1888 Hong Kong sanitary board election

J. J. Francis The 1888 Hong Kong Sanitary Board election was held on 11 June 1888 for the two unofficial seats in the Sanitary Board of Hong Kong.

Sanitary Board was set up in 1883 to supervise and control the practical sanitation of the colony. As its work involved interference with the private affairs of residents it was unpopular with property owners and with the Chinese generally. It could however only make proposals. Their implementation was a matter for the Government.

Originally it consisted solely of official members but subsequently provision was made for nominated unofficial members, and two members elected by ratepayers on the special and common jury lists. Of the 669 persons on the jury lists for the year, 213 voted, with 187 valid ballots and 23 spoiled ballots.

It was the first ever election held in the history of Hong Kong. The elections continued as the Sanitary Board transformed into the Urban Council in 1936 and marked the beginning of the Hong Kong constitutional reform in the post-war period. The Daily Press hailed the occasion saying the day would be ranked as a day of note by the future historians of Hong Kong; for the first time the ratepayers of the Colony had been given a voice in the management of their own affairs.

One of the candidates J. J. Francis was a leading member of the Hong Kong Association founded in 1893 for improving and popularising the Government.