172
THE GOVERNMENT AND THE SANITARY BOARD.
THE HONGKONG WEEKLY PRESS AND
[March 16, 1908.
carry on the work in the chief's absence on It is greatly to be regretted that the Bill furlough or through sickness. The Govern- | is being brought before the Chamber at a ment may without serious inconvenience time when it is temporarily deprived of the pitchfork cade's from some departments | presence of the Hon. Mr. HEWETT, who, as into others, but it seems to us that a Chairman of the now defunct Commission, special training is requisite for any officer is of course thoroughly familiar with all the who fills the position of head of the details and arguments supporting the recom- Sanitary Department either temporarily ; mendations of the Commission, and would or permanently. For the proposed heal be able profitably to discuss the many of the Sanitary Department would have to interesting points in the excellent speech be a man of experience in the work and a which His Excellency made in introducing man who would command publie confi lence. the Bill. Every credit must be given to Oo the question as to whether the Sir FREDerick LugaRD for the careful con- head of the Department should he re auleration he has obviously given to the sponsible to the Sanitary Board or the Report of the Commission, and whoever has Government, His Excellency is unable to rond the speech will be ready to congratulate see how an officer appointed by the Crown the Governor upon the lucility and the and paid by the Crown can be responsible ability with which he has presented the to any other but the Government. For Government's views upon the whole our part we can sec 110 real difficulty. subject; but it will be generally regrettel Officers holding appointments under many
that His Excellency has not been led to see Tes in England аго the advantage and the necessity for granting to the cominunity a fuller measure of c introl of the administrative details of the work of the Department.
PEKING
OFFICIALS.
(Daily Press, March 9th.)
(Daily Press, 7th March.) The full extent of the Government's appreciation of the recommendations of the Sanitary Commission are now dis- closed in the Bill which was laid before the Legislative Council on Thursday to amend the Public Health and Buildings Ordinance 1903. The Commissioners have Feen courteously thanked by Sir MATTHEW NATHAN, by the SECRETARY OF STATE, and by H. E. Sir FREDERICK LUGARD for the ability and public spirit they have shown in undertaking a long and exhaustive investigation into the Sanitary Administration of the Colony; but the principal recommendations the Commission has made with a view to correcting the abusos and remedying the inefficiency dis- closed by the evidence, have been politely of the oral condemned by the Government as impractic-practically in the same position as the able. The outcome of the Commission then Commission wished the officers of the has been executive action on many matters Sanitary Board to occupy. Before the of detail including the correction of the era of County Councils, loeil administra- abuse of bribery and corruption, and the tive authorities in England only selected Government have produced a Bill embody their officers, the real power of appointment ing some of the subordinate recommen-la- and dismissal rested with the Local Govern, tions of the Commission, and propose to ment Board, who regulated the rate oft That some occult influence has been at deal partly by executive and partly by remuneration, length of service, and the wk in Peking to render uugatory the legislative action with the question of the amount of pension. But not to lok so far | efforts of those who are seeking to restore constitution and organisation of the as England, what can be done in the sister China to her place and influence amongst Sanitary Department which, the Com- Colony of Singapore, ought not theth nations is becoming from day to day missioners concluded, lay at the root of impossible here. The arguments His Ex. more evident. The powers of reaction have the whole trouble. The Government's cellency urged against this ree-mmendation won a noteworthy victory in the provinces proposals however are diametrically opposed of the Commission are of no greater force ¦ of Chohkiing and Kiangsu, with the result to the recommendations of the Commission, in Hongkong than they are in Singapore, that these two provinces, formerly I oked since they curtail rather than extend the and in the southern colong the whole of the upon as the best ordered in the Empire, principle of popular control.
sanitary work is in the hands of a mumei. | hive for the list two years attained an pality with a self-contained and competent unenviable reputation for disorder and staff.
violence. In the north this condition is We were somewhat astonishel to note | always associated with the former Tastai for the first time in His Exe-llency's speech | YuAs of Shanghai, who wis so unpleasantly the statement that the Commission hal connected with the plot to destroy the suggested for the Sanitary
Board un-
Foreign Settlements, and who, instead of restricted power to spend the entire sum being puished as a traitor, has in the face voted for the sanitation of the Coleny. So of his crimes, not only against the foreigner, far as we are able to discover on glancing but in direct contumacy to the Govern- again over the recommendations, His ment at Peking, actually been promoted to Excellency would appear to have rather substantive office, and appointed to the exaggerate-l the suggestion, which was that important pest of Senior Vice president of the Board should be accountable to His the Bard of Civil Administration, a pist Excellency for the expenditure of the which gives him opportunities of perdysing Funds voted by the Legislative Council," on their way to the provinces the orders The Council does not blin ly vote a lump of the central Government itself. Common sum, but, as His Excellerey remarked, it is report has it that on one of easton, divided under various heals which are, many months ago, the old Viceroy Chang authorised and allocated by the Legislative Cum-regg was bold enough in the pre- | Council. We do not gather from the report sence of the Empress Dowager to mention
of the Commission thit any departure from
the existence of the eunuchs about the this practice was
advocated or that the Palace. Such a thing, especially in the power which is now exercised by the Coun¦ presence of the Dowager Taze Hi, of course it should be taken away and conferred on partook almost of high trong, and an the Sanitary Board. We take it that what instantaneous glance from Her Majesty, the Commission suggested was simply that prevent the sentence being en eluded. ! the Board as a whole s'all love the Tiere is, however, some reaso for the control which under present con lit ang posts
belief that the rapid promotion of YUAN with the President.
Tautai, is not altogether uncongeeted with this little episode, and that Yuan, whoso proklection for suspicious allianos is no- torious, 1* ut the in ment posing at the Court as their mouthpiec We have al- rely on
thore than ona oceuiou had occasion to allude to his suspicious con- nection with the Silt Smugglers of the w Bay who (as is well known), langeh under powerful official patronage have acti liy become a competitor with the Peking Government itself in the adminis- tration of the two provinces; and since YUax's promotion it i notorious not only that their depredations nave increased, but that they have been carried on with in- creasing immunity. Meanwhile the local ; officials are paralysed by contrary orders,
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His EXCELLENCY THE GOVERNOR in the long and interesting explanation he gave to the Legislative Council on Thursday stated the reasons of the Government's dissent from the larger principles enunciated by the Sanitary Commission, and some of these we propose to examine. The Government has recognised the force of the argument that the multitudinous duties attaching to the office of Principal Civil Medical Officer make it humanly impossible for that gentleman to give that constant and close supervision to the Sanitary Board which its proper working demands; and the Bill proposes to relieve this officer not only of the position of administrative head of the Sanitary Board, but of membership of that body, and in his place it is proposed to appoint as head of the department "a cadet officer with experience of the Chinese, in the Chinese language and of proved administrative capacity
a working head who shall devote his whole time and shall be vested with adequate powers and responsibility and whose career shall depend upon the efficiency of the department, and who, Ike his subordinates, shall be responsible to the Government." This looks an excellent scheme on paper, like the proposal inade in 1902 for the appointment of a Si His Excellency is convinced by t'e ago. tary Commissioner, but in actual practice, ments of the Commission t`at the d y sion though the proposed new head of the of contrul now exercised - ver the engy eer- Department is shorn of the despotic powersing work is bad, but instead of ad, ting with which it was intended to invest the Sani-the suggestion of the Commissum that the tary Commissioner, it yet seems to us that Sanitary Deputient should love a coins the appointment is open to much the same petent and self-en tained staff, the Goveṛu. objections. If the ideal man is obtained
mut proposes to curtail what little autho "the system may be the most convenient i rity the Sanitary Band possess s by trans- as otherwise it is certainly the worst" ferring to the Public Works Departinent Apart from the perils of such an appoint the officers whose work is Ingre LIT ment indicated in this extract, the factor of connected with Int of the Building expense is to be borne in mind. A cadet officer qualified to fill this position will, presumably, be a well-paid man, and it would appear desirable, if not absolutely
ecessary, tha he should have
deputy in training who would be qualified to
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Authority. This is rather an aruazing suggestion for the measters of the C-m- mission and the community tens der, for the community 19 very much e ucerted in the deprivation of power of control which this proposal involves.
not
The tial orders instruct them to ex.
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