August 11, 1902.]
during 1902 was :-Bacteriological assistants, $240 a month; temporary inspectors, $125; foremen interpreters, $35; artisans, $15; Chinese foremen, $15; disinfecting coolies, $12; foremen rat-ċ tchers, £35; contractors' coolies, 40 cents a day. The duti s of the assistant medical officers was to investigate all uncertified deaths, visit premises in which cases of plague had occurred and investigate, visit houses in which infected rats had been found, and report; superintend work of plague nspector, authorise employment of contractors coolies; and report generally to the M. O. H. The plague inspectors were to examine buildings for rat-holes and rat-runs, serve notices in respect of same and prosecute in cases of default, disinfect buildings, keep a record of number of men employed, of stores, etc. The clerk at the disinfecting station would attend | to the telephone and keep the books and records: the foremen interpreters were to act as inter- preters to the inspectors and assist in the work; and the Chinese foremen, artisans, and coolies to be employed in the general disin- fecting works. Appended to the draft of the scheme were directions for cleansing insani- tary houses and blocks of buildings,
The Principal Civil Medical Officer minuted : I think it most essential that a general cleaning of the Chinese houses should take place during the winter months as was iusti- tuted last year; this to commence in October, or November at the latest. have added to the duties of the first-class inspectors that they shall be responsible for the efficient disin- fection of the plague houses it is not enough to say they shall direct them. I think the
observation block when in use should be visited daily by one of the assistant M.O.H.'s. Im- mediate steps should be taken to obtain the assistant M.O H.'s and the sanitary inspectors: this staff, I suppose, is only temporary, as it is to be hoped that in the course of the next few years we will stamp out this disease,”
Mr. Lau Chu Pak minuted :- Is e fumi- gation is not provided for; it must have proved ineffectual. Ños, 4, 5 and 7 and latter part of 8 of the directions for general cleansing as, now, recommended by the M.O.H., are, I understand only applied to the infected houses, and should therefore be given separately. If lumped together, unnecessary hardship will be inflicted through misunderstanding by the staff."
Mr. Fung Wa Chun minuted: -"The directions should only be applied to infected premises. The word 'insanitary is too general."
The Medical Officer of Health minuted :- "The directions alluded to are stated to be subject to the discretion of the supervising medical officers, of whom there are to be two specially for plague work-i.e., in addition to the present two. They are not to be applied solely to premises on which a case of plague has occurred which is what I suppose Messrs. 1 au Chu Pak and Fung Wa Chun mean by in- fected premises.
The PRESIDENT-I move that the Board adopt this scheme.
Mr. E. OSBORNE seconded, and the motion was agreed to.
LEAVE OF ABSENCE TO THE SECRETARY.
The Secretary, Mr. G. A. Woodcock, was formally granted two monti.s' leave of absence.
LIMEWASHING.
A letter was submitted from Mr. E. Osborne, secretary of the Hongkong and Kowloon Wharf and Godown Co, Ld., stating that they proposed to limewash their employees' quarters at Kowloon three times a year, January May, and September, and asking if the Board would exempt them from limewashing in March and April.
On the motion of the PRESIDENT, seconded by Mr. BADELEY, the application was granted.
ANALYSIS OF WATER.
|
Returns were laid on the table showing that the Government Analyst had analysed samples of water from the public supplies for the month of July and had found them to be of excellent quality.
LIMEWASHING RETURNS.
CHINA OVERLAND TRADE REPORT.
with 28.1 in the previous week and 16.9 in the corresponding week of the previous year.
CH LERA AT MACAO.
Hon. Dr. Clark recommended for the con- sideration of the Board that the restrictions imposed upon arrivals from Macao bo now removed, as cholera appeared to have ceased to prevail at that pori.
In moving this resolution, Hon. Dr. CLARK stated that the last three weekly returns had shown Macno to be free of cholera.
The PRESIDENT seconded, and the motion was agreed to.
It was reported that at 21st July, 59 houses in the Eastern and 2.475 in the Western had been limewashed. At 2nd August the numbers respectively were 239 and 2,4:3,
THE DEATH-RATE.
SEIZURE OF UNSOUND FOOD,
Hon. Dr. Clark recommended that the Board authorise Inspector Robert McEwen, In- spector of Markets, to enter any shop or premises used for the sale or storage or pre- paration of food, to examine any food found therein intended for human consumption which be had reason to believe was unfit for such use, and to seize the same and convey it to the office for inspection. Should the food prove to be bad the Board had power under Section 21 of Ordinance 13 of 101 to order it to be destroyed and might prosecute the person in whose possession it had Leen found.
The death rate for the week ended 19th July was reported to have been 23.0, as compared
Hou. Dr. CLARK in laying his recommend- ation before the Board stated that a few of their Inspectors had this power already and it was only proper that it should also be possessed by the Iuspector of Markets.
On the motion of the PRESIDENT, seconded by Mr. MESSER, the recommendation wasapproved.
RAT-CATCHING,
Mr. OSBORNE Asked the Medical Officer of Health if he could give any information as to how the rat-catching was getting ou
Hon. Dr. CLARK stated that the latest returns were us follows for the City of Victoria: -1st August, 58; 2nd, 58; 3rd, 44; 4th, 25; 5th, 103; 6th, 87, 7th, 80-that was an average of about 70 a day.
Mr. OSBORNE-We used to get about 4,000. Hou. Dr. CLARK – Nearly that; but of course we have reduced the number of rat-ca'chers.
Mr. MESSER -How many rat-catchers have
you now?
Hou. Dr. CLARK We have a differeut aangement now--oue foreman and two coolies in each district, and they all share the profits. Before that we had ten coolicz, and foreman iu each two districts, I think.
The PRESIDENT That is 36 coolies in 12 districts?
Hon. Dr. CLARK-Yes; now they get only 3, 5,10 and 7 a day. Ther are many reasons for the number going down. The floods have swept many away.
This was all the public business.
KING'S PARK OPENING.
Thrice postponed, the cer mony of turning the first sod of the new King's Park at Kowloon was performed ou the 6th inst. by H.E. Major-General Sir W. J. Gascoigue, K.C.M.G., Officer Administering the Govern- ment. In spite of these many delays, however. the spectacular effect yesterday was not in any public being present in addition to the members way diminished, many members of the general
of the Coronation Committee and their wives, heads of Government departments, and staff and regimental (fficers. The Government had chartered for the occasion two of the double- deck launches of the Star Ferry Company, and these conveyed intending spectators across the harbour to Blackhead's pier which is within easy distance of the park. Drawn up at the
=4
entrance to the
DOW
107
G. W. F. Playfair, Hon. R. Shewan; Hon. Captain H. W. Trefusis, A.D.C.; Mr. F. J. Badeley, Captain Superintendent of Police; Mr. R. F. Johnston, Private Secretary to His Excellency; Mr. E. A. Hewett, Mr. G. Stewart, Mr. H. P. Tooker, and Chevalier Z. Volpicelli.
In asking His Excellency to proceed with the ceremony of entting the sod, is Lordship the CHIEF JUSTICE said Your Excellency, On behalf of the Coronation Committee I have now the honour to ask your Excellency to perform the ceremony of entting the first sod of the King's Park, and at the same time I would ask Lady Gascoigne to be so kind as to plant a small tree in memory of the occasion. it will probably take some cousiderable period of time for the present rough site to take the shape of what we usually know as a park, but everything must have a beginning, and we trust that in future
years the people of this Colony will reap the benefit of the park that you have come here to inaugurate to-day. (Applause.)
breathing lung of the Colony were the band and 8 company of the Hongkong Regiment under Major Berger, the officer commanding the regiment, and when His Excellency arrived arms were presented in the general salute and six bars of the National Anthem played. On his arrival Major-General Gascoigne, Lady Gascoigne and suite were received by His Honour W. Meigh Goodman, Chief Justice, Chairman of the Coronation Committee, and conducted to the stand which had been specially erected for the occasion. Among others present were Hon. W. Chatham, Director of Public Works; Hon. R. Murray Rumsey, Harbour Master; His Honour A. G. Wise, Puisae Judge; Hon. C. S. Sharp, Hon.
HIS EXCELLENCY said--Chief Justice, ladies and gentlemen, I confess that it is with a approach certain amount of diffidence that you this afternoon, because I fear almost that of late my public utterances have been a little too frequent. That has not been my fault, but I fear lest I should weary you by listen- ing to speeches from one mau and that man moreover one to whom public speaking does uot come so easily as it does to many, I would ask you to believe one thing, however, and that is that every word that I say I always When I tell you, honestly and truly mean. therefore, that I consider it the highest privi- lege and honour to be allowed to be identified with the opening of this park, which I believe will be an enormous boon to the future residents of Kow- loon: when I tell you this, ladies and gentlemen, hope you will take my words in their fullest I think the history of this park meaning.
is pretty well known to every one, but it may not be out of place just to give a short summary of the facts. Nearly four years ago a scheme was brought forward by Mr. Ford, the head of the Botanical Department, to whom therefore, the
is principal credit
Was
certainly due, (Applause.) Well, the scheme came before me in my capacity of Officer Commanding the Troops, and I opposed it. Looking back to my reasons now van truly say that my opposition at that time was as houest as have been my endeavours now of late to further the scheme. But it is simply that my views have broadened as my experience here grew. First of all, I had no means then of being able to see the enormous progress and prosperity that I foretell both for Hongkong and Kowloon. Thon also the garrison of these days was about one-half the strength it is now, aud it seemed to us then that with the small hefter
to- garrison it
to keep it
realised gether because I had not then the enormous possibilities of this Kowloon hinter- laud, which we had not at that time occupied- the possibilities for manoeuvring troops which I think are enjoyed in hardly any other place in the world; the possibilities of rifle exercise for the troops, which I think are of a higher scope than you can find almost anywhere else; and, lastly, the possibilities of quartering troops i healthy camps where they can practise those nanœuvres and rifle exercises which our recent experiences in South Africa have shown to be so necessary for the proper training of troops. So when Mr. Stewart Lockhart, the late Colonial Secretary, brought up the scheme again to me, my former objectious were removed, and I endeavoured to further the scheme in all possible ways. He brought the scheme up first to the Coronation Committee and it was accepted by them; and I believe also it h's been accepted by the whole of the people of Hongkong and Kowloon. (Applause.) But the time was short. It was proposed to make it a part of the Coronation celebration. The time was short to do it. There are many interests involved. The Navy has interests, the Army has interests, and the Colonial Go- vernment have great interests. I was going to say at first that these interests were con- ficting, but as long as the present Colonial Secretary, Mr. May, and myself are working together I can truly say that those interests will never be conflicting, because both he and myself share the same views that the Navy and the Army and the civil and commercial in hand and depend element all go hand
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