For 12 Years Medical Officer at Weihaiwei: Things that the Territory Needs Among the passengers who left on Tuesday for Home was Dr. W. A.- Aluat, who 1s retiring from Government service after 18 years' sidence at. Wefhaiwei as senior medical officer. Dr. Muat, who is a@ native of Gourock, has'had a long acquaintance with - China, first visiting the country in 1895, when he was ship's doctor on the P. & O. str. Mirzapore. After two years' service with that company, Dr, Siuat went to Northern Nigeria, where he remained for eight years in the service of the Government, and in 1905 he came "out to Weihaiwei.
The history of the little colony during these years has been uneventful but progress sive, and Dr. Muat has had a good share in the work of developing Weihaiwei on the modest scale it has achieved. As a business centre it has no great record, but as a health resort Dr. Muat thinks it an ideal place and anticipates great possibilities im this direction, providing—enterprise can be based on the necessary seouxity of tenure.
In conversation om Monday with a representative of the North China Daily New," Dr. Muat suggested three lines of development. First, the water supply needs improvement. The present supply of pure water is inadequate, and ab least half-a-dozen artesian wells are needed, and could be provided at a cost of not more than £4,000. There is needed also a small hospital for Europeans, present accommodation being very meagre. All that is wanted is a small building with eight or 10 beds, and one European nurse with two dr three Chinese assistants. In other respects. Weihai-~ wei is admirably equipped by nature for its principal use to the community, viz., a holiday resort. One of the terms of the rendition agreement was that the Chinese Government must retain the services of a British resident medical officer for 15 years, sO that in respect of the sanitary service which Dr. Muat has so well establishi¢d, the little colony should continue to be well served. Such developments as are possible must depend, says Dr. Muat, entirely upon the Chinese. If they can guarantee security of tenure and conditions of good government, then there is no reason at all why Weihaiwei should not make great progress as the first health resort in China.
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.