The bases put forward for the grading of ports of the Far East are as follows:
A first-class port shall possess: laboratory. fore Di qualifications except 2 and 4.
2 third-class port is one nog included among the above, There is some indication that the countries representing the Far Epidemiological Intelligence Bureau singapore and preliminary steps are now being taken with that end view. The inauguration of suen 'a bureau will have to precede the Convention which cannot fun in the absence of the Bureau Ports Affected for presenting this Paper is to draw attention to significance and effects which the recommendations of the League might have on our China ports when the grading of Far Eastern ports was "finally. accepted. The reason [why this "important subject has Heained no publ even inthe Treaty Ports of this country ly duc! probably to the despatches ofthe League of Nations having been Pigeon-holed somewhere in one of the Ministries in Peking owing to the dsocganization in the Central jovernment created by' repeated political upheavals and disturbances, In reviewing our port sanitary conditions from the points of view of meeting the minimum require: ments called for" by the League and the prevention of the intro: duction of disease into the, country, it will at once be alized that country health coping ration has, since the introduction of quarantine laws in China, been conducted by the Chinese Maritime Customs in the interests, not of improving the sanitary conditions of the ports, but of facilitating the free move: ments of shipping. For the sake of false economy or other wi most of the health officers appoint ed to treaty ports have been busy local practitioners who, on account of their various callings, cannot reasonably be expected to gi full "attention to port sanitation. As a result of this our Quarantine Service has, on the whole, been very backward and the formation ax. to extremely scanty.
hardly necessary to state that under existing condit minimum standard required by the Proposed convention.
Let us-consider for the present only Hongkong and Shanghai, two of our biggest ports, to see when ther either of them an, be ranked cedure by having the port taken as a first class port in' the grad-to be in a healthier condition than ing of the League. Hongkong, it really is. With the -proposed being a British Colony and under grading of Far Eastern ports this one administration can, without very, State of affairs will not likely be much difficulty, introduce the necessary improvements to make it a first-class port. It is, therefore, unnecessary to go into' any detail here. In the case of Shanghai it is a different proposition. It. presents a problem more difficult of solution on account of its various political and administrative units, Shanghai as a Third-Class Port s0 readily glossed over, in which ease Shanghai would be rated. as a third-class port. This would be most detrimental to the interests of the port in that stricter quarantine inspection would be adopted against steamers from Shanghai at other ports of call. Quarantine, of course, menns delays and. ¢on-monetary loss to shipping In order to appreciate the complex nature of the quarantine problem in Shanghai, it-is necessary to recall the fact, often overlooked even by those living within the Settlements, that the city is made inet and independent units, namely; the International Settlement, the French Settlement, and the Chinese City. Each of these units play an equally significant part as far as the health of the port is, concerned.
The International Settlement has an efficient Public Health Department conducted along the best with a Inboratory staff of well-trained men, In the French Settlement there is a sanitary ser~ joe run in accordance with French while in the Chinese city hardly any organized attempt at health administration. The port health authority is vested in the Commissioner of Customs who is assisted by a Port Health Officer stationed at Woosung. The Latter in turn is entire: y dependent upon the health organizations of the city for his information as. the prevalence of infectious dis-
International Sanitary Survey imperative, therefore, to have Shanghai, the' fourth biggest port in the world, classified first-class port. It seems desirable that serious attention be given to the best means of securing operation of all parties concerned for mutual protection and public health. One of the greatest draw backs in this respect is the paucity. of information on the actual health conditions of all those ar within the geographical limit of the city, and this luck of authentic information can only be supplied by a comprehensive international survey.
In England sanitary surveys were made about the middle of the 19th century, and the reports published Inid the foundation for the great sanitary awakening which soon followed. It is expected that the sanitary survey suggested for Shanghai will result ina unified action being taken for improving its health condition, Long. residene in China has made most foreigners sceptical of everything but in this case when the vital interests of all
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.