34. The Mercantile Marine was numbered by the two Boarding Officers.
35, Occupants of Government Buildings were numbered by the Department concerned.
471
36. The total number of Police Officers employed on the work was 88, 34 being European and 44 Chinese. In addition there were 51 boatmen, engineers and stokers, who received a small gratuity for extra duty.
37. The number of persons in Victoria numbered by the Police was 6,296 Europeans, &c., and 15,616 Chinese. For this work two Sergeants, one Acting Sergeant, eight European Constables, one Sergeant Interpreter and nine Chinese Constables were detailed. The average number of persons dealt with by each European officer was 572 Europeans, &c., and 1,420 Chinese. The Chinese officers accompanied the Europeans and did not work separately. In the Central District the distribution of the papers occupied six days and the collection eight. The work, to be accurate, ought to be done quicker, and I think that at the next census it will be advisable to engage six additional Europeans. There ought to be no difficulty in obtaining suitable Portuguese, and one or two English-speaking Indians would be very useful.
38. Of the seventy-six Chinese enumerators acting immediately under the Registrar General thirteen were District Watchmen. The rest were volunteers. They were paid $4.00 for the work, but it is quite certain that very few, if any, would be willing to do the work again for the same sum. They found it much harder than they had expected. On the occasion of another census it will be necessary to raise the pay to at least $7.00 and to reduce the size of the sections. The average number of inhabitants to each section was 1879. It should not be more than 1,250, and no section should have more than 1,600 inhabitants. It is very important also that the enumerators should be of a good class. The work demands a great deal of good temper, patience and tact, as the lower classes, and especially the women, frequently do not understand what is required of them, and long explanations are necessary. The enumerators were all well educated and intelligent and did their work carefully, and I hope it will be possible on another occasion to obtain the services of men of similar position. As the New Year holiday had commenced, a number of teachers of the Grant-in-aid Schools were able to act as enumerators, but in term-time their assistance cannot be expected. In the Chinese part of Victoria the taking of the census was best done and first completed in the Wanchai and Hawan Districts which were under the supervision of the Chief Watchman of the Districts, TANG KUN-TSÉ, who performed his duties with intelligence and in the most satisfactory manner. The first section to be completed was one in Wanchai numbered by D.W. 15 Ló Tsor who handed in his returns on the afternoon of the 23rd January, and the second, one in Chungwan num- bered by YUNG KWONG-IP, one of the volunteers. All through, I was pleased to see an honourable spirit of emulation among the Chinese employed as enumerators and as clerks.
39. The arrangements made by the police officers in charge of the census in the Western and Eastern Districts of Victoria, and in the out-districts were good, and I was able to judge from an inspection of the schedules and of the enumerators' books and from the returns furnished that the work had been done with care and metliod. There were enough men for the work except in the Kowloon peninsula. This district was divided into seven sections, cach section being entrusted to a European police officer who was assisted by one or more Chinese. It took five days to distribute and five days to collect the schedules. There was only one European officer and one Chinese for the whole of Hunghom, and one European and two Chinese for that part of Yaumati south of the pumping station. At least seven more Chinese ought to have been employed.
40. The floating population was numbered by the Water Police. The work was commenced on the night of the 20th with six boats. On the 21st two boats were employed all the day and one, half the day, and three boats were employed all day on the 22nd, 23rd and 24th. More than half the work was completed by the morning of the 21st, but when once the boats had begun to move there was naturally more difficulty in discovering those which had not been numbered. To ensure accuracy, the work ought to be completed in one day, and steps taken to intercept boats leaving and entering the harbour. I do not think that there will be any difficulty in obtaining extra men other than the police to act as enumerators.
41. The rate of pay of those.employed in taking the census was as follows:-
Inspectors of Police,
Sergeants,
European Constables,
Sergeant interpreters and Chief Watchmen,
Chinese Constables, District Watchmen and other Chinese enumcrators,................ Boatmen, &c.,
.$20.00
10.00
7.00
5.50
4.00
1.00
In judging of the rate of pay for the enumerators it must be remembered that the lower classes are quite unable to fill up the census schedules themselves and that this has to be done for thein by the enumerators who have also to re-write a great many schedules which have been incorrectly filled up. I must not omit to mention that the schedules served on the houses in Sokompó Valley were kindly filled up for the villagers by the schoolmaster there and that in the Aberdeen District the schoolmasters gave similar help.