The San Francisco call. [volume] (San Francisco [Calif.]) 1895-1913, 1901-11-23
Senator Bulla
Speaks for
South.

authorities than all the rest of the city COM
bined. Violations of sanitary laws ana lnoe-
cencies of many descriptions are no sooner
suppressed abated than they are almost IN.
variably repeated The Chinese. exclusive OF
the official and mercantile classes, appear TO
revel in dirt and wallow in fifth IN prefer
ence to becoming and remaining clean. even
when the cleanliness is provided and paid
for by the landlord, the city or the State.
During the past five years the holders Of
real estate in San Franchises Chinatown have
been compelled to spend many thousands of
dollars for sanitary plumbing to replace that
of antique and inefficient character which has
been condemned to the health officials It
daily watch is maintained some of the oc-
cTpapts Of the SesI premises Thee tSs
dsapproval of such innovation by willfully
breaking and damaging the same
Property owners in Chinatown, who would
otherwise be perfectly willing to follow the di-
lections of the Board of Health. have often
complained against being forced to put forth
large expenditures for modern plumbing.
claiming that soon it is installed 1t will
be ruined beyond repair.
In the Chinese quarter of San Francisco open
sewers have been found running through
underground living apartments. After these
have been closed by the authorities they have
been repeatedly reopened by the persons living
in the premises. who seem to regard an open
sewer as a convenience instead of a nuisance
In the subterranean strata there places
where tunnels have been dug leading from in
habited Easements beneath the street as far
the main sewer, which has been opened in
order to afford ready access, for what par
ticular purpose the Chinese alone can say
On one tour of inspection tiers of hunks occu-
pied by sleeping Chinese were found In a
tunnel just the verge of an open sewer
The utter contempt for the simplest princi-
pies of sanitation has resulted in the deliberate
breaking or obstructing of drain pipes which
unless discovered by inspectors have been
permitted to discharge their output into cell
lars and other excavations. where it saturates
the soil and continually gives forth offensive
exhalations.
Opium smoking, purely Oriental vice
has received so much attention in the past
that little reference is necessary, except 1t be
to point with disgust and chagrin to the read
mess with which the habit has been adopted
by a considerable number of whites who after
find in the crowded and unhealthy purlieus of
Chinatown haven of uncleanliness admirably
adapted to their debased instincts
Police vigilance has minimized to a great
served as a notorious distributing center for
venereal diseases and 1t Is not long since the
district was cleared Of many white girls who
piled this calling among the Chinese exclu-
sivey.
AS result of poorly ventilated and over
crowded apartments. the utter disregard of
ordinary principles of cleanliness and the uni
versal infatuation for dirt, disease is active
In the fiscal year ending June 30 1899 54s
deaths occurred among the Chinese Estfmat-
ing the population at 5000 this number gives
a death rate of 30.4 per thousand; the city s
death rate was 1912 per thousand In the
following year 562 deaths were credited to the
Chinese or 81 20 per thousand; the city's death
rate was 1871 per thousand. During the las
per thousand while the city's rate was 10 az
per thousand These figures show the death
rate among these people to be vastly in ex-
cess of the general death rate in the CITY of
San Francisco The diminuton during the la
fiscal year is due without question to the fact
that many sick Chinese left the city during
the quarantine excitement and their deaths
took place at different points of the interior