May 5, 19021
it should be notified as widely as possible that in future where infected rats are caught the premises will not be disinfected and that the Chinese should be encouraged to allow the same facilities as they did before. I do not wish to condone their action, but we have no help for it and must do just what we can.
CHINA OVERLAND TRADE REPORT:
TIONS,
HONGKONG'S PROGRAMME.
341
from that is that if there is any use THE CORONATION CELEBRA- in catching rats at all we had better do all we can to catch them. If by our measures we are preventing the catching of the rats, it seems to me only reasonable that we should stop those measures that prevent the catching of the rats. However, I think we should quite agree with the Medical Officer of Health that we should do as our expert adviser såys, and I am willing to withdraw my_motion at present.
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The VICE-PRESIDENT-How many rats have been caught according to the latest returns?
Dr. CLABK-1800 for the week ended the 21st. It has gone up for the lust week.
The subject then dropped,
year
THE DEATH-RATE.
PLAQUE AT MACAO,
น
The following letter of date 21st nlt.. from the Consul General for Portugal relative to plague and cholern at Mac io was submitted :— I am requested by the Colonial Secretary of Macao, in the absence of His Excellency, the Governor of Macao, to state that there have only been cases of plague in the Islands of Taipa and Colovanne, and that the Government hase taken all the necessary precautions against the disease spreading to Macao. He assures that there have been no cases of plague in Macao during the last week, and only two cases of cholerine."
The PRESIDENT-The Board recommended the Government to proclaim Macao an infected port, but this letter has been received stating that it is only the dependencies of Macao that aro infected. As Hongkong has not much intercourse with the inhabitants of these dependencies, there is no reason why we should not withdraw that proclamation.
This was agreed to.
LIME-WASHING RETURNS,
Dr. CLARK-I hope sincerely, sir, that the Board will not pass this resolution. In fact I feel very sorry indeed that I brought this matter before the Board if that is to be the result. There is a matter of 9,000 or 10,000 rats being caught in Kowloon every week, and almost 2,000 in the City of Victoria. A very large number of these rats are examined bacteriologically and as
& result of that, honses are disinfected and cleansed. It was reported that the death-rate for the Perhaps I should not use the word "dis-week ended 5th April was 26.9 per annum as infected" but cleansed." We do not fumigate compared with 176 in the previous week and the house in which an infected rat is found. 19.0 in the corresponding week of the previous What we do is to put carbolic acid in the rat- holes, fill up the rat-runs and generally clean out the premises if they are in a dirty con- dition; but because there are somo half-dozen householders in the Colony and particularly in the City who daily spring off the traps after having been put in and baited-it because of that the Board are willing to climb down and give пр the work we are carrying on on the advice of a distinguished plague expert, then I think we should be doing an extremely foolish' thing. The percentage of rat traps which are sprung off is comparatively only small. I brought the matter forward because I thought some member of the Board might be able to suggest some way of stopping it; but it is not in my opinion the way to stop it to do away altogether with the preventive measures which are at present in full swing, and which I think everyone must admit are having some effect upon the provalence of bubonic plague. At this time last year thero were 60 or 80 cases a week of plague. I do not wish to boast, and I have no doubt there are many circunstances at work which are keeping the disease in check this year, but I certainly believe-I grant you that I have come round to the opinion--that the rat has much more to do with it than I nsed to think. I have come round to the opinion that if we examine the rats which are found in the City and if we deal with those houses and those districts in which plague-infected rats are found we are doing a good work in the direction of the prevention of human plague. If we had to do away with that we may just as well give up sanitary work altogether and let the epidemic have full swing. It is Professor Simpson's opinion--and, as I say, I quite concur with him that rat plague precedes buman plague, and that has been borne out very clearly this year. If any of you care to see the map which shows the localities in which plague-infected rats have been found, and at the same time another colour showing the Iccalities in which plague cases have been found, you will see that they tend to group themselves together and that the cases of infected rats are found some weeks generally-certainly some days before the cases occur. Under these cir cumstances I think it would be far better to bear the ills we have in the way of the Chinese working against us. They have worked against us more or less ever since we have undertaken to deal with plague at all. There are a certain distinguished few of them who help us, but I am speaking now of the bulk of the population. They work against us because they have to put up with a certain amount of discomfort, and for us, because of that, to do nothing, would be extremely foolish. The more catching of rats may help certainly, but it is not the only thing. One of the principal objects of catching rats, especially in a place where plague is endemic, is to ascertain the localities which become in-
fested and then deal with these localities and so prevent human plague. On these grounds I strongly oppose the resolution and would ask members of the Board to give it their most serious consideration before passing any such motion which, as I say, will stultify our work during the past three months.
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The lime-washing returns showed that during the fortnight ended 12th April 1,085 honses had been treated in the Central District,
CLEANSING IN KOWLOON.
A return was submitted showing that during the fortnight ended 19th April the cleansing gangs had dealt with 733 houses in Hunghom and Yaumati; 1,717 floors were cleaused, and 1,635 of these were also fumigated.
NEW HOUSES.
Correspondence was laid on the table relative to the proposed erection of two honses on Taikektsni Lot No. 707. The plans were approved.
CHOLERA AT CANTON.
Among certain correspondence relative to the prevalence of cholers at Canton was the following letter from H.B.M. Acting Consul General there. Mr. James Scott, under date 26th April:-
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pointed to make arrangements for the celebra- A meeting of the General Committee ap tion i the Colony of the Coronation of His Majesty King Edward VII, was held on the 25th. ult in the Council hamber. Hon. W. Meigh Goodman, K.C., the Chief Justice (Chairman), presided.
The CHAIRMAN said-Gentlemen, the report of the Working Commit ee was sent, I believe, to every member of the General Committee, so I take it that you will hardly wish to have it read, but there are some little matters in connection with it that I should like to mention and com. ment upon. The programme, as you are aware, is that on Thursday there should be a meeting of the Executive and Legislative Councils, and that certain invited guests and the General Committon should be invited to be present, when a telegram will be sent to His Majesty the King. As regards the invitations, I understand that the Colonial Secretary, Mr. May, who will be here then, will undertake the work of sending them out. Then on Friday there is to be a presentation of addresses. I think there will be three addresses
one from the Masons, one from the Chinese, and another from the British residents in the Colony. As regards the last address we shall be glad if the General Committee would express some opinion as to what signatures should be obtained. Of course the Chinese will sign the Chinese address and the Masons_the_Masons'. Should the British address be signed only by British subjects or should signatures be invited from all except the Chinese ? Unless I am mistaken, at the Diamond Jubilee the address was signed by all the people who desired to do so.
Hon, T H. WHITEHEAD-I would suggest that the same course be followed in connection with this address as was done on the occasion of the Diamond Jubilee
This suggestion was unanimously approved. The CHAIRMAN--Coming to the nextitem, the turning of the first sod of the King's Park by His Excellency, I want to say that I saw a plan at the office of the Director of Public Works the other morning, and yesterday morning I saw His Excellency. He not only approved of the entire programme at that time but also said he hoped he would be able to be here at 5 o'clock so that he might address a few words to us sanctioning this whole scheme and expressing his intention of assisting it in every way; and I had hoped he would have been here; but, unfortunately, last night I got a letter from His Excellency in which he said that he had gone thoronghly into matter of the King's Park and found that there were greater complications than he had anti- cipated. Well, I understand that there are Referring to my despatch of the 2nd inst., some difficulties, the nature of which I do not I regret to have to report the death during the exactly understand, because I have not seen any present week from cholera of three foreigners, papers recently on the matter. I understand Mr. Middleton of the Green Island Cement ibat there is some conflicting claim between Co. at Kowloon developed the disease while on the War Office and the Col nial Government u visit to Fatshan. Medical assistance could
as regards some portion of the ground for this not bo proenred and he succumbed. On the contemplated park. I can only say that per- same day Mr. da Cruz, a Portuguese clerk in soually myself sincerely trust that these the employ of the firm of Rowe & Co., also died, difficulties can be adjusted--though I do not He was taken The previous morning, but did know precisely what they are--and that they may not call in a doctor until 24 hours later. be all cleared away before the Coronation Day. Everything possible was then done for him. It has come rather suddenly upon me to-day, and he was brought safely through the worst stages of the disease, but died afterwards from weakness. There was a farther death yesterday. Mr. Berg, the freight manager of the German steamer Wing Hang, was taken ill while the ship was on her way to Kongmoon. On reaching that port she reported the matter to the Imperial Maritime Customs, who advised her to return with all speed to Canton. She arrived here after 10 o'clock on Tuesday mo n- ing but the patient succumbed at half-past 10, before medical assistance could be obtained.”
and I am not in a position to say that the cutting of the first sod of the King's Park will form part of the programme. 1 have been told since I came to this room, however, that Mr. Thomson, the Colonial Secretary, has been asked to make some statement upon the matter. I am sure we shall hear it with interest, because personally I may say I feel very strongly upon this subject of a park in Kowloon. I was looking at the paper yesterday and saw in the sanitary report the marked contrast between the death-rates of Kowloon and Hongkong, and it was stated that the con Correspondence was submitted relative to the nection of the overcrowding of houses and prevalence of cholera at Manila. H. B. Mthe death-rate was very intimate and that it Acting Consul, Mr. W. H. M. Sinclair, reported that the total number of cases up to 8 a.m. on 22nd April in Manila and Bay was 433, with
705 deaths.
CHOLERA AT MANILA.
might be expected that there would be found a great many more deaths in Hongkong than im Kowloon. The percentages were given in the
Mr. OSBORNE—After the Medical Officer of Health's explanation, I cannot do more than withdraw my motion for the moment and per- haps refer to it later on. The returns, however, show the startling fact that the number of 336 deaths; and in the provinces 989 cases with report and it was made out that the differensé.
rats caught has gone down from 3,636 to 1.645 one week. The obvious deduction
This was all the public business.
between the two death-rates was owing to the greater amount of breathing spaces în
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