139
POPULATIONS.
The following is an estimate of the population of the Colony, exclusive of the New Territory, on the 30th June, 1902:—
British and Foreign Community.
18,524
Chinese. 293,300
Totat. 311,824
The population of the New Territory, according to the census taken by the Police in 1901, was 102,254.
MARRIAGES.
(Ordinance No. 14 of 1875, as amended by Ordinances No. 14 of 1896
and No. 15 of 1902.)
The number of marriages solemnized during the year was 129 as compared with 140 in 1901. The scale of fees has been amended by Ordinance No. 15 of
1902.
BIRTHS AND DEATHS.
(Ordinance No. 16 of 1896, as amended by No. 20 of 1899.)
+
Table IV (4.) gives the number of Births and Deaths registered during the year. The death rate at various ages and the causes of death will be found in Table IV (B.) and IV (C.).
BIRTHS.
The births registered during the year were as follows:--
Chinese, Non-Chinese,
Malcs.
Females.
Totul.
633
333
966
123
111
234
756
444
1,200
This is equal to a general birth-rate of 3.8 per 1,000 as compared with 3.6 in 1901, 3.3 in 1900, and 3.4 in 1899.
The birth-rate among the non-Chinese community alone was 12.6 per 1,000 as compared with 11.9 per 1,000 in 1901.
The nationalities of the non-Chinese parents were as follows:-British 98, Portuguese 70, Indian 27, German 16, Malay 16, French 3, Japanese 2, and Spanish and Norwegian one each.
The preponderance of male births over female births is still very marked among the Chinese community, being in the proportion of 190 male births to every 100 female births. The proportion among the non-Chinese community was 111 to 100 as compared with 107 to 100 in the previous year.
The number of the Chinese births registered does not give an accurate record of the total number of births of Chinese that have occurred in the Colony, for many of the infants that die during the first month or so of life remain unregistered, although their deaths must be registered to obtain the necessary burial orders. It has been customary, therefore, to add to the registered births the number of infants of one month old and under that die in the various Convents, or are found by the Police in the streets or in the harbour. The number during 1902 was 239 males and 364 females making a total of 603 and the addition of these figures to the registered Chinese births gives a total of 1,569 as compared with 1,410 during the previous year. The corrected birth-rate is, therefore, 6.1 per 1,000, while among the Chinese alone the rate becomes 5.3 per 1,000. The total Chinese births as calculated in the above manner show a proportion of only 125 male births to every 100 female births, while the dead bodies of infants found in the streets or left at the doors of the Convents show 66 males to every 100 females, the explana- tion being that the Chinese have very little regard for the value of the lives of female children.
During the year 1902 there were 27 prosecutions under the Registration of Births and Deaths Ordinance, in which 31 persons were prosecuted. There were 4 cases for failing to report birth, 22 for unlawful removal of dead bodies, and one case of failing to report death.