THE HONG KONG GOVERNMENT GAZETTE, SEPTEMBER 2, 1938. 643
Amendment made by the Governor in Council under section 37 of the Protec- tion of Women and Girls Ordinance, 1938, Ordinance No. 5 of 1938, to the Regulations in the Schedule to that Ordinance, dated 19th July, 1938. Amendment made by the Governor in Council under section 2 of the Emer- gency Regulations Ordinance, 1922, Ordinance No. 5 of 1922, to the emergency regulations for the prevention of cholera, dated 19th July, 1938. Proclamation No. 5.-Crown Rents (Apportionment) Ordinance, 1936, Ordin- ance No. 4 of 1936, to come into operation as regards certain lots, areas or districts on 15th July, 1938.
Proclamation No. 6-The Tung Wah Infectious Diseases Hospital at Kennedy
Town appointed a leper settlement.
Administration Reports, 1937-
Part I.-General Administration :
Report of the Secretary for Chinese Affairs.
Report of the Superintendent of Imports and Exports.
Part VII.-Undertakings of Government :---
Report of the General Post Office.
Report on the Kowloon-Canton Railway (British Section).
Sessional Papers, 1938:
No. 8.-Report of the Committee on the Training of Teachers. No. 9.--Colonial Accounts.
I. Despatch of Secretary of State for the Colonies, dated 25th
November, 1937.
II. Note by Financial Secretary, Hong Kong.
Annual Abstract Account for 1936, with report of Director of Colonial Audit.
QUESTION.
4. The Hon. Mr. JOHN JOHNSTONE PATERSON, pursuant to notice, asked the following
question:-
Has the Government any statement to make on the refugee situation?
The Colonial Secretary replied as follows:-
The refugee problem is complicated by the absence of accurate statistics and, in particular, of any means of estimating the extent to which the poorest class of the resident population has been displaced from its homes by a refugee influx of relatively wealthier persons. There is good reason for believing that this has taken place on a large scale.
2. According to the information available, which is derived mainly from railway and steamer figures, though these have been checked against other returns, it is reasonable to suppose that the net increase of the population during the last 12 months coming from outside the Colony is somewhat under 250,000 persous. Inclusive of these, it is estimated that since the 1931 census was taken the population has increased by at least 50 per cent., while the number of tenements has increased by about 8 per cent. over the same period. From these estimates it is possible to gain some idea of the overcrowding which now obtains locally.
3. There have been some 30,000 persons sleeping in the streets during the current summer month. As no summer count has been made previously it is not possible to state the extent to which this is in excess of the