103 (4)
Great credit is due to Police Inspector A. C. Langley who was in general charge of the Census of the Harbour, and to the Police of all ranks employed in the Harbour. The numbers were: 11 European Police Sergeants and Constables, 23 Civilian Enumerators, 9 Chinese Water Policemen as Assistant Enumerators, and 55 Chinese Seamen, Coxswains, Engineers and Stokers. The cost was considerable, upwards of $700 being spent in the hire of launches and sampans alone.
Valuable assistance was rendered to the Police by Messrs. Nunes and Rocha of the Harbour Department, and 10 Harbour Office seamed.
21. The passengers and crews in British and Foreign merchant ships in port were enumerated by Messrs. Willoughby and Davey of the Harbour Department.
No particulars except Nationality (British, Non-British and Chinese) and Sex were required from persons on board the shipping. The returns have been kept entirely separate from those of the resident civil population. It is a matter of chance how many vessels happen to be in port on a certain day, and the figures obtained are of no value for purposes of comparison. The numbers enumerated were 353 British, 497 other Non-Chinese, and 5,791 Chinese. A large proportion of the latter were on river steamers and should be included in the Foreign Shipping totals, though, as far as I am aware, this is the first occasion on which this has been done.
22. The Chinese Land Population of the New Territories, North and South, is 94,246, or 104,101 including the Boat Population. The total in 1901 was 102,254 (vide Table XXV of the 1901 Report). These figures, however, are of little value, as there was no Census taken in the proper sense of the word. I was absent from the Colony at the time but I understand that the totals were arrived at by ascertaining the number of houses in a village, and then guessing the average number of occupants of each dwelling. Even taking the figures for what they are worth it is almost impossible to make detailed comparisons with the 1901 returns owing to the form in which the latter were drawn up. An interest- ing feature of the 1911 figures is the large number of females. Taking the New Territories as a whole there are very nearly as many females as males. In the Northern District the former actually outnumber the latter. There is undoubtedly a large decrease in the population of New Kowloon. The present figures are 13,624 as against 17,836 in 1906, and about 16,100 in 1901. In the case of Kowloon City the Police Inspector in charge of the District reports that nearly all Chinese, who acquire a certain amount of education, try to leave the place in order to seek their fortunes elsewhere. As regards the New Territories as a whole, there was no reason to expect any considerable fluctuation in numbers during the decade. The population is almost entirely rural, and is not subject to the same influences that affect the crowded urban districts such as the City of Victoria and Old Kowloon.
In view of the completion of the Railway to Canton a complete list has been made of the number of inhabitants of the various villages in the Northern District, as it will be of interest to be able to ascertain at the next Census whether the Railway has had any effect on the distribution and size of the population. This list, which will be a most valuable record, was prepared by Mr. S. B. C. Ross, District Officer, New Territories. Its compila- tion involved an enormous amount of labour, as it was done single-handel, and by means of a search through all the books of schedules. It appears as Table 19 in the present Re- port. Some figures are given in Table 28 of Infaat Marriages, which may be of interest.
23. The Non-Chinese inhabitants of the City of Victoria number 7,958 as compared with 6,862 in 1901 and 7,688 in 1906.
The 1911 figures include 105 persons living on Green and Stonecutters' Islands, as the latter were included in Victoria for Census purposes in 1901 and 1906.
The British, Europeans and Americans show a very slight decrease since 1906, but an increase of 474 over 1901. The Portuguese have increased from 1,801 in 1901 and 1,835 in 1906 to 2,064. The rest of the Non-Chinese population has remained practically stationary since 1906, but shows an increase of 325 over 1901. The present numbers are 2,948.
24. The chief interest in the present Census lies in the large increase in the Chinese population of Victoria. It now numbers 217,668, being an increase of 42,612 over 1901 and 44,379 over 1906. There is no doubt that the increase is almost entirely due to the influx of Chinese into the Colony from Canton in April and May, on account of the disturb- ances there at the end of April. What the actual number of refugees was, and how many of them returned on quiet being restored, is still a matter of speculation. Estimates as to the