May 28, 1908.7
*** CHINESE VIEW OF PLAGUE
MEASURES.
Following is the text of a series of articles appearing in the Chung Ngoi San Po, specially translated for the Daily Press :—-
CHINA OVERLAND TRADE REPORT.
bad terms with their house-m-tes, family secrets form the chief part of the bitter clamour of their tongues, which is one of the abuses of cubicles interfere with light and ventilation, having no cubicles. It may be argued that but this is provided for in, the Pablic Health Ordinance, as under that Ordinance all partitions The chief topic of conversation here at the
must be four feet from the œiling and 2 inches present moment is admittedly the unbearable from the floor. Since boarding-houses and state of the Sanitary laws, against which business firms are allowed to have cubicles -members of the Board have appealed and dis-made of railings or lattice-work, why not cussions raised at the meetings of the Board. family houses? If the idea of abo ishing HE. Sir Matthew Nathan, the Governor, cubicles is to prevent overcrowding, then the hearing the complaints was much struck, bas
one cannot have any connection with the other, as appointed a commission to enquire into the all houses are carefully measured and the number matter with a view to ascertain the feelings of of persons they can accommodate is marked ont the people and to fake such steps as will meet in each case. Moreover, with the requirements of the day.
people can live in a house with no cubicles. lower classes and labourers are even glad to We may say the
have no cubicles, as by diepsusing with them they can put up more bunks, the letting of which would give them more rent. As foreign ladies cover their faces with veils even when going out, why are Coinese ladies for the sake of decency not allowed to have a place of privacy? It is a blemish spot on a civilized Government: With a view to meet the wishes of the people, we suggest that railings be allowed to be used for partitions in ill-ventilated houses, as is done in lodging-houses and business firm. Houses that are well lighted and ventilated should be left to the discretion of the tenants themselves in respect of cubicles.
The Sanitary laws] have been enforce for some years; one may ask why there are so many complaints now, while there have hardly been any before? Is it because the laws are more arbitrarily enforced now than they were in former years Though the reply must be in the negative, yet there are good reasons for these complaints.
It is buman nature to rejoice to live and hate to die It must be known to all that when one is attacked with plague, his life is greatly endangered, so everyone must be glad to see some means devised to combat the disease. When the sanitary laws were first introduced, people were under the impression that these laws would ensure the safety of their lives, and they therefore quietly put up with any little inconvenience that might be occasioned through the enforcement in the interests of the public health; but who would have thought that, in spite of these laws, the people in Hongkong suffer from plague just as bad as Canton whenever that disease is prevalent there? Some remarks may also be applied to Macho, except
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The number of persons that a house .can accommodate should be increased. Sinca p'ague first broke out in the year 1894,
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quired to be done, owners could only get 5 to 6 per cent, on their investment after deducting crown rent, police rates and premiums for insuranos, owners could not help suffering from pecuniary but should sanitary-alterations be required, the loss. The consequence is that wealthy mer- chants and well-to-do men would rather withhold their money than invest it on. landed property. The revenue from stamp duties will thereby suffer, ad merchants will not get loans of money so readily as they might have done. Can any one say that this is not affecting the prosperity of the Colony This is another abuse arising from the serefity of the new laws.
"Let us again describe in detail_what we have heard and seen. As a rule, death is the most lamentable loss and a corpse the most dreadful object to a Chinese. In case of death, the usal custom is for friends to go and console the relatives of the deceased and to keep com. pany with them..so that their sad bereavement may not be so keenly felt. But when a case of plague occurs in Hongkong, a constable is immediately sent to guard the house, and prevent the occupants from having any com. munication with outside. They, however, for fear of having to be subjected to the cleansing process always try to leave the house before the constable could arrive, leaving behind only the relatives of the deceased. The male relatives by turu also sneak away, leaving in the house only some old women, because the former know that fumigation would detain them at home from doing their usual busi. nesa. The oad will be that the weak-minded women -ft behind and confined in the
house with weep and wail. Even a man of iron fortituds may shed tears when he hears of such treatment. This is their first hardship. While gangs of cleansing coolies arrive with dust-carts and buckets dashing about is sufficient to frighten the ignorant Chinese women, how much worse would their terror be when they heard the sounds attending the destruction of their cubicles and the throwing about of their forniture? Moreover, while confined in a house w th things in a state of confusion, it will be impossible for them to cook their food even when hungry. They are as a rule compelled to take off their own clothing and wear those supplied by the Sanitary Board, that are insufficient to keep warm. Thus with cold and hunger added to terror as they suffer from, bow often will sick. ness not befall the relatives themselves ?-
Some women suffer from sickness after their
minimum of 300 cubic feet of air space per head was fired by the authorities to prevent overcrowding in Chinese houses. Though the law was then in force, no inspection was made of the number of tenants in each house except that each cubicle must be of certain dimensious. But since the present Public Health and Building Ordinance Was passed in 1903, the air apae was increased to 500 cabia feet per head. Besides, the number of men each floor can legally accommodate is painted on the wall; inspections are made at midnight and the law generally has been strictly enforced. wing to the dearth of rent the Chinese in habitants have already felt that they can ill afford to have their families in Hagkong with the present strict enforcement of the overcrowd- ing laws, coupled with the co stant rise in bouse rent. It costs $3 per man per mouth to live in the Central and Western die riots Even in the east and west ends of the town, where house rent is cheaper, each man has to pay about 82 a month. Tuose of the small trad-ra with a scanty income and with a family of several
We have often seen plague infected houses members to support, and who could enjoy a fair-which have been cleansed. Not only are their ly comfortable life before, must now leave the cubicles and partitions completely taken down, Colony because they cannot afford to meet the but also the household furniture damaged and exorbitant rent. There is no overcrowding law lost. This is because the work has been left in Canton and Macao, yet we have never heard entirely in the cleansing coolies themselves, who of plague breaking out through overcrowding
bear different characters. Moreover, when If it is feared that, on account of the dearth of plague breaks out in one family, oleansing bas house rent, people might overcrowd themselves
to be done in the whole house. The inmated Fortun-irrespective of their health and comfort, this can be stopped by taking down cooklofts and limiting the dimensions of cubicles; but if, on the other hand, this procedure is still con sidered unsatisfactory, we suggest we should revert to the old law of laying down 300 cubic feet of air space for each man. What advant. age would be gained by being so arbitrary in enforcing the law?
that the number of cases there is even less than in Hongkong. On the other hand, when we take the existing sanitary laws of these three places and compare them carefully, we find that neither is there a Sanitary Board in Canton nor are even officials appointed to took after the sanitary affairs. Its inhabitants can do what they like without any interference, while in Macao though a Sanitary Board ex sts and special officers are app inted for the work, and the laws are far less severe there than in Hong kong, yet the number of plague cases is about the same and sometimes it is even less. Such is the result of our sanitary measures here; dissatisfaction naturally prevails. The inhabitants thought that the laws once made would remain in force for some considerable time to come, and while knowing that it was not easy to comply with same they quietly submitted to the inevitable. But these laws are getting burdens me every day.
Sometimes a law spproved of by one officer was rejected by auother. With constant changi g people do not know what to go by. People therefore thought of leaving the colony altogether to avoid the law. Trade in turn suffers and complaints are rife more than ever. ately, H.E. the Governor, having the welfare of of his subjects at heart, has ordered enquiries to be made. This is a good chance for the public to ventilate their grievances. Having carefully looked into the hardships oft e ziukabitants, aud.ascert-ined their opinions, WO
submit the following suggestions —
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1. The old taw governing cubioles and parti:"| tions should be restored. "Owing to the bigh 3. The law should not be constantly changed. value of landed property in Hongkong house Since the enforcement of the new Public Health rent is alment [?] es deer as in England. The and Building Ordinance, kitchens have to be Chitose labour being so cheap, very few of out open for backyards. Kitchen walls have to them can afford to rent a whole floor. Usually be cemented, and ground surfaces concreted. three or more families share a floor together. As Lime-washing must be done twice a year, and aru'e they depend upon the partitions for the use of cement and thick plauks for upper their privacy; therefore to have cubicles floors is sometimes insisted upon in lieu of in house is as important as to have square tiles. All these are heavy burdens on clothes to cover one's body. The Public Health the property owners, yet in some casss the and Building Ordinance, however, requires cement and concrete work of a house of the people to pull down all cubicle partitions. In same block done by the same contractor less than spite of protests made against same by a year ago have to be done over again upon the marohants and the local press, the erection change of a new inspecting officer, while houses of cubicles is only permitted under certain | in the same condition are left untouched. This ́strict limitations. In so e instances, in houses is indeed a passle to anyone. Similar treatment in the narrow lanes, only one cabiole is allowed, | in also meted out to owners in connection with and in some none at all. In other cases, - curtains-are-used at night and taken off in the day time, causing great inconvenience to female - Docupants. - When quarrelsome women are on
lime-washing. They were often found fault with, and the work had to be done over again. With the present high value of property in Hongkong, even if no alteration whatever is re-
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houses have been disinfected and closused, in which case they generally leave the Colony at once. Such cases may not be known to the authorities. This is their second hardship.
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generally suffer loss to the amount of several hundred dollars, and sometimes as much as over
thonsand. During the régime of Governor Blake, it was decided to grant compensation for damages that might be done by the cleansing gangs. Though the compensation granted did not cover the full value of the property yet the loss they had to suffer then was not so great as it is how. No wonder therefore that plagne in regarded by the peoplé as a rebellion in time of pesos, as the havoc wrought by it is oemper- atively the same. This is their third hardship.
The water supply of this Colony is entirely derived from mountain streams. Before the Tytam reservoir was constructed the Colony had about 20,000 inhabitants, and the supply could always meet the consumption except in time of a long drought. Sinon, the areétion of the reservoir and other dams, the storage capacity has trebled the quantity, while the population is estimated to be only about 220,000. Boon after the commencement of the present Chiness New Year, there has been a long spell of wet weather for several months, and while foods and inundations are reported in the interior of China, the water in the reservoirs of Hongkong on the other hand is less than before, si'd only an intermittent supply is given. What is the ' cause of this? It is because the mnitary law requires general cleansings to be done no matter
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