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preparing sites for houses, with the result that, in the City dark and unhealthy basements abound. In some cases two floors are completely blow the level of the ground on one side.
The nature of the rock or soil on which the City is built is also unfavourable. This geo- logical formation of disintegrated granite or laterite has long been considered unhealthy. In former years, before the discovery of the relation of the mosquito to malarial fever, the laterite of Hongkong was considered to be essentially a malaria-producing soil. But apart from this it is easy to see how this soil may play its parts as a factor in the sanitary condition of the Colony. This gravelly soil must contain a great quantity of water. This can be seen to be a fact inasmuch as there are springs or sources of water in the City which even during As a the longest droughts do not dry up. consequence the soil below the ground floor of houses and frequently the basements of houses themselves are more or less damp.
These matters have of course long been recognised and legislated for, but in actual practice I think that there is much to be desired. There appears to be great difficulty in obtaining. for example, lime concrete of a good enough quality to render a ground floor dry and impervious. and I am of the opinion that. wherever it is desired to lay down a ground surface which is to be impervious, good cement concrete should be insisted on in lieu of the lime concrete at present accepted as sufficient by the law.
[Here follow some remarks, with tables, con- cerning the connection between the state of the weather and the seasonal recurrence of plague. Unfortunately it is impossible to reproduce them in brief.]
RAINFALL AND WATER SUPPLY.
THE HONGKONG WEEKLY PRESS AND
The annual scarcity of water is a matter of the greatest hygienic importance, inasmuch as the people are frequently driven to obtain water from most undesirable sources. Were the system of water service designed ab initio for an intermittent supply careful supervision could eliminate many dangers, but unfortunately we have in Hongkong that most dan erous com- bination-a system designed for constant service with an intermittent supply during several months of each year. I have before, in a report on cholera at the Tung Wah Hospital 1902, pointed out the dangers of the ball valves in the street hydrants, and how they may be the means of entrance of specific infective material, and should unfortunately a water-borne disease, e.g. cholera, break out in the City during our time of intermittent supply there would be many chances of the disease assuming epidemic proportions.
GENERAL SANITARY CONDITION OF THE CITY.
open
Although comparatively few buildings have as yet been erected under the provisions of the Public Health and Buildings Ordinance, yet. such buildings as have been put up show a marked improvement in the matter of spaces about them when compared with old buildings. When a new building is erected on the site of an old building in a row of houses the shape of the old site does not afford sufficient opportunity to build a house of quite a new type. What is required in Hongkong is a new type of Chinese house, and this will surely not be ob- tained unless houses can be re-built in blocks so that the frontage of houses and consequently the available window area may be much wider for the depth of the houses than at present.
ness bye-laws. The standard of thoroughness for the six-monthly limewashing of tenement houses has been considerably raised, though not without much difficulty and opposition at first.
GENERAL CLEANSING OF THE CITY.
On November 10th there was begun a general cleansing of the buildings throughout the City of Victoria and Kowloon. The scheme was as follows:- The Sanitary Inspectors of the Plague Staff were to have served on each separately let floor a notice requiring the tenants to cleanse the floor on the third day from the date of service. Failure to comply with the notice would result in the floor being cleansed by the coolies employed by the Board. On the morning of the day mentioned for compliance with the notice the Sanitary Ins- pector assisted by a Foreman would visit the houses to be cleansed on that day, and would Soft soap ready dissolved supervise the work. in hot water would be issued to the people free of cost. Any floors found clean would be exempted from further washing. Empty floors found dirty would be cleansed by coolies under the direction of the Sanitary Inspector. The scheme proved very successful. With surpris. ing willingness the people set to and cleansed their houses, with the result that up to the end of the year 18.983 floors were cleansed and up to the date of the last weekly return (January 23rd, 1904), 23.784 floors. That such a general cleansing is really required is shown by the great quantity of domestic rubbish daily carted away from the houses being cleansed. It has been estimated that about 30 tons of rubbish has been removed daily in this way since the clean- sing began.
OPEN SPACES.
A small resumption of built over land has been made in No. 6 Health District by which Lower Lascar Row has been continued to U Hing Lane. The resumption included four houses and small portions of two others, but a considerable improvement has thereby been effected providing a good open space between the backs of houses in Queen's Road Central and Circular Pathway. The large plot of land between Taipingshan Street and Po Hing Fong between Square Street on the East and the new Tung Wah Hospital building on the West has been saved from the builder for the purpose of a public park. As a playground for the children of the very densely populated district below, it should prove a great benefit.
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[Then follow population statistics which have already appeared, in another form, in the Registrar General's report for 1903; and statistics of births, deaths, and the various diseases during the year. The report, apart from appendices, closes with remarks on the staff during 1903.]
THE SUPREME COURT IN 1903.
The report of Mr. Arathoon Seth. Registrar of the Supreme Court, for 1903 is published in the Gazette. We make the following extracts:- The number of actions instituted in Original Jurisdiction during the year was 178, and there were 91 in dependency. Of these, 114 were disposed of. of which 25 were settled or with- drawn before trial, leaving a balance of 155. The total amount involved was $777,396.12. The debts and damages recovered amounted to $317,431.98. There was one injunction granted. The total fees collected and paid into the Treasury amounted to $8,210.05.
In Hongkong little or no attention has been
The number of actions instituted in Summary paid to the necessity of adapting houses to the requirements of the community, and therefore Jurisdiction was 1,643 and 38 were brought the working classes have had to adapt them-forward from 1902. Of these 1,521 were disposed selves to existing houses. This has resulted in of, 640 being settled or withdrawn before trial, the present insanitary condition of the houses leaving a balance of 230. The total amount of the working classes of Chinese.
involved was $338,972.44; and the total fees collected and paid into the Treasury amounted to $6.774.45.
In Great Britain much has been done latterly to provide houses for the working classes; affording the tenants the necessary privacy and independence and at the same time adequate lighting, ventilation, and other sanitary require- ments. It should not be difficult to model some scheme to effect this in Hongkong taking into consideration the local conditions and adapting the scheme to the place. This I fear cannot be effected merely by the re-building of houses one by one on their old sites, but only by concerted action.
During the year special attention has been paid to the enforcement of the domestic cleanli-
The number of distress warrants for rent issued was 368, representing aggregate unpaid rents amounting to $24.902.10. of which the aggregate sum of $20,880.48 was recovered, 156 warrants having been withdrawn on settle ment between the parties. The fees collected for issuing distress warrants and paid into the Treasury amounted to $2,208.
There were 78 cases and 178 persons com- mitted for trial at the Criminal Sessions. The number of persons actually indicted was 142, of whom 104 were convicted; 2 failed to
[May 30, 1904.
surrender to their recognisances, which were estreated; and 36 were acquitted. Against 35 persons no indictments were filed, and they were discharged on proclamation. One prisoner died in gaol before trial.
There were 10 Appeals instituted during the year, of which 9 were disposed of, leaving one pending. One case was carried to the Privy Council and the decision of the Court below upheld.
There were 10 actions instituted in Admiral- ty Jurisdi tion, with 2 in dependency, all of which were disposed of, 5 having been settled or The number of ves- withdrawn before trial.
sels arrested was 6. The total fees received and paid into the Treasury amounted to $507.80.
The
There were 35 Petitions filed in Bankruptcy Jurisdiction, being creditors' petitions 15, and 20 petitions by the debtors themselves. number of receiving orders made was 20. being 9 on creditors' petitions, and 11 on debtors' peti- tions. The number of Public Examinations held was 9. There were 11 adjudications, and 1 composition for $12.875.21 approved by the Court. The aggregate amount of declared assets was $314.010.18 and declared liabilities $671,636.65. of the declared assets only $28,069.41 were recovered. With but few
exceptions, the amounts realised have barely covered the costs of the Bankruptcy; hence the Court has of late more strictly enforced the law requiring sub- stantial assets before making a receiving order. The fees paid into the Treasury amounted to $758.05, including the Official Receiver's com- mission as trustee where no trustee has been appointed by the creditors.
In Probate and Administration there were
198 grants made by the Court. being:-Pro- bates, 81. Letters of Administration, 117. The aggregate value of the Estates was $1.936.975. Probate duties amounted to $50,071.92. Court fees to $5.174.70, and Official Administrator's commission paid into the Treasury to $2,861.77. There were 47 estates vested in, or ad. ministered by, the Official Administrator during the year, representing aggre. gate valu of $19.371.06. wound up during the year as against 17 in 1902, representing an aggregate value of $32,567.13.
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20 estates
were
The total number of trust estates in the hands of the Official Trustee at the end of 1903, was 21, and the aggregate amount of Trust funds $99.200.88, and certain house property, viz., No. 6. Rednaxela Terrace The total fees received during the year and paid into the Treasury amounted to $296.
are
The total number of companies registered from the commencement of the Companies Ordinance, 1865, was 386, with an aggregate capital of $176,655,081, of which there were only 182 remaining at the end of 1903, whose aggre- gate capital amounted to $114,216,425. 110 were wound up voluntarily, 4 were wound up under the supervision of the Court, and 90 defunct. In addition to the latter, there are other companies that are practically defunct, as no returns have been furnished by such com- panies for years: hut in order to le ally strike them off the Re ister, certain preliminary steps have to be taken, which are now being done. There were 43 companies registered in 1903, the revenue from which was: Registration fees, $6,809.00; Filing and other fees, $1.889.00; Total, $8,697.00.
The total sums collected during the year by way of fees and commissions paid into the Treasury amounted to $41,758.83, as against $30,275.42 in the previous year.
The visit of a large portion of the British China squadron to Woosung has quite excited Shanghai. The local Times says:-Shanghai has suddenly awakened to the fact that her popula- tion has been increased by several thousand British man-of-war's men, hundreds of whom are ashore nightly on liberty and have no place to lay their heads. To remedy this undesirable state of affairs the Riding School at the corner of Range and Honan Roads, which is municipal a giant property, has been converted into hostelry where many tars may turn in and sleep soundly amid decent surroundings. The floor has been covered with clean straw, and blankets enough have been provided for the accommoda- tion of a thousand guests.
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