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even if carried out with the aid of our own capital, present features that we do not cire to face, a Scutari Bagdad Railway made without our aid, and in teeth of our opposition, woull be a much more distaste- ¦ ful meal to swallow. For the present the scheme for want of our assistance has fallen through, but we inay rest assured that the proposal though scotched is by no means dead; and it behoves us before it is pro- posed again in a much more objectionable form calmly to consider the prospect. That a line of railway to India would be of enormous benefit to that country, if in proper control, goes without saying. Our own Canadian Pacific line is an instance of the enormous advantage which a country may derive from the completion of a line, even when at the moment seemingly little called for. Russia has followed suit aud thrown down the gauntlet to us in Eastern Asia; and this she has been able to do simply from her possesion of a new line of communication in her Siberian Rulway.
We ourselves are straling every nerve to make it possible to effect the union of Egypt with the Cape by the construction of another transcontinental railway, which shall bind into one tho south and north of the African Continent; while our latest Commonwealth of Australia is equally bent ou crossing the great central deserts which hold apart New South Wales and Westeru Australia. All these schemes have at bottom the same aim that of uniting the countries served by shorter and hore practical routes with the home country tha at present exist. The question of shortening the road to India is thus daily assuming a in ɔre important aspect; and equally important, or even more so, is the need that such a route should be in
our own control, and not be subject to interruption at the whim of any foreign, ahl it may be at the moment hostile or unfiendly, uation.
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Fortunately the circumstances are not altogether unfavourable. Without përhap ; fully seeing its importance at the moment our Government took the opportunity, when Koweit was threatened with absorption by Turkey, to take som unwontedly vigorous steps to keep open communications with the interior of Arabia. The best cmment that could have been made on its conduct in the affair came from the most unexpected quarter; Germany actually proposing t make use with our consent of the appa rently useless territory for the Persian Gulf terminus of r projected Bigad line. No better justification of Lord SALISBURY'S policy could be desired. But the conduct of the minister with regard to this insigni. ficant spot has had another effect, equilly unexpected. It has shown the people of the interior of Arabia that we aro not willing to hand them over tied and bound to Turkish misgovernment, and the feeling of friendliness has fortunately been acc-n- tuated by our action with regard to Turkish encroachments at Adep. Tuere is no doubt that a line of railway from Cairo to Koweit is from an engineering point of view not only feasible but easy of accomplishment. We know from the late Cap. BURTON's adventurous explorations that the country is not the barren waste, nor the people the uncivilised savages we used to represent them. The suggested line bas from time to time been proposed as feasible; but either insufficient was known of the country to be travessed, or the advantage of the line did not present itself More than all this, the time had not come, and any relations we had with the Arab an tribes were unsatisfactory Fortunately this last, with better knowledge, is disappearing; and the former is becoming more feasible.
7
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THE HONGKONG WEEKLY PRESS AND
HONGKONG SANITARY BOARD.
A meeting of the Sanitary Board was held on. Tharaday afternoon in the Board Room Pre- sont:-The President (Hon. Dr. J. M. Atkinson, (Hon. W. P. MO.), the Vice-President Chatham, D.P.W.). Capt. Lyons, Acting C.S.P., K.C., Mr. E. A. Hewett, Mr. Fung Wa Chun, Col. Webb, R.AM.C, Mr. H. E. Pollock,
Mr. A. Rumjahn, Dr. Pearse, Acting M.0.H., Dr. Barnett, Assistant M. O. H., and Mr. Haumer, Assistant Secretary.
PRECAUTIONARY MEASURES.
On the 26th April last the Board enquired of Government, through the Colonial Secretary, as to the number of Chinese leaving the Colony and the number of steamers and steam launches leaving for Canton or Macao, and at the same time recalled Professor Simpson's recom- mendation that the Canton steamers, native and European should carry a medical min at their own expense during the first six months of the year.
The reply from the Government stated that there are no steam launches running regularly between Hongkong and Canton, that there has been n special increase observable in the occasi al launches, orinth se to Macao, that fiva river steamers run to Canton and three river steamers and one launch to Macao, aud that it had been decided not to enforce the carrying of doctors on the steamers, as it was not clear wat good would result thereby.
PLAGUE AT FORMOSA.
Correspondence was laid on the table with re- ference to the prevalence of plague at Formosa.
The PRESIDENT said that as the disease was chi-fly in one of the districts ‹f Formosa situated some thirty miles inland, it was hardly nec ssary to take steps to prevent the carrying of the dis ase hither.
TE CLOSING OF CHINESE THEATRES,
The following reply was received from Go erament relative to the closing of the Chinese theatres :—
Colonial Secretary's Office,
10th June, 1903.. Sia, In reply to your letter of the 8th inst.. I am directed to inform you that in view of the divergence of opinion in the Board itself, as evidenced by the voting at its last meeting, of the experiene of the past, and of the fact that persons altendi
55 the Chinese theatres would probably be less crowded together than if houses, the They remained in their Government is not prepared to act on the recommendation of a majority of the Sanitary Bord that the Chinese theatres should be close 1 during the prevalence of plague
(Sd.) F. II. MAY,
Colonial Secretary. Mr. Lau Chu Pak minuted': "In view of the
plague season drawing to an end, this question might now be allowed to drop.”
The papers were laid on the table,
A MYSTERIOUS CATTLE DISEASE.
A minute was read from Mr. A. Gibsoa. Col- onial Veterinary Surgeon,r porting an outbreak of disease in the Kenn dytown cattle depô's.
The Vice-P es dent minated :- Can no in- formation be ascertained as to the nature of the disease?"
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The PRESIDENT said the Government had anthorised investigation into this disease, and that $1,500 had been voted to begin with. The actual cause of the disease was not known, and to ascertain this the Government Bacteriologist and the Colonial Veterinary Surgeon were pursuing investigations.
IN EFFICIENT LIMEWASH.
The PRESIDENT, pursuant to notice, moved That where is the Board have found it necessary to take certain proceedings against people using chalk and water instead of lime- wash, the Board obtain authority to ins. rt an advertisement in the local papers to the effect that chilk and water cannot be accepted in lieu of limewash, but that there is no objection to colouring matter being added to it."
Mr. POLLOCK seconded, and the motion was agreed to.
[June 20, 1903.
THE RECENT MEETING OF PROPERTY OWNERS, A question was read by Mr. PuL OCK asking if it was the intention of the Board to print, in English and Chinese, the memorandum of the Acting Medical Officer of Health on the construction of certain provisions of Ordinance 1 of 1903, which was read at the recent meeting
the Acting Medical Officer of Health was laid of the property owners?
The PEE IDENT, in reply said 'the report of
on the table at the meeting of the Board held on 21st May last, and if any member wished to refer to it again he could do 8.
It was not the intention of the Government to have it printed and circulated, as suggested in Mr. Pollock a question. In the meantime, the pro- visions of Ordinance 1 of 1903 are being en- forced in No. 5 Health District,
Mr. POLLOCK said that at the meeting of property owners a general desire was expressed by the Europeans present that the memorandum of the Aoting Medio Officer of Health' which was a valuable docament as showing the construction be put upon certain pro- visions of the Public Health and Buildings Ordinance, should be printed. That was the
sense of the meeting, and he should like to know, Mr. Pollock continued, whether the sense of the meeting was taken by the Pre- chairman of the meeting and sident as intimated to the Government.
The PRESIDENT in auswer to the question read a letter which was sent on 19th May to the Colonial Secretary's Office by the Secretary of the Board, by direction of the President himself, asking that, in accrdance with a resolution adoptel at the meeting of pro- perty-own rs, authority be granted for the printing in English and Chiness of the Acting Medical Officer of Health's report, for di tri- bution to property owners.
Mr. POLLOCK-Do I understand, sir, that the Government have declined to graut that authority ?
The PRESIDENT -There is no reply. Mr. POLLOCK-When was the letter sent? The PRESIDENT-On 19,h May.
Mr. PULLOCK-Perhaps a reminder m'ght be aldressed to the Government,
The PRESIDENT-Wil you make a motion to that effect ? ›
Mr. POLLOCx-Yes. I beg to move, sir that the Government be requested to give directions for the printing in English and Chinese of the memorandum of the Acting Medical Officer of Iealth upon the__con struction of certain provisions of the Public Health Ordinance No. 1 of 1993, read at the recent meeting of property-owners.
Mr. HEWETT seconded.
The PRESIDENT-I would draw attention to the fact that this report was read at this meeting of the Board held subsequeat to that of the property. whers, and was dis- cussed by the memb.rs of the Board. The report was laid on the table, which means it was public property, and the Press could have had it if they wished to print it.
Mr. POLLOCK-I think the Press could hardly have been aware of th it, otherwise I think such a valuable document a that would have been printed. I think there his been a general impression that the document would be printed, in accordance with the wish expressed by the present at the European property owners meeting.
The motion was put to the meeting and carried by a majority.
ENFORCING THE PROVISIONS OF THE
ORDINANCE.
The VICE-PRESIDENT asked what was being done towards enforcing the provisions of the new Public Health and Buildings Ordinance in
No. 5 Health District.
The PRESIDENT stated in reply that since the commencement of the surveying of No. 5 Health 1istrict, 167 bouses had been measured
by the sappers employed for the parpod. Overcrowding notices hall bon served on the tenants of 152 floors stating the legal number that could occupy each of th 89 floors under the new Ordinance. These notices were served by the prosecuting inspector some six days ago, and another ba oh would shortly be really lime P
for issuing. The following matters had bon The PRESIDENT-The contractor if the con-forwarded by the Secretary for the attention tractor uses chalk, and the owner if the owner of the Building Authority-Illegal cubicles
Mr. FUNG WA CHUN--May I ask. sir. whe- ther it is intended to proceed against the owners or the contractors for using chalk in tad of
uses it.
No comments yet.
Private notes are available after approval.