THE COURTS, POLICE, PRISONS AND RECORDS
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which compares with 2,332 such cases in 1958. This large number of post-registrations is due to the fact that before the war parents, especially in the New Territories where there were no local regis- tration facilities until 1932, frequently neglected to register the births of their children. There was also no registration of births in Hong Kong during the Japanese occupation. Nowadays the possession of a birth certificate is essential for many purposes, and there has therefore been for many years a constant flow of applications for post-registration. A special mobile team was formed in February 1959 to deal with such applications in the New Territories, and so great has been the number received that two additional teams have been authorized for 1960.
125,395 birth certificates were issued as against 127,305 in 1958.
The number of deaths registered declined slightly to 20,250, 304 less than in 1958.
Adoptions. An Adopted Children Register is maintained at the General Register Office under the Adoption Ordinance, 1956. In 1959 ninety seven adoptions were registered, bringing up to 212 the total number of adoptions registered since the first entry was made on 22nd July 1957.
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