Hongkong, 19th April, 1902.
No more rain has fallen and the water supply is daily diminishing. Plague fortunately is still only sporadic and very few cases have so far been reported. The sanitary authorities are adopting drastic measures to keep it down.
The sanitary experts, Dr. Simpson and Mr. Chadwick, have sent in their reports, and both agree that it is not to the drains that the outbreaks of plague are due. They do not say that the drains are innocent of causing typhoid and diphtheria, but they are confident that impure air and overcrowding has more to do with disease. Mr. Chadwick, as was to be expected, strongly supports the system of drainage, which he admits is his own, but says it requires certain improvements, which he details. Of course Mr. Chadwick is an expert and knows what he is talking about, but I think he quite forgets to take the Chinaman into account. Covered drains may be all very well for European populations but the Chinaman is a different creature. He promptly stuffs up all the drains with rubbish, and if they get choked he attempts to ram the garbage down and burst the pipes. Open drains are, persist, the only proper drains for Chinese. They cannot be choked, and no deadly gases can form to poison the inmates of houses.
Farewells are still the order of the day. They have not yet been all spoken, and. ye are beinning to he a little tired of saying them. Just now it is the Colonial Secretary who is being made the recipient of addresses. Yesterday he was made the ree'pient of one from the College of Medicine for Chinese, and this morning at the City Hall an address was presented to him by the Chinese community, Dr. Ho Kai being spokesman. An address has also been prepared by the members of Council and the members of the Civ Service, which will probably be presented carly next week.
The Celebration of the Coronation. by the Acting Governor held. their first The Coronation Committee appointed
nieeting in the Council Chamber on the 17th inst., when it resolved to celebrate the Coronation of His Majesty King Edward VII in a suitable maimer in the colong and as a preliminary to invite subscriptions for the purpose. A working Committee to discuss plans was appointed and Mr. J. R. M. Smth and Mr. E. A. Hewett were appointed Hon. Treasurer and Hon. Secretary respectively. His Excellency the Acting Governor addressed a few words of thanks to the Committee and expressed his desire to afford them every. possible facility in his power to enable them to draw up a programme worthy of the auspicious occasion. Mr. Lockhart, who though he will not be present on the occasion, expressed great interest in the matter, suggested the acquit sition of a recrea yund at Kowloon to be called The King's Park.
New Attorney General in Hongkong.
A telegram has been _reccived by Gen. Sir W. Gascoigne, the Officer administering Govern. ment, ta the effect Spencer Berkeley, Kut. Bach., Chief Justice of Fiji, has been appointed Attorney General of Hongkong, and is expected to arrive here in June next. This is rather an unusual appointment, but Sir Henry Berkeley no doubt had good reasons for applying for this position. Hongkong Volunteers for the Coronation.
Forty-three members of the Hongkong Volunteers under the command of Major Chapman are going home to represent Hongkong at the Coronation of the King in June. The list appears to be well chosen, and, as it should, includes a, considerable number of "native born" in the ranks.
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.