The Hawaiian gazette. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu, Hawaii]) 1865-1918, 1899-12-29
HEAL THY CITY.
How Singapore is Kept
From Plague,
House and Water Regulations that
Preserve People Of an EQuatori-
al Port from Epidemcs,

al Port from Epidemics,
Editor Advertiser: At time when
the subject Of sanitation Is prominent
ly before the people Of Honolulu. Il
may be Of general interest to hear how
troubles OF the kind We have just eX-
pcrienced are dealt with elsewhere
The city Of Singapore is situated at
the equator. Its mean annual tempera-
ture is about 50 degrees Fahrenheit;
! the trade-winds, that are so pleasant
and wholesome feature of our Ha-
waiian climate. are light and infre-
quent, while the relative humidity of
the atmosphere is very great. The site
of the city is, for the most part, an
alluvial plain, intersected by tidal
creeks and marshes, and diversified by
dykes of granite and laterite.
The population OF Singapore is Tor
was, when | resided there, some few
years since) made up of about 100000
Asiatics and 5000 Europeans. or the
Asiatics the Chinese constitute the
major part then follow the Indians,
Malays, japanese and others. The 900
whites include the British garrison of
some $500 men.
The commercial interests of Singa
pore are vastly greater than those o
Hawaii. The docks, aggregating over
three miles in length, are thronged
with shipping. Communication with
Asia, Eurore and Australia is con-
slant. Fleets Of junks ply between Sin
gapore and all the southern Chinese
ports. The volume of Asiatic travel
| is great and unrestricted, save by
health regulations.
Cholera, plague. typhoid and small
poX are constantly present in the city
yet an epidemic of any of these diseases
has not occurred for many years. AS
in Honolulu. the Asiatics live in all
parts of the city, while there are quar-
tiers in which no Europeans live.
Singapore is Exempt.
From this brief description it will be
seen that the liability OF SINGAPORE to
of Honolulu. Yet for many years Sin
of the deadly diseases. This immunity
is to be ascribed first. to the excel
lence of the water supply: and. second
w RI tho r--'~~a-t ~o~'-'~ flows regard
ing the erection Of dwellings
The water supply is derived from an
artificial lake some miles out of the
city. This lake receives the drainage
from the rainfall on an area constitut
ing a Government reservation. On
this reservation no one is permitted to
live; and the entire area is enclosed by
a cemented drain. insuring that no
drainage from outside finds its way
into the reservoir. From the imnonnd
ing reservoir the water is convened hv
gravity to the filter beds, which are in
duplicate, assuring an uninterrupted
supply OF filtered water. From the fl
ter-beds the water is pumped to the
distributing reservoir, where 1t Is
thoroughly aerated before passing into
tine city mains
No building can be erected in Sinea-
pore without a permit from the p''Nd-
ings Inspector. This permit, for which
a charge is made, covers two points
suitability of site and conformity of
proposed building to municipal regu-
| lations. No matter what the size. cost
| or kind of dwelling, the ground floor
must be Of concrete, tile or stone, and
made imperyiOps to water THE floor
cannot be elevated above the ground
| but the surface of the ground NAV he
raised to any desired hight. A cement
drain, SO laid as to receive all the
drainage from the house. must be built
to connect with the nearest sewer:
thus it is impossible for the soil to be-
come saturated with filth from the
| drainage.
There are no cesspools. All closets
e furnished with galvanized iron
Gails to receive the DELEGATIONS. Each
'orpinR these pals are removed, to-
| 2 Their with their contents, and re-
paced by clean ones. All the night
soil is used as fertilizer bv the Chinese
planters and gardeners adjacent to the
city. An iucinerating plant disposes OF
the garbage.
Construction of Building.
No wooden buildings are permitted
within the fire limits. No room can
be smaller than certain specified size,
Tenements are divided into apartments
by solid brick walls rising from ground
to roof, and each apartment has but one
outside door, which opens upon the
street. No back doors or secret under
ground passages are possible. The In
mates cannot avoid the police. The
roofs being Of tile, fire could hardly be
communicated from one house to
another. or even from one apartment
OF a tenement to another apartment In
the same building. No matter how
filthy an apartment might be, half an
hours use OF a fire hose and a pail OF
whitewash would suffice to restore II
to perfectly sanitary condition.
Contrast these conditions with the
state OF affairs reported by our emer-
gency inspectors as existing in Homo
lulu's Chinatown! If-as Is deyoutly
to be desired-our Asiatic quarter
should be removed TO another site, We
shall do we'll to take some such pre-
cautions against insanitauon as have
proven so effectual I'm a city so much