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(2.) In order to encourage the registration of births under one month old, the Committee recommend that a bonus of $2 be given to any mother, midwife or person present at the birth of any child and who shall register the same within one month. In order to carry out this recommendation, the Births and Deaths Registration Ordinance, No. 16 of 1896, Section 9 (a), will have to be altered to include this clause. In C. S. O. 1367 of 1901 the Medical Officer of Health recommended that a fee of 50 cents should be paid the midwives, but it was never carried into effect. This small sum, however, we consider inadequate to give sufficient inducement for the early registration within one month after birth. In order to verify the accuracy of the midwives' registration, we recommend the employment of female visitors, either Portuguese or Chinese, who shall visit each case for this purpose. On the registration being verified, then the bonus of $2 shall be handed to the person reporting. It seems more likely that the fee of $2 will be an inducement than the paltry sum of 50 cents.
(3.) The Convents should be required to register at the Registrar General's Office every admission that occurs in their respective institu- tions, together with the death certificate when such occurs of each individual case.
(4.) As the children from the Convents are at a very early age housed out to foster mothers, these mothers should also be registered either at the Convent or at the Registrar General's Office. Further these foster mothers should be medically examined before they are accept- ed by the Convents; at present this is not done.
(5.) That every Police Station should keep a register of births and deaths in order that the midwives may not have to travel long distances to register the births. At present this register is only kept in certain stations. The bonus of $2 may be given by the officer in charge of these stations, to the person registering such birth after verification of the same.
J. M. ATKINSON,
HO KAI.
G. P. JORDAN.
W. W. PEARSE.
G. M. HARSTON.
WILLIAM HUNTER.
Hongkong, 30th November, 1903.