322
The PRESIDENT said if Mr. Humphreys had been present he would have felt inclined to ask him to inform the Board of those startling cases to which he referred. Where such cases came tinder notice they ought to be brought before the Board so that they could be investigated (hear; hear). The press had been filled lately by talk about complaints but there had been few specific cases, one or two had been investigated and dealt to the best of their ability. The executive officers had no desire to render the lives of people in the Colony uncomfortable but there was an Ordinance to be administered and so far as maybe he believed they tried to carry out that Ordinance faithfully. If specific cases of neglect came before them they ought to be reported and then they could be dealt with. If they were reported the public might rely on them being investigated and if anyone was found guilty of conduct which was a breach of duty he would be punished,
Mr. LAU CHU-PAK, in terms of notice, moved the motion standing in his name for the appoint ment of a committee to investigate such matters.
Mr. Fung WA-CHUN seconded.
|
THE HONGKONG WEEKLY PRESS AND
forward from 1905, making a total of 249 in hand. The drainage of 60 houses had been completed, leaving 188 to carry forward. Cer- tiflostes had been gr‹nted under Section 84 of Ordinance 13 of 1901 stating that 37 new houses had been built in accordance with the provisions of that Ordinance. The drains of 134 houses had been inspected and reported on: of these 75 required reconstruction and fifteen amending. In addition to the above 1.917 houses bave been inspected by drainage inspectors with the result that 336 drainage nuisances have been discovered. 140 choked drain-‘raps on private property had been cleansed by drainage foremen.
BEACONSFIELD ARCADE RE-OPENED. Correspondence relative to the re-opening of Beaconsfield Arcade was laid on the table, the Arcade having been re-opened after com- pletion of the disinfecting.
DELIMITATION OF DUTIES.
Correspondence was submitted relative to the the question of the necessity for an additional report of the Committee appointed to consider
sanitary inspector and an additional foreman of street cleansers for Kowloon. The communica- tion from the Government stated that there was no reason to alter the present procedure as it a saving of labour in which sanitary inspectors were called upon to perform certain duties for the Building Authority.
Was
A LANE OBSTRU. TED.
¿
May 5, 1906.
SUPREMECOURT.70
Monday, April 30th. Ve on
IN ADMIRALty JurisdictION:
BEFORE SIR FRANCIS PIGGott (CHIEF Justice) and LIEUT. McCallan,
R.N. (NAUTICAL ASSESSOR)✨✨
$1
8.8. BRAND t. 8.8. * DAINI KOTOHIRA MARU." In this cross-action his Lordship has to decide which of the two vessels is liable to damages for the collision between them which occurred off Pedro Blanco on March 20th.
Mr. M. W. 8l-de, instructed by Mr. E. J. Grist (of Messrs. Wilkinson and Grist); appeared for the owners of the 8.8. • ran, and Mr. E. H. Sharp, K.C., instructed by Mr. J. Hastings, appeared for the s.s. Kotohira Maru and freight.
F
Mr. HaWETT considered such a committee quite unnecessary, as His Excellency had appointed a committee, consisting of five mem- bers, to deal with all cases of complaint which might be brought before it with regard to the working of the Building Ordinance. It seemed to him that the complaints to which Mr. Lan Chu-Pak referred might very well fall within the province of that committee, of which he was the chairman. That being so Mr. Lau Chu-Pak might be well advised to withdraw his | which was on private land. It abutted against the while it was clear, the captain had been off the
resolution.
Mr. Lan Chu-Pak withdrew his motion.
PLAGUE AT CANTON.
The Daily Press report regarding plague at Canton was submitted.
It stated that there were 50 or 60 plague cases per day in the Chinese city, and that with the prevailing
weather conditions the number of cases was likely to increase.
Mr. HUMPHREYS minuted-The population of Canton is supposed to be one and a quarter millions; our population is about one-fifth of that. 60 deaths a day does not make Canton out
to be in a much worse plight than ourselves. ▲ NUISANCE AT THE. ABERDEEN PAPER MILL..
The following minute by the M.O.H. was read: The Paper Mill at Aberdeen has for a long time been discharging the waste water into the tidal inlet on the shore of which it is
This
built. This causes a very offensive smell, especially at low water. The waste from paper mills, especially from such as use old rags for the production of paper is amongst the most offensive of trade waste products. discharge of waste is illegal under paragraph 26 (9) of the Public Health and Building Ordinance of 1903. Will the Board issue a notice calling upon the paper manufacturers to abate this nuisance by taking such steps to so treat their waste waters 88 to render their discharge into the water course inoffensive ?
It was decided that a notice to abate the nuisance be served on the parties.
MARKET PRICES,
A minute was circulated by the C. V. S. relative to sending the lists of market prices to the papers by the Inspector of Markets. It appeared that in one newspaper-not the Daily Press-the prices of some goods had been altered, and it was recommended that the list should not be signed by the Inspector of Markets. He further submitted that the practice of sending lists to the newspapers should be discontinued by the Inspector as he had no control over the prices and was therefore placed in a false position in the eyes of the public, if the stallholders chose to charge higher prices than those they informed him were ruling.
dealing with defective brickwork in a
Correspondence was laid before the Board lane at the rear of U. Yam Lane.
narrow
inspected the brickwork of the lane in question, Mr. TOOKER, of the P.W.D., said he had
lease of an old stone retaining wall on the top of which was built the back wall of high Chinese protect the footings from exposure he was of bouses facing Lascar Row. Except that it might opinion that it did not afford much support to the retaining wall and he considered it would be removed without danger if carefully done. Perhaps it could be dealt with under the Build. ing Ordinance.
PLAGUE INFECTED PREMISES.
The M.O.H. recommended the Board to close houses Nos. 33 to 59 (odd numbers only.) Station Street. Mongkoktsui, ag unfit for human habitation, being rat infected and
six cases of plague having occurred therein.
The recommendation was approved.
MASONIC.
The sixteenth annual Convocation of the District Grand Royal Arch Chapter of Hong- kong and South China was held at the Freemasons' Hall on April 30th, when M. E. Companion T. F. Hough, who had been appointed as District Second Grand Principal, prasided, and invested the following officers:
Mr. Blade said the steamer Br nd was proceeding from Chekiang to Canton. via Hongkong with a general cargo. For the previous two days or so a fog prevailed along the China coast, and the B and had been navigated according to the whistles heard from other vessels in the neighbourhood. She whistled from a minute and a half to two minutes continually and when the whistles of other vessels were heard she whistled in answer as she pro- ceeded steadily on her coarse. On the morning of the collision it had been clear till 3 a.m., but the fog continued. During the middle watch, between that hour and 4 am. it was foggy, and
bridge, but as soon as they ran into the fog he went on to it. At that time the Chief Captain remained on the bridge until 4 a.m.. Officer was on the watch, and both he and the
when the Chief Officer appeared at that time to relieve him, and then the whistl, which
subsequently turned out to be that of the Kotohiva Maru was heard, evidently on the port quarter of the Brand. During the succeed- as to our power to deal with this obstruction, drawing on the Brand, always on her port Mr. HEWETT minuted-If there is any doubting hour-the hour before five--the whistle the Crown Solicitor should be consulted. IỂ
from the other steamer was heard gadually the obstruction is illegal it of course must be side, until about five o'clock she was abeam. removed, and the owner is responsible for this. By this time the Brand was drawing non: Pedro It is absurd to ask the Board if they would Blanco, and the Captain was doubtful as to accept the responsibility.
where he was exactly, more particularly because his course by dead reckoning did not coincide he made by his rather doubtful observation of by a considerable distance with the course which the previous afternoon the weather when he took that observation was hazy. His position by his observation and by dead reckoning was doubtful, therefore it became necessary for him to find out his exect position by soundings. Approaching Pedro Blanco it was comparative- ly easy to check a distance from the coast bý soundings and for a master to learn, fairly accurately, where he was. At 5 a.m. the log was hauled in and the position marked off and the vessel was stopped. As soon as the on the chart. The captain then began to sound
weigh was altered sufficiently to enable the lead to get to the bottom before the ship ha i over-run it, the captain was able to find his position. In order to make quite sure of keeping clear of the island he altered his course one point to starboard to get further towards the open ses. Meanwhile he heard the Kotohira Maru drawing further forward. He assumed she would have to alter her course for Hong. kong, so to prevent any possibility of a collision he went slowly, about a four knot speed. While he was thus proceeding he heard the whistle of the Kotohira Maru forward; the last time he heard it, it was about four points on his bow, and sounded rather louder than it had before. The captain put that down to a trick of the fog, or the wind which had changed shortly before that time from west to south-west 80 certain was he that the other vessel had drawn clear ahead that he rang up the engine-room.to go from slow to half speed. The engineer did not go at half speed at the time because his fires were not suficiently large to enable him to keep up the steam required. Two or three. minutes after the whistle was heard the Kotohira Maru suddenly collided with the Brand. The intervals between the blast of the former vessel's whistle were at times irregular and unduly long. The consequences of the collision were that the Brand was nearly sunk,
District Third Grand Principal, M. E. Comp. G. A. Caldwell; District Grand Scribe E., M. E. Comp. A.O'D. Gourdin; District Grand Boribe N., M. E. Comp, E. T. Bond; District Grand President B. of G. P., M. E. Comp. R. Mitchell; District Grand Treasurer, M. E. Comp. F. W. Clark; District Grand_Regis- trar, M. E. Comp. B. B. Harker; District Grand Sojourner, M. E. J. G. Gots; District Grand First Assist. Sojourner, M. É. E. A. Stanton; District Grand Second Assist. Sojourner, M. E. Comp. E. H Ray; District Grand Sword Bearer, M. E. Comp. H. Bathurst; District Grand Standard Bearer, M. E. Comp. H. G. Baker; District Grand Standard Bearer, E. Comp. A. H. Hyland; District Grand Standard Bearer, M. E. Comp. F. W. Kruse; District Grand Standard Bearer, E. Comp. C. H. Grace; District Grand Director of Ceremonies, E. Comp. R. D. Thomas; District Grand Dep. Director of Ceremonies, Mr. J. Bryan, Sanitary Surveyor, reported. Comp. J. W. Graham; District Grand that plans had been deposited and passed by him during the quarter for the drainage of 30 houses, while plans for 219 houses were carried
A discussion took place as to whether the signature of the Inspector of Markets be appended to the list, but Mr. Hooper thought it should stand over until the matter had been investigated.
On the motion of the PRESIDENT, seconded by the Hon. Mr. CHATHAM, & committee was appointed to investigate the subject.
SANITARY SURVEYOR'S REPORT.
Assistant of Ceremonies, E. Comp. E. H. Sharp; District Grand Organist, Comp. C. W. Longuet; District Janitor, Comp. J. Vanstone.
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