Angust 11, 1906.]
contrary and in view of the strong opinion | expressed in Legislative Council in favour of a reduction of the Sanitary Department estimates that the unnecessary inflation of these estimates by the insertion of provision in them for district hospitals should be omitted, such provision amounting last year to 83,872) not having been made use of in the past and, owing to the dislike of Chinese to going into Government plague hospitals, not being likely to be required in the future. I have the honour to be air, your obedient servant,
T. SERCOMBE SMITA, Colonial Becretary. To this the Sanitary Board replied, submit. ting that if His Excellency would consent to the appointment of a committee consisting of some of the members of the Board and the Building Authority, His Excellency would be able to obtain thè necessary information to enable him to form an idea of the time devoted by the Sanitary staff to purely Building Authority
work. The other resolution was that the Government be asked to reconsider the question of the retention in 1907 estimates of the votes for the district hospitals.
The Government reply was to the effect that regarding the first resolution, His Excellene was satisfied that the work done by the Sanitary staff under the Building Authority was in connection with the sanitary condition of the buildings and as such as fell within the duties of sanitary inspectors in England. It had been suggested to His Excellency that section 230 of the Public Health and Buildings Ordinance should be amended so as to authorise the Sani- tary Board to deal directly in respect of all buildings which are or have been occupied for domestic purposes. This suggestion would receive consideration when the Ürdinance cams to be amended. In the meantime His Excel- leucy did not consider it would be convenient or advisable to split up the salaries of
certain officers between the votes for two departments, an arrangement which would moreover effect no saving to the public. With regard to the second resolution His Excell noy after consultation with the Principal Civil Medical Officer and Registrar General had directed the insertion in the estimates of au
item of $2,000 as a grant-in-aid of Chinese plague hospitals, the grant to be made on the condition that these hospitals are under similar Government supervision as the Tang Wa Hospital and that the amount actually to be paid from it will not exceed the expenditure incurred on the hospitals.
The correspondence was laid on the table.
NEW WESTERN MARKET.
A letter was read from the Colonial Secretary reporting the completion of the new Western Market.
CLEANSING OPERATIONS SUSPENDED. The M.O.H. reported on the expediency of suspending cleansing operations in Kowloon and the City of Victoris.
The PRESIDENT suggested that operations should be suspended till the end of September. We had now come to the end of the plague season, and he thought tenants might be given
a rest.
Members cóncurred.
THE FOOD INSPECTOR QUESTION. The COLONIAL VETERINary Surgeon in a minute recommended the sathorising of inspec tors of markets and inspectors of cattle depots and slaughter-houses to enter premises and inspect food.
CHINA OVERLAND TRADE REPORT.
proposed, seconded and carried at the last Board meeting; therefore he did not think the recommendations of the Veterinary Surgeon should be carried out.
Mr. HEWETT agreed with Mr. Hooper's views, and the Board decided to take no action in the matter.
MORTUARY FOR KOWLOON!
A minute by the Director of Public Works relative to the plan for the proposed mortuary for Kowloon Was submitted. The site suggested was in close proximity to the lis- infecting station.
NEW ORDINANCES AND OLD KOUSES
Mr. John Lemm, architect, applied on behalf of the owners of Nos. 12 to 27, Po Hing Fong for an exemption from the provisions of section 180 of the Public Health and Buildings Ordin- ance, 1903.
The M.O.H. did not think there was any doubt that these houses were built in accordance with laws existing at the time of their erection.|| It was not required then that the open space in the rear of new buildings should be provided in the owner's own lot. However, as soon as the houses ware completed they became existing buildings, and apparently subject to paragraph 55 of Ordinance 1 of 1901, or at any rate they might be affected by paragraph 175 of Ordinance 1 of 1903. The certificates already granted for these houses were valid, but he presumed sach validity did not aunul the requirements of section 175. This, however, was a matter for legal opinion. Regarding the question of exemption from complying with section 175, he would draw attention to the fact that these houses had no yards at all at present. Yards, even small ones, were desirable to provide some open space where household waste might be stored instead of being kept in the house.
The Crown Solicitor wrote that it Mr Lemm's statements were correct it appeared that the D.P.W. and Sanitary Board in July 1905, permitted the 15-foot lane at the back to count as a backyard. Mr. Rowley doubted whether this permission was not ultra wire when granted, but thought the Board should respect it and grant exemption from section 175 of Ordinance 1 of 1903.
Mr. LAU CHU-PAK minuted-Exemption should certainly be granted in this case. There is ample open spacs at the rear. The opening of yards in these houses, if insisted upon. will inflict great hardship on the owners and reduce the value of their properties. It i abaurd to make the owners suffer so much simply because some open space is desirable for depositing the household refuse, which is removed every morning.
Members agreed that the Board recommend the Governor in Council to grant the modifica- tion.
|
THE CONCRETE QUESTION. The PRESIDENT read the report of the committes appointed to inquire into the con- creting of ground floors of certain houses at Mongkok, and moved the adoption of the report Mr. HOOPER seconded the motion. In doing so he took the opportuni'y of callin the attention of the Board to the way in which complaints were made and the means taken to rectify them, They had two distinct cases before them: one of 16 houses at Mongkok and the other of two European houses at Tsimshatsoi. Taking the first 16 honses 1. Mongkok they were built according to
laws and ordinances made, and under the supervision of an architect who had a good knowledge of good and | bad material—at least they might presume so from the time he had had the honour to serve in the Public Works Department. A complaint was sent in by a senior inspector that these Boors were out of order. The speaker asked that inspector when he visited the bouses whether there was anything more with the floors than he saw on the surface. The reply was that there was not, but the uert thing the speaker heard was that another ja below the rauk of M.O.H. As such
spection had been made, and that an order was authority had been given, however, they worn given to reconcrete the whole of the groun prepared to stand by it, but he did not see Burfaces of five of these houses. It seemed to him the slightest
why rasson ·
it should be
to be anal-gous to the case of the doctor who was extended to inspectors of cattle depots and consulted about a case of prickly heat and cut slaughter-houses. These inspectors could have into the flesh down to the bone to see if he no idea of the existence of had foods unless could find any serious defect in the patient's information was supplied them by other flesh. There was no justification for any pro. inspectors. Under these circumstances theyfessional man supposing that this preling of should not enlarge on the
resolution the surface was due to the ground underneath.
The PRESIDENT hardly know whether it was necessary for inspectors in charge of cattle depôts to be given this authority, but he thought the Board, might consider whether inspectors of markets might be given the same authority as senior inspectors.
Mr. HOOPEE sa'd he was doubtful whether the authority already given should have been given to a number of what he might term subordinate officers-he applied that termi to those
I
wrong
85
WAS
The floors of the sixteen houses he should characterise as fair, the majority of them good and he was using a very mild adjective when he said fair. The floors which they dag up with great difficulty showed clearly six inobes some few cases of concrete, and only in was one inch deleteriously affected by water at the bottom. The President, who a member of the committee, and the speaker had no hesitation in saying that the floor was good, and ordered it to be mide good again at the public expanse. Mr. Hooper now asked members to avail themselves of the opportunity of looking at the second case which The dealt with backyards in Tsimohataʊi. yards there were concreted with two inches
He cement.
secured Some concrete of
one of the yards which WAM from ordered to be reconereted, "azd this" said Mr. Hooper, placing s few pounds of it on the table before the Director of Pablic Works, "is a sample of it." He did not think it required an expert, but only a man, woman or child with a little common sense, to see that it was perfectly impervious.
At the
HA
Mr. HUMPHREYS was sure everybody in Hongkong ought to be grateful to Mr. Hoo per for what he had done in this matter. same time he thought it a pity that every time there was a difference of opinion between mem- bers of the P.W.D. and the Sanitary Board, a committee should be sent to eximine, thought in such to give the landlord the benefit of the doubt. at once. and tell him to repair his yard. Section 112 of the Ordinance was not quite olear about the reconcreting of yards. It simply said the landlord or owner should make good. In nearly every instance there seemed to be a difference of opinion as to what
and if making good,
the land. or had, as he had frequently in past, to reconcrete yards, he was being put to a great expense which was absolutely iniquitous. He moved-"That in future cases where the surface concrete of yards is broken or is
unsatisfactory, and where considered
exists of opinion
between the difference Sanitary Board and the P.W.D., that the landlord be called apou to repair such yards and not to reconcrete them.
cases it would b、 batter
|
Was
the
8
Mr. LAU CHU-PAK seconded the motion. The President first put the motion for the adoption of the report, which was carried, then
Hon, MR. HEWETT said matters would be made more complicated if the Board accepted Mr. Humphreya' resolution. Clause 112 was enough to work upou. The resolution, he thought, would not make matters olear but more
involved.
The DIRECTOR of PUBLICWORKS said refer. ences had been made to differences of opinioù between officers of the Sanitary and Public Works Departments. Concreting of floors was entirely under the control of the Bosed and the Public Works Department did not come into collision with the Board's men in the matter. The P.W.D. were so netimes asked to make inspections for the purpose of giving their opinion on the conditions of different floors, otherwise they had really nothing to do with
the maiter.
Mr. HOOPER said it w38 a case of the anomaly of the Ordinance. It se med rather absurd that one part of a building should be concreted to the satisfaction of the Building Authority, who might require a higher standard than the Board's experts,—the Sanitary Surveyor or an ordinary inspector.
On Hon. Mr. HEWETT promising to consider the matter before the Comm ssion, Mr. Ham phreys withdrew his motion.
MORTALITY STATISTICS,
The mortality statistics for the whole Colony vivil population for the week ended July 14 show the death rate per 1,000 to have been 21,00, The death rate for the Bitish and foreign civil population was 19.9 for the same period
The Kanegafuohi Spinning Company has decided to construct a gassed yarn spinning mill at an estimated cost of Y1,2500 0; a twisted yarn mill at a cost of Y1,137,00; another for coarse yarn at a cost-of Y1,53 1,000; and a mill in China at a cost of Y1,250,000. Looms will be installed at a cost of Y30-1,000. The foregoing was approved by a general meeting of the company last month.
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