8. BURGLARY AND LARCENY IN DWELLING HOUSE.
133
The increase under this heading, is principally in the latter of the two crimes. Carelessness in not keeping money and jewellery properly secured, has had much to do with the increase.
9. FELONIES NOT ALREADY GIVEN,
The principal crimes included under this heading and not already referred to were :
Manslaughter,
Arson and attempted arson,
Drugging,
Forgery,
Embezzlement,
House breaking,
Perjury,
Rape,
Shooting and wounding,
Suicide,
10. GAMBLING.
8
6
4
8
13
20
1
2
1
There is a decrease under this heading, and I am able to report that there is very little public gambling carried on in the Colony at the present time.
11. DRUNKENNESS.
Has not increased. There is nothing else in the returns calling for particular remark.
12. PROSTITUTION.
The full effect of the abolition of the registration of brothels, is now beginning to be felt. Ordinance No. 6 of 1894, which repealed the Sections of Ordinance 11 of 1890 providing for the registration and regulation of brothels, came into force in September of the former year.
In December 1893 there were registered in the Colony 134 brothels for Chinese with 1,592 pros- titutes, and 49 brothels for non-Chinese with 262 prostitutes, giving a total of 183 registered brothels and 1,854 registered prostitutes in them.
,,
It is estimated that there existed at the same time 30 sly brothels, with 100 prostitutes living in or frequenting them; giving a total of 213 registered and sly brothels and 1,954 prostitutes. Although registration has ceased, brothels in the Colony are still distinguished as
"open (i.e. public) and "sly." The open brothels are conducted as openly as the former registered brothels were. The sly brothels are not so openly conducted but more openly than the old sly brothels.
With the cessation of registration an immense number of sly brothels sprang up, while a large increase took place in the number of open brothels. There are to-day 70 so-called open brothels for non-Chinese with 380 prostitutes, 237 open brothels for Chinese with 2,023 prostitutes; and 215 sly brothels for Chinese with 675 prostitutes, or a total of 522 brothels and 3,078 prostitutes.
Brothels are of course not now restricted to certain parts of the town, as they were under the registration system.
Many complaints have reached me from the Chinese Community of the way in which brothels are now opened indiscriminately all over Victoria. At the same time only 2 prosecutions have been instituted under Section 4 of Ordinance 6 of 1894, since that Ordinance came into-force.
Chinese will suffer almost any inconvenience and annoyance rather than appear in a Court of law, and it is futile to hope that the Chinese Community will ever make any serious effort to stop by recourse to law, the nuisance caused by the opening of brothels in respectable quarters of the town.
There are other and even more undesirable features of the uncontrolled state of prostitution in the Colony, which I have dealt with in a separate report.
13. STOLEN PROPERTY Recovered.
The value of property reported stolen during the year was $53,499.59. The value of that recovered by Police and restored to owners was only $3,468.
14. LOST PROPERTY.
The following is a return of the property reported as lost and recovered by Police during the year :---
ARTICLES Lost.
VALUE LOST.
ARTICLES FOUND.
VALUE FOUND.
ARTICLES CLAIMED.
135
$ 3,414.30
C.
$
C.
116
456.57
24