ENG-1947 — Page 106

Sewage.

Most of the human wastes in Hong Kong and Kowloon are still dealt with by a pan-conservancy system, whereby the pan contents are deposited in sewage barges along the bunds. A proportion of this is taken by barge to the New Territories, and rendered relatively innocuous in maturing tanks before being distributed to farmers as fertiliser. The greater part is dumped at sea, pending the construction of additional batteries of tanks in the New Territories.

Water.

The water supply gave no cause for anxiety during the period under review, the season being an unusually wet one. The Water Authority succeeded in delivering sufficient water of an excellent chemical and biological purity, although in the latter part of the year some difficulty was caused by a shortage of Chlorine Gas and resort was had to the use of Chloride of Lime. The unusually heavy falls of rain in the summer relieved the Water Authority of the necessity to apply water restrictions during the autumn and a full supply continued until the end of the year.

Food.

Rice continued throughout the year to be very scarce, but with a slightly higher allocation from the International Emer- gency Food Council and better deliveries from the producing areas, stocks never reached the dangerously low levels at which they remained for a considerable part of 1946, never falling below a six weeks' supply at current ration levels. Neverthe- less, it was not possible to increase the ration of 5-1/3 ounces per day (compared with a normal consumption of 13 to 14 ounces) until May, when it was increased to about 6-1/3 ounces; it was further increased in August to 7 ounces. Rations are issued to only 63% of the population (largely those with pre-war residential qualifications), the remainder subsisting on local rice and substitute foods.

The increase in rice supplies has, however, been associated with a reduction in quality and very considerable increases in price, to which there appears to be no end. Relying as it does on imports from territories specified by an international control, Hong Kong is in a very weak position vis-a-vis supplying territories and must under present conditions pay what is demanded. The retail price at the beginning of 1946 was 25 cents per catty (2.8d. per lb) against 7 cents in 1937; this figure was raised to 30 cents (3.4d. per lb.) in January and again to 44 cents (5d. per lb.) in March. The receipt of a larger alloca- tion from the cheaper sources permitted a reduction in August to 40 cents per catty (41d. per lb.), but in October the receipt of very expensive Egyptian rice of low quality necessitated a revision to 48 cents (5.4d. per lb.) At the same time the price of free market rice fell from about $1 per catty (114d. per lb.) to just over the rationed price.

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