January 13, 1906-
Regatta Day...... Christmas.
2 days
Total 11
Autumn Holidays
(Aug 6 & 7) min. 2 days Chinese Mid-Au-
tumn Festival
(Oct. 1 & 2)...... 2 Christmas
Total 21
29
The Shanghai list is published by order of the Chamber of Commerce Committee as the holidays which will be observed by the foreign banks and the Chamber of Commerce in Shang- hai in 1906. The Hongkong list is drawn up from memory, but is, I believe, complete. I refrain from making any suggestion that we should endeavour to emulate Shanghai in this respect, as I think the nuisance, from the business man's point of view, recurs often enough already.
*
CHINA OVERLAND TRADE REPORT.
HONGKONG SANITARY
BOARD.
A meeting of the Sanitary Board was held on January 9th at the Board Room. The Hon. Dr. F. Clark (president) presided, and there were als present: Dr. W. W. Pearse, M.O.H., Dr. Macfarlane, Mr. F. J. Badeley, Hon. Mr. A. W. Brewin, Mr. Fung Wa Chuu, Mr. Lau Chu Pak, Mr. A. Ramjahn and Mr. G. A. Woodcock (secretary).
THE YEAR's work.
The CHAIRMAN said-Gentlemen, as this is the first meeting of a New Year we may be glad to look back for a moment on the work of the year which has gone, and in so doing we will find, I think, no small grounds for congratulat- It was mentioned in the Supreme Court aing ourselves on the improved sanitary condi- day or two ago that Chinese signboards are
tion of the Colony. Early in the year a com- sometimes sold for as much as $50,000, mittee of the Board recommended the reserva- and that quite recently one was sold for tion of a site on the Kowloon peninsula as a $27,000. If is a very substantial price to Colonial Cemetery-their object being to secure pay for "an emblem of the goodwill," but with an ample reserve for this purpose in anticipation the signboard goes the "chop," or trade mark, follow the inauguration of the Kowloon-Canton of the great increase in population which must and, as old residents know, the chop " of a good firm in China is a very valuable asset. railway. Another committee went very fully When, therefore, Chinese talk of selling a sign-into the question of the most suitable sites for board a great deal more must be understood markets in the Kowloon peninsula, and their as a rule to be included. For example, I am
recommendations were forwarded to the Govern- told that an offer of $100,000 was recently made
ment. In October, Mr. Pollock raised the im- to a Canton Pill-maker for his signboard, but portant question of the adoptiou by the Colony it was intended that the purchase should carry of the Paris Convention in substitution for with it the Pill-maker's secret and his stock-in. the Venice Convention, under which we are trade. That the offer of $100,000 was refused
at present working, and the matter is now in the and that $150,000 was required, proves Pill- hands of the Chamber of Commerce for report. making to be as lucrative in China as it
In November, the Board agreed to accept 4" of the cement concrete in lieu of 6" of lime apparently is elsewhere.
There is a motto over the principal entrance to the Post Office, which 1 doubt whether one person in twenty who go to the Post Office or pass it daily has ever seen. It is not conspicu. ons, because the Government is very economical where paint and whitewash and that sort of thing is wanted for public buildings, and now that a new Post Office is in course of erection perhaps it is too much to expect that the Govern- ment will spend even a few dollars on waking the exterior of the present building respectable and incidentally bring to light the motto I have alluded to. It reads:---
AB COLD WATER TO A THIRSTY SOUL, SO IS
GOOD NEWS FROM A FAR COUNTRY."
We can appreciate the sentiment to-day, but how much greater must have been the apprecia- tion of our forebears who were here before the days of submarine cables and 17-knot mail steamers, I hope this motto will find a place somewhere on or in the new building, for the sake of the old memories it recalls.
BANYAN.
ARMED ROBBERY NEAR HONGKONG.
Another daring outrage is reported from a village in the Saikung district of the New Territory. According to police information a gang of nine men armed with revolvers surrounded a house about 10.30 at night, and after bursting open the door, entered the dwelling and terrified the inmates who offered no resistance. The robbers took everything portable on which they could lay their hands, clothing and small articles, and went off with booty representing a value of almost $300. Three of the mine men cau be identified and the police are making investiga
tions.
H.E. CHOU FU'S “IRISH
PROMOTION.”
The N.-C. Daily News of Jan, 4 says:- -The local mandarins have received telegraphic new s from Peking to the effect that H. E. Chou Fu, Acting Viceroy of the Liangkiang provinces, has been appointed by Imperial edict Viceroy of the Min-Chê provinces, vice Sung Fan. deceased. Apropos, it is perhaps not generally known that His Excellency Chou Fu, being a native of one of the Liangkiang (Anh ni), cannot be a substantive incumbent of this Viceroyalty and can only hold what may be terme d- an emer- gency or acting incumbensy
concrete of a covering for the ground surfaces of dwellings, pending an amend
ment of the Ordinanoe to secure this. The public works of a sanitary nature which have been well advanced or completed during the year are the Disinfecting Station at Kowloon, the new Western M rket, the new Market at Mongkok Tsui, and various public Latrines and Urinals; while the Board have secured the grant of funds for a new Mortuary at Kowloon, for Shelters for Dust Carts in the City, for additional Latrines and Urinals, and for the completion of the new Western Market during the year 1906. So far as the health of the community is concerned, the general death-rate for the year has been 16.7 per 1,000, as compared with 16.94 per 1,000 in 1904, and this appears to be the lowest death-rate on record in this colony. The rate among the Chinese was 16.6 per 1,000 and that among the non-Chinese was 17.5 per 1,000-a very different condition of affairs to what prevailed 10 or even 5 years ago. As to Plague, we had only 304 cases during the year, while there were 90 cases of Enteric Fever and 75 cases of Smallpox, the latter, I am afraid, we can do very little for, owing to the impracticability of enforcing adult re vaccination in this Colony, and the fact that the infection can be introduced from China în clothing, bedding, etc.; but I think we may be able in time to educate the public in the matter of the Fources of infection of Typhoid Fever, and when this is accomplished, the incidence of this disease, at least, among the non-Chinese, who are by far the greatest sufferers, will decline. With regard to buildings, our figures are equally satisfactory; 16 new European houses have been declared ready for occupation during the year in the City and Peak districts, and 16 in Kow- loon and the out-lying districts, while 167 new Chin se bouses have been similarly granted certificates of occupation in the City, and 61 in Kowloon and the outlying districts and 30 new godowns and offices had also been completed during the year. This prosperous condition of affairs can only le maintained by the utmost vigilance on the part of the Board and its officers in the administration of the powers entrusted to them, and I feel sure that the new members, who should be with us at our next meeting, will loyally co-operate in the attain- ment of that end, so that at the close of this year the Board may be able to render as good, if not a tetter, account of its stewardship than have now been able to submit to you, for the year 19:5 (applause).
SMALLPOX AT CANTON,
I
With regard to an outbreak of smallpox in Canton, Dr. Pearse minuted-One thing which
we might do suggests itself to me, namely, distribution of hand-bills in Chinese advising vaccination. As the | Chiheen baliero Id the efficacy of this measure, a deal of good might be done. An English advertisemeat in the papers reminding residents that the cold season is the smallpox sexson in Hongkong and advising people, especially newcomers, to be vieclunted would also be beneficial,
Mr. E. A. Hewett minuted -The notices might be issued, but I do not naderstand that smallpox is worse than is usual at this season. It is, however, no use asking people to be vaccinated unless a full supply of lymph be assured.
Mr. Lau Chan Pak recorded-The Tung Wa Branch offices already had notices printed and are prepared to proceed with free vaccination amongst the Chinese, if a suffio ent supply of lymph can be obtained The question is when lymph can be given to them.
The CHAIRMAN-With regard to the question of lymph, Mr. Lau Chau Pak and the other members of the Board will be glad to hear that at present we have 2, 50 tubes of vaccine in
stock, each tube having sufficient to vaccinate two or three people. Within the next ten days, owing to the supply of calves, we shall have at least another 2,000 tubes, so that there will bɔ no dearth of lymph in the colony. Dr. Hunter Assures m he has given tubes to all who hava applied for them and all applications which had to stand over have been fulfilled.
Mr. FUNG WA CHUN thought the Board should advertise in the newspapers as suggested: Dr. PEALSE expresse | a similar opinion.***. It was decided that advertisements should be nserted in the newspapers recommending un- protected persons to get vacointed as soon as possible.
13.
MORTALITY STÁTISTICS.
The mortality statistics for the week ending December 16th show that the death rate for the whole Colony, excluding army and navy, wHE as o mpared with 16.5 for the correspond- ing period of last year. The de th-rate for the Brit sh and foreign community (civil popula tion) was 19.9, as comp red with 30.8 for the. corresponding week last year.
́LIME-WASHING,
For the fortnight ending January 2nd the total number of houses limewashed in the Central district was 3,534 and in the Western 3,753.
BAT BETURN.
During the week ending January 6tir a total of 477 rats was caught by the Board's officers, of which 9 were found to be infected.
A YAUNATI DAIKY, Correspondence relative to Peer -Bux's! Dairy, Nos 1 and 2 Kum Chung, Yaumati, was submitted. The Board's officers reported that-- the premises were unsuitable and that the Board need not require the license. The appli cant, having been informed that it was not likely his license would be renewed for a longer period than a portion of next year and that it would be advisable to seek new premises, replied that he was making arrangements for more suitable premises.
THE FOOD AND DRUGS ACT,
During the quarter ending December Sist six samples of beer and sight of milk were taken by the Sanitary Board's officers. They were all found to be genuine. -
A YEAR'S BANISHMENTS.
During 1905 there were no fewer than 1,643 people banished from the Colony. Of that number 678 had been sent here from - the
Straits Settlements and had of course to be passed on to other places, 524 were undesirables from Saigon who were similarly dealt with, and 695 were old offenders who had come ont of gaol, where they had been imprisoned for petty offences. This gives an aggregate of 3,540 descriptions taken by the Hongkong Police, and as 15 descriptions of each man 10 passes through their hands are sent to the different stations some id-s will be formed of the amount of labour involved in this work the finger prints of 3,16 being taken. On of the 1,643 banished, 65 returned, but the greater portion of thes were identified by finger prints. Those banished were sent to Singapore Canton and eight out-stations.
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