January 12, 1903.]
HONGKONG SANITARY BOARD.
was
A meeting of the Sanitary Board held on the 8th inst. in the Boar. Rom. Present: Dr. J. M. Atkinson, Principal Ciril Medical Officer (President); Hon, W. Chatham, Diretor of Public Works; Hon. Dr. F. W.
Clark, Medical Officer of Health; Colonel Webb, R.A.M.C., Mr. F. J. Badeley, Captain Superia- tendent of Police; Mr. C. McI. Messor, Acting Registrar-General; Mr. E, Os orve, Mr. Fung Wa Chun, Mr. Lau Chu Pak, ud Mr. G. A. Woodcock (Secretary).
NULLAH WATER FOR PRIVATE PURPos S.
Correspo deuce was laid on the table relative to the adjourned a plication from Messrs. Palmer & Turner, architects and surveyors, for permission to erect three water-closets in the building on Iuland Lot No. 1,633 The appli. cants stated that there was an abundant supply | of water in the gully on the east side of the lot, producing a constant stream of water even in the dries sea <on. The water was at pressut running to waste, and it was proposto apply to Government for permissiou to utilise it for flushing purposes.
The following minates were attached :- Col. Hughes: Grant permission." Mr. Osborne:- If this stream is available for flushing purposes, why is it not used for the public segers?
Hon. Clark:-"Grant. if water supply is obtained from a well on the premises, aud not from the xullah."
Hon. W. Chatham :- The stream could only be made available for flushing a comparatively short length of sewer in Macdonnell Road and the Peak Road all of which have good gradients and can scarcely be said to require Bushing The small quantity of water in the stream during the dry season would not, in my opinion, justify the expense which would be necessary in order to render it available for ashiag, even assuming it to be required."
The PRESIDENT said that these papers had been considered at the last meeting, but as thers were so few present it had been decided to post- pone the consideration thereof to this meeting, when it was hoped that more of the members would be present. It had been the rule of the Board in considering these application to deal with them on their merits. In 1895 there was a special committee appointed by the Roard to consider this question of the introlne. tion of water-closets generally in the Colony and this committee recommended that the introduc- tion of wa er-closets should be restricted aud dis- couraged as much as possible and should only be erected in the case of European hotels, clubs, and blocks of offices. This application referred to an European house on the upper levels, and it appeared that there was some water practically running to waste nullah to the east of this house. Personally, it appeared to him a much more cleanly and sinitary arrangement to have water-closets in a hoass of this kind if by doing so one was not trespassing upon the limited water supply of the Colony, and he was in favour of granting the application.
in a
Hon. Mr. CHATHAM stated that he was not aware that this water was b ing used at the present moment; a condi ion to the granting of the application should be that if the water was at any future time required this supply would have to be disconnected. Otherwise ho saw no objection to permission being genutsl.
CHINA OVERLAND TRADE REPORT,
PUB IC CONVENIENCES.
Mr. E. Osborne mitated:-" If the Green Island Cement Co. is delaying the construction be got else there. Are the Green Is'and Co. of these latrines, surely the glaxed bricks can also delaying the one opposite the Cricket Gronad? Work has been suspended for a very long time."
would be placed on or near the premises for storing the water. So he presumed there would Correspondence was laid on the table relative be no chance of the water gnating and giving to the completion of the urin-l on the Praya, rise to any such nuisance as the Medical Officer near Queen Street. Delay had been caused in of Health ad mentioned. With regard to the the carrying out of this and similar works (the sinking of a well, it would be rseless to do so Director of Public Works rep_rled) by the on the site of the lul ing; the well would re-failure of the Green Island Co. to supply the quire to be in the stream bed or somewhere ear glazed bricks required, it in order to obtain water, so there would be no great gain by the adoption of that method. sidering bis application to be guided by the Mr. OSBORNE thought they ought in con- fact that this was ouly on of a series that would probably co co afterwards. Personally he lisd no objection to application
the granting of this 00 its own merits, except, as he said in his minu'e, that if this water was available for water-closets of private houses it was also available for flushing the public draius, He believed one of the recommendations of Mr. Chadwick was the formation of tanks on the upper levels to gather water from the main streams and use it for flushing purposes. He did not see why they should allow any of the streams to be tapped for private purposes whn they could be utilised for the public use. Alsɔ this stroim to his knowledge was, during the late drought, used extensively by the Chin se; it was their only source of supply, and he did not think they should entail any of the sources of supply which the Coiuese resorted t, except for Government purposes. This was an instance where the ordinary si stem of sanitation in vogus was quite good enough, bat if the owner of this house particularly wishe ti have water-closets he should provide his own sapply by means of a well. If the owner was prepared to do that he would vote for the grunting of the applica- tiou, otherwise he could not.
Hon. Mr. CHATHAM was sorry to transgress order. Lat ho ros to make it remark with regard to Mr. Osborne's sta ement concerning Mr. Chadwick's proposal He thought, if be referred to that proposal, Mr. Osborne would find that the drains in the Hill D strict generally were all found to be in good cond tiou, and Mr. Chadwick sid that flushing wasnt required in these cases; it was on the low levels that flush- ing should be provi ed. He suggested one tank which would serve for flushing the main sewers, and steps were being taken with a view to the construction of a tank of Irge dimensions for | flushing the main sewers. These were the sewers requiring flushing; it was not the sewers on the hills, where there were am, le falls in nearly all c.838. With regard to the sinking of a well, the water percolated through the ground into the streams, so that the sinking of a well would deprive the stream probably of quite as much water as if there was a drain from it lading off into a pi, e. Then again an attempt to utilise all those tiny, dribbling streams by means of small pipes leading for great dis ances to where the flushing tanks were pɩovided would be almost impracticable. These were liable to beco ue choked up during rain-storms with gravel and sand. He instanced the cise of the Cricket Ground, where at considerable expense a pipe was led from the unllah to a tank for watering purpo es; this had been abandoned entirely, bec use it was such a continual nais- ance through becoming choked,
Hon. Dr. CLARK remarked that they were all out of order, as there was no resolation before the meeting. Ile moved that the application be granted subject to the provision of a well by which a water-supply for the water-closets might be secured, In doing so, he might be permitted to say with regard to the remarks of the Direc. tor of Public Works that whether a flashing tank was put on the bills or on the level of the Parade Ground it was the same stream that filled it; therefore if a tank was placed higher up there would be less down below to fill the flushing tank.
Mr. OSBORNE seconded.
Hon. Dr. CLARK asked the Director of Public Works if he could toll the Board how it was proposed to obtain the water from the nullah. If they had to dam the stream he would be strongly opposed to it on the ground that the Government were spending large sums of money and using every effort, particularly in that por tion of the city, to pravout accpmultions of water which served as breading places for anopheles mosquitoes with resultant cases of malarial fever, especially in that neighbourhood. He did not so how they could very well got the water from the nullah without putting a small! Mr. FUNG WA CHUN seconded. dam across, and therefore he thought it would be better to dig a well, which would have to be covered than to obtain water from this uullah.
Hoa. Mr. CHATHAM replied that the water could be got without the construction of a dam, by simply forming a very small channel that would lead the water into the pipe. A tank
Hon. Mr. CHATHAM moved that the applica- tion be granted as it stood, pr..vided that the owner obtained the permission of Government to us, the water from the stream.
i
On the rote being taken by a show of bands, the amendment of Mr. Chatham was declared carried.
The PEES D NT- Of course this is on the understanding that if the water is requi ed for public purposes it would be liable to be cut off?
Hon. CHATHAM-Certainly, sir.
Hon. Mr. CH \THAM stated that the small delayed on account of bricks. The latest delay nrival opposite the Cricket Ground iad been had occurred through the contractor ab sconding and the consequent difficulty in arranging for another contractor to take over the work. made, however, and he hoped the
Arrangements were being work would soon be completed. All the work of that nature had been seriously delayed owing to the failure of the local Company to supply them with bricks.
FOOD AND DRUGS ANALYSES. The return of the examinations made under for the quarter ended 31st December, 1992, the Sale of Food and Drugs Urdinança, 1896, showed that the Government Analyst, Mr. Frank Browne, had analysed I sample of gin, 3 samples of milk, and 3 of whisky. One sample of milk was found to be adulterated. All the other samples were gounii 8.
WATER ANALYSES.
Mr. F. Browne, Auslyst, reported that the results of bis analyses of the public water supplies for the month of December showed the water to be of excellent quality,
DESIRUCTION OF RATS.
During the week ended 29th December 3,160 On the two remaining days of the month the rats were destroyed, of which 19 were infected.
of these 10 were infected. numbers caught were 634 and 617 respectively;
|
Hon. Dr. CLARK stated that the number of 117,839, so be thought they had done fairly well. rats destroyed during the year just closed was Mr. FUNG WA CHUN 18ked what were the figures in the previous year?
Hon. Dr. CLARK—About 48,000; this year it is nearly treble.
Mr. OSBORNE-What is the rat population P Hon. Dr. CLARK-I have not taken the census yet. (Laughter.)
LIMEWASHING..
ended Saturday, 3rd January, showed that The limewashing returns for the fortnight 2,667 houses in the Western District had been dealt with. There still remainel 60 teniment louses to be limewashed.
1.HE CLEANSING OPERATIONS. The PRESIDENT said it might interest the instituted by the Board some two months ago members to know that the cleansing operations
had been car.ied on by the Chinese in s satis- 20th December, the period when mot of the factory manner. Between the dates 9th and
work practically was done, 135 carts of rubbish were removed from the various houses in the Colony; and since 15th December, the date on thought he was correct in stating that there had which the cleansing was supposed to cease, he been only six prosecutions for dirty foors, so that the Board might congratulate themselves Chinese. (Hear, bear) on the re alt of leaving the "work" to "the
tion at the good resul's obtained, He mention- Mr. FUNGWA CHUN expressed his satinfar- ed that the Chinese commercial community, of which he was the bead, had had 22,000 bandb:lla printed and distributed by means of the district
watchmen among the inhabitants on each floor glad to find that these notices had been soted of tenement houses in the Colony. He wan upon so well by the Chinese. "This was all the business.
Some three hundred natires, men and women, raided the British camp at Shanghai directly. it was vacated, and carried offen arly all the furniture and things in it. One of the culprits having been arrested has been sentence i to fi73. hundred blows and to be cangued. for three
months.
No comments yet.
Private notes are available after approval.