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to cards, the cards have holes punched in them, the relative positions of such holes defining the individual answers to the questions asked. The cards consist of several sets of columns of numbers, and holes are punched over the numbers corresponding to the coded figure of the answer given. Each answer must, therefore, have its special code figure. In London the work of punching the cards is done mainly by women and it was amazing to see the speed and accuracy to which they had attained. The cards, when punched, are sorted and tabulated by an electrical machine.
The
Mechanical tabulation was not adopted in Hong Kong for two reasons. machines are very costly and the expense would not have been justified in the present state of the finances of the Colony for the comparatively small number of people to be enumerated. Moreover, though the machines are errorless, it was con- sidered that the possible errors in coding and punching the cards by local temporary staff would be very numerous.
In default, then, of the expensive machinery necessary for code-punching and electrical sorting, the Hong Kong census statistics have been arrived at by hand sorting of cards, on to which the information from the schedules had been trans- ferred by differences in colour, differences in shape, by transcription, by abbreviation and by code numbers. The slips or cards used were as follows:-
Male Card.
D
D
Female Card.
Form No.
Form No.
3. Conjugal Condition.
3.
3........
4.
4. Age.
4.
5.
5. Birthplace.
5.
6.
6. Nationality.
6..
8..
8. Length of Residence.
9..
9. Ability to read and write
9.
"Mother Tongue".
10. Ability to read and write
English.
11. Ability to speak English.
12. Occupation.
10....
10.......
11..
11.
12.
12.
13. Industry.
13...
13..
The Enumeration District Number, and Form Number were entered for purposes of checking in case it was necessary to refer back to the original form or schedule.
A line was given for the reply to each question except No. 7 (Race) which was determined by the Colour of the card. Sex was similarly determined by having the top right-hand corner cut off in the case of all females.
Races were denoted by using cards of the following colours :-
White Pink
Chinese Europeans
Green
Indians
Blue
Local Portuguese
Yellow
Eurasians
Orange
Japanese
Red
All other races