HONGKONG.
REPORT OF THE REGISTRAR GENERAL FOR 1900.
Laid before the Legislative Council by Command of Its
Excellency the Governor.
347
No. 17
1901
REGISTRAR GENERAL'S OFFICE,
HONGKONG, 1st March, 1901.
SIR,I have the honour to make the following Report on the Work of this Department for the year 1900.
REVENUE AND EXPENDITURE.
The revenue collected during the year amounted to $132,729.63 as against $135,248.65 collected in 1899. The decrease of $4,406.32 is again chiefly due to the falling off of receipts under the heading of "Certificates of Identity issued to Chinese proceeding to the United States of America, &c." The reasons for this decrease are dealt with elsewhere. Arms Licences are now issued by the Police under Ordinance 9 of 1900, which accounts for the decrease of revenue under this head. There have been increases in respect of most of the other items of revenue, the Markets accounting for the largest, viz., $2,454.97.
The expenditure during the year was $12,219.69 as compared with $13,090.15 in 1899.
PO LEUNG KUK INCORPORATION ORDINANCE,
(No. 18 of 1893.)
WOMEN AND GIRLS PROTECTION ORDINANCE.
(No. 9 of 1897 as amen led by No. 14 of 1900.)
The Report of the Po Leung Kuk Society for the year 1900 has been forwarded to you. revenue derived from interest and subscriptions amounted to $6,515.10, while the expenditure was $6,381.74.
The various guilds, which so generously came forward to the assistance of the Society in 1899, continued their support during the year, and the subscriptions amounted to $5,465.10 as compared with $4,006.30 in 1899 and $1,835.95 in 1898, showing an increase in two years of $3,628.05. Owing to the operation of the new Women and Girls Amendment" Ordinance the number of women and girls detained by the Registrar General increased considerably, and the accommodation of the Institu- tion was strained to the utmost.
Fifty-seven girls, of whom 17 were eventually found again, were reported to the Society as missing in Hongkong.
Two hundred and ninety-eight women and girls were detained under Part II of Ordinance 9 of 1897 as compared with 248 in 1899. Table II (a) shows what action was taken in each case, and Table II () gives particulars as to girls who have been handed back to their guardians under security.
EMIGRATION.
Nine thousand nine hundred and forty-three female passengers and boys were examined at the Emigration Office in 1900, as compared with 6,307 in 1899. Of this number, 66 women were detained for enquiries, 57 of whom were found to have been persuaded to go abroad under false pretences. The usual arrangements have been made to restore them to their relatives and friends. Emigration to the Straits Settlements was suspended for two of the summer months during the prevalance of plague in this Colony. With regard to the paragraph in my last year's report respecting the large number of kidnapped women and boys who come from the King Shan district of Kwong Tung, I regret to say that it has not been found possible to arrange for intending emigrants to be examined by the Customs authorities at the port of Hoihow.