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THE HONGKONG WEEKLY PRESS AND opposition to the dietates of humanity and concerned. Yet the terrible mortality from he rays a singular blindness to facts. The malaria continues practically unchecked. Is North China Daily News states the case it really impossible for us to do what others very fairly when it Ths pre-have Jone and by one sufficiently prolonged doininaut position of Great Britain in campaign ex.erminate a pest which does as Shanghai is a fact which cannot be much as any other disease to render the "whittled away by tumid and ill-tempered conditions of life in this Colony unpleasant leading articles. If Great Britain says and dangerous? We cannot believe this. "that the Supao prisoners shall not be It is quite true that such a campaign must given up, they will not be given up, and be expensive, and that we have been for "as nobody wants them to be given up, it some years engaged in a very expensive "is a good thing that Great Britain has struggle against plague. Yet it may well "put her foot down It was stated be asked what advantage it is to us to recently that the two Powers who expressed go on building up a large surplus from to continue willingness to hand over the Supao prisoners revenue if the Colony is to the Chinese authorities were Russia and undesirable as a dwelling-place, while other France. Easily credible in the case of regions, equally afflicted in the past, have Russin, the charge was not believed against been able to get rid of the scourge which France. Yet the attitude of L'Echo destill afflicts us so sorely. Chine might almost persuade us to give credence to the report We have seldom seen lately so iniserable in example of petty jealousy as that exhibited by our French contemporary in Shanghai.
MALARIA IN HONGKONG AND ELSEWHERE,
(Daily Press, 21st August.)
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[Angust 24, 1903.
campaign on the West Coast, of Africa, but those who have read it must recollect that the results obtained were startling. It is ridiculous to compare the measure of success obtained in Hongkong with such examples of scientific warfare against the mosquito. We do not wish to depreciate the efforts of the Hongkong sanitary authorities, but it is obvious that they have a lot to do to bring themselves on a level with those who have struggled with success in Ismailia and on the West Coast of Africa.
"EMPRESS OF INDIA" IN
COLLISION.
FEARED LOSS (F LIFE. On the arrival of the Canadian Pacifio mail steamer Empress of India on the 18th inst. a report was circulated that she had run into and sunk the Chinese revenuɔ oruiser Wong Tai near Swatow. Enquiry was made at the offices of the Company, where the following information was supplied. The Empress of India was proceed- ing on the passage from Shanghai to this port and between 11 and 12 p.m. on the 17th WF 38 overtaken inst., near Breaker Point.
The
Our senior evening contemporary, with more strength of langunge than courtesy, suggests that our remarks in our issue of Wednesday on malaria in Hongkong were due to iguorance, and, appearing for the occasion in the unusual position for it of advocate of the Government, states its (Daily Press, 19th August) opinion that "the improvement in Hong-by the Chinese cruiser Wong Tai When about to pass the mail bat, the cruiser star- compares The town of Ismailia, familiar to all who kong" in the matter of malaria have travelled through the Suez Canal, has favourably with that effected at Ismaila and boarded and collided with the Empress so suddenly that it was impossible for the latter hitherto borne a most unenviable reputation elsewhere." By the simple controversial vessel to get out of the way in time. as a home of mosquitoes, and more particular-device of omitting a word from one of the 17ong Tai struck her a glancing blow near the ly as a hotbed of the Anopheles mosquito statements contained in our remarks, the fore-end of the promenade deck, about three- and therefore of malarial fever. In con- China Mail writer makes an ingenious but quarters the length of the ship. The cruiser sequence it was determined by the Suez dishonest hit. We stated that the terrible slid along the liner's side apparently with- out sustaining any injury exept the loss Canal Company to take the advice of Major mortality from malaria "continues prac-
of her boats and projecting gear, which Our Sir RONALD Rosa, the great malarial tically unchecked."
contemporary
were carried away. On getting clear, however, expert In September last he made certain omits the words "practically," and charges she made signals of distress, and boats were recommendations, and how the Liverpool us with "exaggeration, if not absolute ignor- at once lowered from the Empress of India School of Tropical Medicine has received ance.' What then are the facts? If we take and sent to her assistance. When these got *from the Company a felbft ou the result of this year's official in vrtality returns, as far as alongside it was seen that the cruiser was in these recommendations. A complete success they have gone, we find the following deaths a sinking condition. Very reluctantly the over the mosquito seems to have been won. from malaria recorded so far this year :
arew allowed themselves to be taken into the Important drainage works have been January, 28; February, 18; March, 15; boats, but the captain, a Chinaman-the entire crew were Chinese-and the navigating urdertaken, including the filling up of April, 23; May, 18; June, 15. Of these and gunnery lieutenants positively refused to puddles, and a service has been created one death occurred in the Army and three leave the ship, and were left standing on the specially charged with the duty of pouring among European and foreign civilians. In bridge. The crais r settled down by the stern, oil on the pools and disused wells, doiug 1902 the figures for the corresponding and at 1.27 a.m. sank, being then from Breaker's away with marshes and puddles existing in months were:-January, 30; February, Point S. 82 E. 15 miles. Early in the same and near the residential quarters of the 20; March, 20; April, 19; May, 34; June, morning the crew of the Wong Tai, wao were town. Fever cases have, in consequence, 32. There were two cases in the Army and brought into Hongkong by the Empress, were men out of a total decreased in a most marked manner. The six among European and foreign civilians. mustered, when 13
of 184 were found to be missing. As the night campaign was begun at a season of the Thus it will be seen that in the half of the
was fine, and there were several junks in the year particularly favourable to the Anopheles, pear when malaria is less prevalent, there vicinity, it is reasonable to suppose that most Fears, how- and it has not therefore been possible to have been in 1903 117 deaths as against if not all of these were saved extirpate the pest entirely. Nevertheless 155 in 1902-a not sensational decrease ever, are entertained for the life of the cruiser's both the disease and its carrier are now of 38. cases. In addition to this we captain, whose two companions on the bridge, almost extinct in Ismailia, and the few have to consider the matter of infant the navigating lieutenant and the gunners specimens of Anopheles recently captured, mortality among the Chinese, on which a lieutenant, were picked up afterwards. it is said, have not been infected with the commission is at this moment sitting; for we parasite which is the cause of malaria. It are betraying no confidence in stating that is hope, apparently with reason, that a among the principal cuses for the enormous complete stamping out of the fever is within death-rate among Chinese children has been reach as in Havana yello v fever has found to be the prevalence of malarial been banished for over two years' by the fever. These deaths do not appear among inst. between the C. P. R. steam r Empress of
extermination of another kind of mosquito. It is worthy of note too, in the case of Ismailia that, thanks to systematic oiling of pools and to the unceasing watch kept over all likely places where larvæ can be hatched, the ordinary mosquitoes of the genus Culex and Stegomyia have been annihilated almost absolutely, and even in the worst period of the hot season it has been f, und possible to dispense with the use of mosquito-nets. In view of the example of Ismailia, a place most notorious in the past for malaria, it seems worthy of aideration in Hong- kong particularly mong our sanitary thorities, whether similarly systematic ampaign, might not be more economical than the half measures which we have at present adopted against the mosquito. It cannot be claimed that Hongkong labours under worse defects than, did Ismailia, as far an breeding grounds for mosquitoes is
the classified returns, for the obvious reason that there is no opportunity in the majority of cases of classifying them. We think therefore that we are amply justified in calling attention to the undue continuauce of the ravages of malaria in Hongkong and in asking for a more vigorous campaign. As for the comparison of Hongkong with "Ismailia and elsewhere," vague as the latter word is, the statement is still sufficiently absurd. Writing to the Colonial Office in October, 1902, Sir WILLIAM MACGREGOR says that a fair average of the cases of malaria that presented them. selves in the Suez Canal Company's service alone at Ismailia would be about 165 a month. Now, as has been seen, we are told that the disease and its carrier are both We alike almost extinct in Ismailia. have not by us at the moment the record of the results of Major Sir RONALD Ross's
NARRATIVE OF A PASSENGER.
A passenger by the Empress of India, a Calcutta gentleman, was able to supply a repre- sentative of the Daily Press on the 19th inst, with an accurate account of the collision on the 17th
India and the Chinese cruiser Wong Tai He was on deck enjoying the cool air, and stood underneath the bridge on the starboard side, The hour was 1150 p.m, and the night beautifully fine; the ship's spad wis about fifteen knots.
On the sta barl side, ap- parently about four hundred yards away, were the lights of what seemed to be a steamer, which the Empress was gradually overtaking. The steamer looked to be steering a course parallel to that of the mail bit but when her stern was in a cross line with the Empress's bows she appeared to alter her course to cross the other vessel's bows. Tha movement was inexplicable to our informant, who remembers saying to himself: distinctly
She can't go before us an she can't go behind us; therefore, what is she going
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to do?” The answer came in
čime 11-a startling
aner. The steamer, or orular, drew nearer nearer, and the officer on the bridge of the passenger ship called out: “Port your helm there. Nearer still drew the two vessels, however, and then the cruiser struck the
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