357

This is equal to a general birth-rate of 3.17 per 1,000 as compared with 3.8 in 1902.

The birth-rate among the non-Chinese community alone was 15.2 per 1,000 as compared with 12.6 per 1,000 in 1902.

The nationalities of the non-Chinese parents were as follows:-British 118, Portuguese 75, Indian 38, Malay 13, German 11, Philippinos 11, French 5, Span- ish 3, Austrian, Japanese and Persian 2 each, and five other nationalities 1 each.

Ir

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. 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 1903 was 250 males and 276 females making a total of 530 and the addition of these figures to the registered Chinese births gives a total of 1,279 as compared with 1,569 during the previous year. The corrected birth-rate is, therefore, 4.7 per 1,000. while among the Chinese alone the rate becomes 4.2

per 1.000.

DEATHS.

The number of Deaths in the British and Foreign Community was 309, as compared with 352 in 1902. The number of deaths among the Chinese was 5,875 as compared with 6,431 in 1902. Four Europeans and 1,251 Chinese and other Asiatics died from plague.

The following table shows the number of deaths and the death-rate per 1,000 during the last ten years:-

Estimated Population.

British and Foreign.

Chinese.

Totul.

1894..

10,782

235,224

246,006

1895,.

10,828

237,670

248,498

1896.

12,709

226,710

239,419

1897,....

13,700

235,010

248,710

1898,.

15,190

239,210

254,400

1899.

15,822

243,490

259,312

1900,

14,778

247,900

262,678

1901.

20,096

280,564

300,660

1902,..

18.524

293,300

311,824

1903,

18,581

307,050

325,631

Deaths.

1894,

.7,407

1895,

5,400

1896,

.5,860

1897,

4,688

1898,

.5,674

1899,

.6,181

1900,

.6,773

1901,

7,082

1902,

.6,783

1903,

6,185

Death-rate per 1,000.

British and Foreign..

Chinese.

Tutal.

1894.

23.28

30.42

30.11

1895,

17.64

21.92

21.73

1896,

19.91

24.75

24.48

1897,

14.89

19.08

18.85

1898.

19.15

22.50

22.30

7

1899,

15.23

24.40

23.84

1900....

20.44

26.10

25.78

1901,

20.50

23.77

28.55

1902,.

19.00

21.93

21.70

1003,.

16.16

19.19

18.19

Page 465Page 466

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