4
586
THE HONGKONG GOVERNMENT GAZETTE, MAY 11, 1906.
LEGISLATIVE COUNCIL.
*
No. 388.
REPORT OF THE REGISTRAR GENERAL, FOR THE YEAR 1905.
To be laid before the Legislative Council by Command of His Excellency the Governor.
1.-Revenue and Expenditure.
(See Tables In to Id.)
The revenue collected during the year amounted to $172,947.89, being an increase of $5864 over the amount collected in 1904. The principal increases are again under the heads-Hawkers, Markets and Market Licences.
The number of Hawkers' Licences increased by 1,014, from 12,768 in 1904 to 13,782 in 1905. From enquiries made in the Central and Eastern Districts of the town I find that vegetables are sold by hawkers cheaper than they are in the Government Markets, and the hawkers are obviously of great service to the poorer classes. They do the same class of business as costermongers in London, and the following extract from an article in the Times on the report of the London Traffic Commission may be of interest :-
"The standing of the costermongers' barrows and stalls in many important thorough- "fares is also pointed to as a serious obstruction; but this class of business is of such service "to the poorer classes that it should not lightly or hastily be suppressed. The Advisory "Board think that other sites could be selected, very much as is done in the little market- "places of many English country towns and usually on the Continent, and the barrows and "stalls banished from the main streets.
97
The increase of $3,914 in the revenue from the lease of Market premises is again distri- buted fairly evenly between the markets in Victoria with the exception of the Des Vœux In the villages, an increase in the Road Market, and is a natural and unavoidable increase. rentals in the Hunghom Market is evidence of the growth of population in the neighbour- hood. The rents of the other markets show no material change. Licences for the sale of food outside the market are issued by the Sanitary Board and account for an increase of $520.
The laundries at Wanchai which are let by the same Department produce an increased revenue of $425. In March the rents were raised from $10 a house to $15. There is a further decrease of $825 under the head of Certificates to Chinese entering Manila and the The revenue U. S. A. The issue of these certificates has been suspended for some time. from Marriages--an uncertain item-has again fallen."
The total expenditure during the year was $31,761.32, compared with $31,339.71 in 1904. The actual expenditure fell short of the estimate by $4,417.68, of which, $3,800 comes under the head of Exchange Compensation,
2.-Protection of Women and Girls.
(See Tables II a to 11f.)
(i.)—— Women and Girls Protection Ordinance, No. 4 of 1897.
It is difficult to account for the number of women detained under warrant falling from 424 in 1904 to 262 in 1905. There are no grounds other than the figures given in the report for thinking the trade in women has received a check. in the personnel of the examining officers does not account for it.
On the other hand the change