348
CONTRACT CHINESE LABOUR IN BRITISH NORTH Borneo.
The question of the amount of the advance to be paid to Chinese coolies proceeding to British North Borneo to work on the tea and tobacco plantations has been raised during the year. Coolies had frequently complained that they received only $5 out of a nominal advance of $25, the balance being deducted by the contractor to cover the expense of bringing the labourers to their destination. Negotia- tions are proceeding with the British North Borneo Government, with a view to revising the present form of contract, and placing the whole system on a more satisfactory footing. The root of the trouble appears to be the impossibility of obtaining respectable men as recruiters, owing to the fact that emigration from China is still not recognized by the Government and that all persons connected with emigration are held in very low esteem.
CERTIFICATES OF IDENTITY TO CHINESE ENTERING THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA, &C.
The revenue derived under this head was $11,100 as compared with $17,175 in 1899, showing a a decrease of $6,075.
Considerable inconvenience had been experienced in examining applicants for certificates owing to there being no satisfactory definition of the terms "merchant" and "student." The whole question was thoroughly gone into in the spring of last year, and in July last an opinion of the Solicitor to the Treasury was obtained from the United States Government, which contained an exhaustive definition of the two words. The result of this communication has been that applications from members of the so-called "merchant" class have practically ceased and the revenue derived from this source has suffered accordingly.
Further precautions instituted by this Department, to preclude attempts at fraud, have also un- doubtedly had the effect of reducing the number of applicants for certificates. 26 certificates were issued to Chinese proceeding to Manila and Honolulu. Of this number, 7 were for Manila, and the remainder for Honolulu.
POPULATION,
The following is the estimate of the population of the Colony on the 30th June, 1900:-
British and Foreign Community.
14,778
Chinese.
247,900
Total.
262,678
MARRIAGES.
(Ordinance No. 14 of 1875.)
The number of Marriages solemnized during the year was 125 as compared with 116 in 1899. Mr. P. P. J. WODEHOUSE was appointed a Deputy Registrar on 14th February, 1900.
BIRTHS AND DEATHS.
(Ordinance No. 16 of 1896.)
Table IVA gives the number of Births and Deaths registered during the year.
The death-rates at various ages and the causes of death will be found in Table IV B. and IV C. The Births among the British and Foreign Community numbered 261 as compared with 280 in
. 1899; of this number, 149 were males and 112 females.
The Births registered as having occurred in the Chinese Community were 678 as against 852 in 1899, and 963 in 1898.
There were 6 prosecutions under the Ordinance in 1900 under the following heading:—
Unlawful removal of dead bodies,
.6 cases.
The number of Deaths in the British and Foreign Community was 302 as compared with 241 in 1899. Of these, 14 died from Plague. The number of deaths among the Chinese was 6,471 as com- pared with 5,940 in 1899. 1,007 died from Plague. 279 of the deaths among the British and Foreign Community and 1,862 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:
Estimated Population.
1893
Chinese,
Total,
1895 British and Foreign,. 10,686 10,782 10,828 12,709 .228,038 235,224 237,670 226,710 .238,724 246,006 248,498 239,419
1294
1896
1897 13,700 235,010 248,710
1898 1899 1900 15,190 15,822 14,778 239,210 243,490 247,900 254,400 259,312 262,678
Deaths.
5,442 7,407
5,400 5.860 4.688
5,674 6,181 6,773