103 (2)
6. Books of Schedules of 25 pages each were used for the Census of the New Terri- tories Floating Population and various rural districts in the Colony. These were filled up on the spot by the Enumerators in the course of a house to house visit.
This method was very favourably reported on by the Police and Civilian Enumerators, and it might with advantage be employed to a greater extent on future occasions.
When these books are used, the Census cannot, of course, be completed in a single day. The time taken varies from a couple of days, as in the case of Lamma Island, to 3 months, as in the Northern District of the New Territories. It is impossible to employ any other method for dealing with the Boat Population, as to distribute schedules is ont of the question.
7. The Census of the New Territories was commenced on 6th March and took about 3 months to complete. One Civilian Enumerator was appointed to each of the Districts in the Northern section, and was paid at the rate of $40 a month. Those engaged were all local men, as strangers would have been of little use. Mr. Ross was besieged by applicants from all parts of the Colony, numbers of students and others journeying out by railway to Taipo daily in the hope of employment.
8. The Census of the New Territory Islands was taken by the various Police Officers, stationed there, and by the Water Police. The latter were assisted by Mr. Ch'an Tang-ch'iu, as Interpreter and Enumerator, who did excellent work. The Water Police also took the Census of Ts'ün Wan District, as the latter was difficult to reach from Taipo.
9. The usual methods were employed for the Census of the City of Victoria. The latter was divided into 60 Sections each being worked by two Civilian Enumerators accom- panied by a District Watchman in uniform. The Peak and Non-Chinese quarters of the City were enumerated by the Police, as were also the villages of Aberdeen and Stanley. In Shaukiwan and the greater part of Kowloon Civilian Enumerators were engaged, as the work would have been too heavy for the Police alone.
The Census of Pokfulam was taken by Indian Police Sergeant 615 Hussein Shab, assisted by a Chinese Constable.
10. The total population of the Colony, including persons on board merchant ships and river steamers in the Harbour, is 456,739.
11. The above numbers are composed of 12,075 Non-Chinese and 444,664 Chinese.
12. The British, European and American resident civil population numbers 5,143 (excluding 42 Eurasians) as compared with 3,860 in 1901 and 5,061 in 1906. These figures do not include Portuguese.
13. The British resident civil population numbers 3,761 as compared with 2,70% in 1901 and 3,709 in 1906. From 1901 to 1906 the increase was very rapid, but since the latter year the numbers have remained practically stationary. This may be explained by the fact that in 1906 the Colony was at the height of a wave of prosperity, succeeding several lean years, and a similar increase in the period 1906-1911 could not reasonably be expected. The 1906 Census was taken in Noveniber and the present one at the end of May. This would have a by no means unimportant effect in the relative numbers. There are many more Europeans in the Colony in the winter than the summer. The hotels are fuller, people on leave have usually returned, and those intending to depart generally do so in the early spring.
The percentage of adult females to males is 59 taking all those above 15 years of age as alalts. The percentage in 1901 was 55, and in 1906, 56.
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A considerable number of women and children are absent from the Colony in the summer, so the figuras may be held to show that family life is still steadily increasing.
14. The European and American population, other than Portuguese, number 1,382 as against 1,152 in 1901 and 1,352 in 1906. There is no important change in the numbers of the various nationalities since 1906, with the exception of the Jews who have increased from
155 to 231.
15. The above figures do not include 42 Eurasians. The number of persons who return themselves as Eurasians gets fewer every Census. In 1901 there were 267, and in 1906 228. As I remarked in my Report on the 1901 Census, the large majority of kura- sians in this Colony have been brought up and live in Chinese fashion and would certainly return themselves as Chinese.