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Governor, and vacancies in the Committee to be filled up, subject to the same approval, by members recommended by the permanent Committee; that the Registrar General should be ex officio President and the Chinese member of the Legislative Council for the time being Vice-President; that the permanent Committee should be assisted by another Committee composed of eight persons to be elected annually by the members of the Society; that the Committees should have powers to draw up, subject to the approval of the Government, regulations for carrying on the work of the Society; and that a report on the work of the Society together with a statement of its accounts should be published annually. I feel sure that such a change, while increasing the efficiency of the Society, and preventing its work from being at times conducted by those who are somewhat wanting in experience, would give general satisfaction.
VITAL STATISTICS.
Population.
The decennial Census of Hongkong and its dependencies was taken in May. The result of that Census has been embodied in a special report, which was laid before the Legislative Council on the 17th August, so that it is not now necessary to discuss the figures, which have been dealt with in that report. Reference is made to the Census here merely to point out that the estimated population, on which the birth and death rates for the year have been calculated, is based on the average annual increase in the population which was shown by the last Census to have taken place between the years 1857 and 1891, viz., 3.152 per cent. The estimated population on the 31st December was as follows:---
British and Foreign (including Army and Navy).
Chinese,
10,494
Marriages.
214,320 (Ordinance 14 of 1875.)
Whole.
224.814
Under the marriage law of Hongkong, marriages can only be celebrated in cases where one at least of the parties is a Christian. As a consequence of this Chinese marriages do not come within the law, unless one of the parties is a Christian, and, as the Chinese do not as a rule profess Christianity, marriages among the native community take place without any notice being given or licence being required. The policy of non-interference with native marriage customs and ceremonies is, I think, a Wise one. I see no reason, however, why persons, who are not Christians, but who wish to be married according to the marriage law of the Colony, should be, as at present, debarred from availing them- selves of the law, and I would recommend that the Ordinance be amended so as to meet such cases. As enquiries regarding the marriage law of Hongkong are very frequent, I have had a synopsis of the Ordinance drawn up, copies of which are supplied to enquirers on application. The number of marriages which took place in the year 1891 was 87 as compared with 66 in 1890. These figures may appear low for a population amounting to about 225,000, but it must be remembered that this population is made up of about 214,000 Chinese, who, as I have mentioned, as a rule marry independently of the Ordinance, and that the members of the European and American Resident Civil Population, who avail themselves of it, only number about 4,200.
Births. (Ordinance 7 of 1872.)
In Table V., Return A, will be found a return of the Births for the year 1891.
The total number of births among the British and Foreign community was 205; among the Chinese Community 1,529. Among the former the number of females (113) was in excess of the number of males (92). Among the latter the position of the sexes was reversed, the males numbering
828 and the females 701.
The birth rate was for the British and Foreign community 19.53 per 1,000; for the Chinese community 7.13, and for the whole population 7.71.
This is an abnormally low birth rate when compared with birth rates in other parts of the world. But the conditions of life, especially among the Chinese in Hongkong, are peculiar and are in a great measure accountable for it. Though family life has increased among the Chinese in this Colony, it cannot be said to be in any sense universal. The majority of Chinese residents in Hongkong have their families on the mainland of China, which they visit during the year, the distance between this Colony and their native homes being but trifling. Many women also prefer giving birth to their children in their own country, which they can reach so conveniently. Further, it has never been the custom in Hongkong to register still births, a defect in the system of registration which will be remedied. In the absence of such registration there is no means of estimating the number of still births, but if they bear anything like the proportion to living births which they do in Europe, viz., 33 to 1,000, they must be not a few in number. Finally, there must be a considerable number of births in the Colony, which are not registered, though there is a penalty for non-registration 30 days after the birth and a still heavier one for neglect to register after 60 days. Every attempt is made to