390
CERTIFICATES OF IDENTITY TO CHINESE ENTERING UNITED STATES OF AMERICA, &C. Owing to the increased stringency of the regulations governing the admission of Chinese into the United States, fewer certificates of identity have been issued than last year.
Many frauds are still attempted but meet with less success than formerly, owing to the strictness of the examination in this Office. The bond for $500, which applicants were originally require to provide, was temporarily dispensed with from August to the end of the year, and has now been sus- pended indefinitely. As pointed out by the Acting Registrar General, in his report for 1898, the bond was of no practical use, and its abolition saves a great deal of work which experience has shown to be unnecessary.
There were some doubts as to whether the abolition of the bond would not result in a large increase in the number of undesirable applicants, but these fears have not been realised. 333 certifi- cates were issued during the year as against 506 in 1898, and 705 in 1897.
21 certificates have been issued to Chinese proceeding to Manila and Honolulu. Of this number 5 were for Manila, and the remainder for Honolulu.
POPULATION.
The following is the estimate of the population of the Colony on the 30th June, 1899:-
British and Foreign Community.
15,822
Chinese.
243,490
MARRIAGES.
Total.
259,312
(Ordinance No. 14 of 1875.)
The number of Marriages solemnized during the year was 116 as compared with 86 in 1898.
BIRTHS AND DEATHS.
(Ordinance No. 16 of 1896.)
Table IV A gives the number of Births aud Deaths registered during the year.
The death-rates at various ages and the causes of death will be found in Tables IV B. and IV C, The Births among the British and Foreign Community numbered 280 as compared with 243 in. 1898; of this number 149 were males and 131 females.
The Births registered as having occurred in the Chinese Community were 684 as against 963 in 1898, and 1,125 in 1897.
There were 17 prosecutions under the Ordinance in 1899, under the following healings
Unlawful removal of dead bodies,.......... Birth, failing to report,
15 cases.
2 J
The number of Deaths in the British and Foreign Community was 241 as compared with 291 in 1898. Of these 21 died from Plague. The number of deaths among the Chinese was 5,940 as com- pared with 5,383 in 1898. 1,413 died from Plague. 222 of the deaths among the British and Foreign Community and 1,919 among the Chinese were certified to by a registered Medical Practitioner or were the subject of a Coroner's Enquiry. The following table shows the number of deaths and the death-rate per 1,000 during the last eight years :--
1893
1894
Estimated Population.
1895
1896
1897
1893
1899
1892 British and Foreign,.. 10,590 10,686 10,782 10,828 12,709 13,700 15,190 15,822 Chinese,
.221,072 228,038 235,224 237,670 226,710 235,010 239,210 243,490 .231,662 238,724 246,006 248,498 239,419 248,710 254,400 259,312
Total,..........
4,906
5,442
Deaths.
7,407 5,400 5,860
Death-rate per 1,000.
4,688 5,674 6,181
British and Foreign,.. 17.37
17.97
Chinese,
21.30
22.93
Total,......
21.18
22.71
30.11
23.28 17.64
30.42 21.92
21.73
19.91
14.89
19.15
15.2. 24.75 19.08 22.50 24.4 24.48 18.85 22.30 23.84
547 Removal Certificates were granted by the Police for the removal of dead bodies from the Colony.