87
HONG KONG.
No.
5
1931
REPORT ON THE CENSUS OF THE COLONY OF HONG KONG, 1931,
Part I.
INTRODUCTION.
The usual decennial Census of the population of the Colony was taken on March 7, 1931.
(1) HISTORICAL SURVEY.
As the usefulness of a Census enumeration depends largely on comparisons with previous Censuses, it seems appropriate to give here a short survey of former Censuses taken in the Colony before proceeding to deal with the information disclosed by the latest Census.
Previous to the British occupation of Hong Kong the population of the Island does not appear to have exceeded a total of 2,000 persons, ashore and afloat, but, with the advent of the "foreigner", additional numbers were soon attracted to the new Colony by the high wages obtainable.
The Gazette of May 15, 1841, published, according to Eitel, the first official figures of the population of Hong Kong. No mention was made of non-Chinese, but the Chinese residents were given as numbering 5,650; composed of 2,550 villagers and fishermen, 800 Chinese living in the Bazaar, 2,000 on craft of various kinds in the harbour and 300 "labourers from Kowloon." The population of Kowloon Point, which was not included in these figures, was stated to be 800 Chinese.
From this date onwards, efforts to number the people have passed through succeeding stages of official estimates arrived at, no doubt, by many methods, official estimates based on registration figures and census enumerations proper.
By March 1842, the population was estimated to have grown to over 15,000 persons of whom 12,360 were Chinese, while in April, 1844, the population, now stated to include about 1,000 women and children, had increased to 19,000.
Life was insecure in the early days of the Colony and the Government decided that some means must be devised for regulating the Chinese population and for checking the influx into Hong Kong of undesirable elements from China. Many of the new-comers to the Colony were no doubt worthy traders, labourers and artizans; but among the immigrants there was also a considerable number of "the scum of the population of the neighbouring mainland." Registration was, therefore, resorted to as a method of control.
The Government, while desiring thus to control immigration, were anxious to avoid any appearance of promoting class legislation and the bill, as passed by Legis- lative Council, established, therefore, a register of all the inhabitants of the Colony without distinction of nationality or status. This would have resulted in an accurate enumeration of the people, but it was not carried out. Neither the European nor the Chinese community appear to have been consulted in the matter, or taken into the confidence of the Government. Great indignation was expressed by the better elements of the population; the European residents felt that their personal self-respect, their national honour, and the liberty of the subject, had been trampled underfoot; and the better class Chinese made preparations to desert Hong Kong en masse. Some 3,000, it is said, actually left the Colony.