253
10. Inspector ROBERTSON, assisted by 3 European and 3 Chinese Constables, enumerated the inhabitants of the Shaukiwan District. An Indian Sergeant with one Chinese constable took the Census of the village of Tsat Tsz Mui. The enumerators commenced distributing schedules on the 15th November, and returned them to the Census Office on the 28th. On the 19th November, the small craft in Shaukiwan harbour were anchored in rows, and the Inspector with 2 European Constables and the Harbour Department boatmen enumerated the Boat population. They completed the work in one day. At Aberdeen the Census was taken by Inspector DYMOND, with 2 European Constables, the Chinese Sergeant Interpreter and 2 Chinese Constables. The distribution of schedules was commenced on the 13th November and the papers were collected and returned by the 27th. On the 19th and 20th November, the Boat l'opulation was enumerated. Two boats were employed all night on the 19th, blocking the entrances to the harbour. Great assistance was given to the Police by the village schoolmaster, who helped to fill up the schedules for those persons who were unable to write. The Stanley District was enumerated by Sergeant McKay, assisted by the Chinese Sergeant Interpreter and one Chinese Constable. They commenced work on the 16th November, and the schedules were returned to the Census Office on the 26th. The Census of the Boat population was taken on the 20th November by the Sergeant and the Harbour Department boatmen, and was finished in one day. There were fewer boats to deal with than usuals The village of Pokfulam was enumerated by the Indian Sergeant in charge, assisted by one Chinese Constable. The work was performed most creditably.
11. The brunt of the work of a Census in this Colony falls on the Police, and all the men employed did exceedingly well. The arrangements made by the Officer in charge of the var
s Districts and Out-stations were very good, and they took great pains to see that they were properly carried out. The work is specially heavy in the Aberdeen and Shauki- wan districts, where a large floating population has to be dealt with in addition to the land The l'olice in the Kowloon Peninsula had perhaps the inost difficult task of all, owing to the large increase in the population there. I refer to the work of the Water Police in another paragraph.
one.
12. Officers, appointed for that purpose by the Commodore-in-charge and the General Officer Commanding the Troops, took the Census of the Naval and Military Establishments.
13. The Census of the British and Foreign Mercantile Marine was taken by Messrs. McIVER and MEUGENS of the Harbour Department. These officers were greatly hindered in their work by the attitude of many of the masters of vessels, who refused to give the enumerators any assistance, and seemed to look upon the Census as a joke.
One steamer left her buoy at West Point during the night of the 20th November with the schedules on board, and anchored at Quarry Bay, where she remained the whole of the next day. No notice of the change was given to Mr. McIVER who only found the vessel again after some trouble. Another steamer left the Port without enumerating her Chinese crew, and schedules for that purpose had to be sent to Canton. Several visits had to be made by the enumerators on the British barque Arrow. Eventually, just as she was on the point of sailing, a second set of schedules had to be filled up by the master, as the mate had sent the original ones ashore in charge of a sampan man, who did not deliver them until the next day. Two vessels had to be refused clearances until their schedules were produced. At the next Census, it would be desirable for the Harbour Master to issue a notice to the mas- ters of vessels, ordering them to give every assistance to the enumerators, and making vessels which leave port in the early morning on the day following the distribution of schedules, responsible for the safe delivery of the papers at the Harbour Office.
14. Following so closely on the disastrous typhoon of the 18th September, great in- terest was taken in the Census of the Boat Population of the Harbour, which was in charge of the Water Police. The same sections were employed as in 1901. Launches and 8 rowing boats were engaged, each in charge of a European Sergeant or Constable accompanied by an interpreter. Owing to losses in the typhoon the Water Police had only 2 of their own launches available, and had therefore no difficulty in finding men for the seven laun- ches hired from Chinese. Work was commenced on the evening of the 19th November, when a start was made by enumerating the craft in Causeway Bay, which at that time was always full at night. These were all disposed of before they dispersed in the morning. The rest of the boats in the Harbour were dealt with during the day time on the 20th and 21st November. The bulk of the work was finished by the evening of the 20th, but a