CLARK moved that all that part of the City east of Garden Road and all that part of it west of Eastern Street be declared districts within which house. to-house visitation shall be conducted by the officers of the Board, and such houses cleansed
not affect their trade with China, as there are i The President-You move that the Board no quarantine restrictions in that cenutry ! resolve itself into a committee?
Mr BREWIN—Yes. against any trade from infected places, it does. A special meeting of the Sanitary Board was hamper the trade of this place very seriously held at noon on the 20th inst. for the purpose of to have an embargo pacal upon it by every That ought to app al considering the question of the general cleansing port its vessels touch at. and disinfection of houses in the Colony during to all the Chinese who are interested in business non-epidemic times of plague. Present-the matters, because, though it does not directly President (Dr. Atkinson, Principal Civil Medical touch them at present, yet it undoubtedly will Officer) the Vice-President (Hon. A. W.JBrewin, do so and affect very seriously the trade of this Registrar Genera'). Dr. Clark (Medical Officer Colony. The thing almost everyone says when of Health), Hon. W. Chatham (Director of we begin disinfection after the plague has begun Public Works). Mr. Fung Wa Chun, Mr. Lauis- What is the use of waiting until the thing has begun? Why did you not do this before Cha Pak, and Mr. G. A. Woodcock (Secretary)
Correspondence on the subject having been it began? Why were you not ready for it?" We want to take those measures in order to be ready for it, and the inconvenience cansed to the people generally, I am is only a fractional portion of what they will suffer in regard to traile if matters go on as at present-if these measures are not adopted. I therefore fully endorse the proposal to take steps at once, in connection with these measures and proceed with the general disinfection.
laid on the table.
The PRESIDENT said-It will be in the
memory of the Board that in September last, bye-laws were passed by the Legislative Council conferring upon the Board the same power to cleanse and disinfect houses in non-epidemic times that it already possessed in epidemic times. In considering what measures should be taken to check the yearly recurrence of plague, it ap- peared to the Board, seeing that plague always disappears in the winter months, that it would be atrisable to attempt some general cleansing of the whole City during this time. Un doubtedly the bacillus must be present in onr midst, and the object of this cleansing and dis. infection is to attack it in its lair and remove everything as far as possible which will conduce to its growth. We caunot expect even by these means to thoroughly rid the Colony of this pest, but it is incumbent upon us to do every- thing in our power, and this must strike every well-meaning person as a step in the right direction. It is almost a superhuman task to attempt to cleanse the whole City, but the scheme bas beзn most carefully drawn up by the Medical Officer of Health, and, I may say, has met with the approval of the majorit of the members of the Board. Our object is the welfare of the many, and though some must suffer temporary inconvenience, it is the ear- nest wish of the Board to undertake this work with the least possible discomfort to the inha- bitants. As H.E. the Governor pointed out in laying the foundation stone of the new Tung Wa Hospital at Kennedytown on Mon day, these measures are not an experiment, but are the result of experience gained elsewhere. We have had considerable difficulty in obtaining European officers who shall superintend this cleansing. The naval authorities, the military, and the police could not help us, for various reasons, but we determined to carry out this work if possible, and Lare obtained the sanction of the Government for the employment of suit- able Europeans.
Advertisements have been issued in the papers, and we hope in a few days to appoint the necessary men. Dr. Clark has already heard of two or three whom he thinks suitable. A sub-committee was appointed by the Board to consider this matter, and they have gone most carefully into the subject. Ex periments have been carried out to show the Chinese that the disinfection does not spil or destroy their silks, but it seems impossible to convince the Chinese of the utility of this measure. I hare called you together to-day so that we may discuss this once again and settle finally our mode of procedure. Time is slipping by, and unless the work is set in hand at once in will not be accomplished before the next plague season is again upon us.
Mr. BREWIN-You say this cleansing and fumigation is the result of experience; where has that experience been obtained ?
The PRESIDENT-The experience has been obtained almost wherever plague has previously existed-in Australia in Mauritius, in England, in Glasgow.
sure,
Mr. Lau Chu Pak-As you will see from the correspondence I had with the Medical Officer of Health on the subject. I do not oppose the bye-law in principle, but I certainly suggest that it should be carried ont in such a way as not to cause the Chinese annoyance. Mr. Fang Wa Chun has got some details drawn up, and so I will refer that matter to him.
Mr. FUNG WA CHUN-I have a few sugges- tions. The Chinese in Hongkong do not see the benefit of cleansing and disinfecting or fumi- think is is our duty to show gating, and them what great use this fumigation will be, and also to see that the work is carried out in a
way to suit them. There are certain objections from the Chinese, and I am of opinion that First of all. these objections could be met. tents should be put up immediately in front of houses that are to be cleansed and disinfected. Ladies-Chinese ladies, small-footed ladies— and children should not be expected to be turned out of their houses and marched from street to street to the matsheds proposed to be erected by the M dical Officer of Health at the end of certain streets or in the compound of the Police Station at Wanchai. That removes the first objection of the Chinese. To march Chinese ladies to the bath-houses used by coolies is unreasonable, and I, as the representative on this Board of the Chinese, cannot support any- thing which I think is a hardship to the Chinese. I would also suggest that three days' notice be given to the inmates of the houses that are to be cleansed and disinfected. People going out of the Colony, if they happen to live in the prescribed districts, should be allowed to take their things away-that is, if they mean to leave the Colony, and not simply to go from one district another. Sick people's houses should be allowed to stand over, and the hours for cleansing and fumigating should be from ten till four.
The Medical Officer of Health suggests from vine till tw-lve, and from two till five I know, being Chinese, what hours will suit the Chinese best, and from ten till On rainy days four will be the best hours no work should be carried out by the officers of the Board. What I ask for the Chinese is a very small thing. The Board can meet them. and I hope it will meet them.
and disinfected; that the officers appointed to supervise the work be Inspectors Reidie, Wooley, and Pincher; and that the Board leave it to the President and the Medical Officer of Health, as a committee, to select the tem- officers who have been sdvertised for to assist in the work of supervision.
porary
The motion was put to the meeting in its entirety and carried."
The work is to commence on Monday, and the hours will be from nine till twelve and from two till five, Mr. Fung Wa Chun's suggestion in this respect not having been adopted.
THE NEW TUNG WA HOSPITAL.
LAYING OF FOUNDATION STONE.
H. E. the Governor performed the ceremony on the 18th inst. of laying the foundation stone of the new Tung Wa Hospital at Ken- nedytown-an institution that is the practical outcome of the generosity of the leading section of the Chinese community, whose feelings have been stirred time and again by the sufferings of their poorer brethren when stricken by disease. The large matshed in which the ceremony took place was gaily decorated with flags and bannerettes of every variety of colour, shape, and design, and was filled by a large number of European and Chinese residents including the Hon. J. H. and Mrs. Stewart Lockhart, Hon. W. Chatham, Hon. A. W. Brewin, Hon. Dr. Ho Kai, Dr. and Mis Atkinson, Mr. F. J. Badeley. Dr. Clark, Dr. Pearse, Mr. A. J. May (Queen's College), Mr. G. A. Woodcock. Dr. Noble, Mr. and Mrs. A. Cunningham, Mr. B. Brotherton Harker (the architect) and Mrs. and Miss Brotherton Harker, Mr. G. W. F.. Playfair, Mr. G. C. C. Master, and Messrs. Lai Chuen, Fung Wa Chün, Ho Fook, Lau Chu Pak, Ho Tai Shang, Un Lai Chuen, Wong Chee Kow, Pun Tsze Wan, Chan Kan Yne, Kwok Fung Yee, Yuan Kin Wan, Fung Ngoi Chin, Lias Tze Sang, Li Cheuk Yue, Yang Yik Ting, and Chang Sze Kai.
His Excellency, who arrived shortly after four o'clock, accompanied by Sir Thomas Jac son and his private secretary, Captain Warren, was conducted to a seat in the centre of the matshed, where Mr. Lai Chuen, the Chairman, rend in hinese the following address, which was afterwards translated for His Excellency by Mr, Fang Wa Chün:-
Your Excellency,-On behalf of the Com- mittee of the Tung Wa Hospital I beg to express our gratitude to you for having con- sented to lay the foundation stone of this building. In so doing, Sir, you will be marking with your approval one more stage in the progress which nuder the beneficent rule of the British Government the Tang Wa Hospital has been encouraged to make during the last eight years.
Mr. BREWIN-I think we are unanimously agreed that this cleansing and disinfection
It has fallen to us, the members must be carried out on something like the lines
of the present Committee, to have the honour proposed. The only question now before us is to consider the details of the scheme. The hinese of welcoming Your Excellency to-day; but have asked here some questions and have raised we do not forget that we owe the honour in certain objections. These questions should be great part to the labours of our predecessors. answered by the Board, and not simply by the An institution like this is not the work of one Merical Officer of Health. I think suggestions day, and on this occasion the efforts of all MP. CHATHAM--I expected to hear Mr. Lau should be considered in detail by the Board and who have contributed to it deserve to be remen- we should do our best to meet the wishes of the bored. It is as long ago as the winter of 1897 11 Chu Pak make some remarks, as he has been
Chiness without interfering with the effective that an epidemic of small-pox induce some taking up an attitude rather in opposition to the
ness of our work. All questions of detail can members of our community to take up seriously other members of the Board with regard to this
be best considered in committee, and I recom- the idea of starting a hospital for infectious subject, but he does not seemed disposed to do so.
diseases. but the time was unpropitious. Next As you yourself have said, sir, it is obvious to mend that we should take the questions raise everyone that some such measure as this must be by Mr. Lau Chu Pak in his minute addressed cer, abonel by the interest which your to Dr. Clark and deal with them in detail, and Excell-ncy disply in all matters which adopted if we hope in any way to rid ourselves
welfare of the Chinese, the Com. then, having considered them, go through the j affected of plague or to alleviate its attacks in this Colony. I hope very much that the remarks report presented by the majority of the com-itte of the Hosp tal, seting through their which fell from H.E. the Governor at the lay-mittee. I think that would be the most reason. ; Chairmeu, Mr. II- Tung, made another appeal to the government, and a ready ear was turned ing of the foundation stone of the Tung Wa able way. I beg therefore to move that the
to them. The sympathy of the government Hospital on Monday will be widely read and report of the sub-committee be referred to a pondered over by the Chinese. Another point committee of the whole Board, and be considered } and the gift of a site simulated the liberality of the European and Chinese communities, and they must bear in mind is that though it may
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