108
This population is to a considerable extent transient. The males exceed the females in number but the disparity, which in 1931 was small in comparison with previous Census years, continues to decrease as the Chinese labourer inclines to make his home in the Colony rather than to sojourn for purposes of work leaving his wife and children in the country and returning there when out of employment. Certain local associations, however, instead of employing the words "Hong Kong" in their name still use "Kiu Kong" meaning that their members regard themselves as only temporarily resident in Hong Kong. Here they have no abiding home. And by Chinese law based on the jus sanguinis, persons of Chinese race, even if Turn in Hong Kong, are regarded as Chinese subjects. Such persons have there- fore dual nationality.
7. There is normally a daily ebb and flow of Chinese population amounting to about 8,000. In 1936 the daily average in respect of Canton alone was 2,442 arrivals by rail and 2,033 by river, and 2,303 departures by rail and 2,169 by river. The immigration of Chinese is in practice unrestricted. Most of the immigrants come from Kwangtung Province. For a number of years there have been Shanghai workers in the silk factories in Kowloon and the Sino-Japanese hostilities have caused the transfer to Hong Kong from various parts of China, especially Shang- hai, of factories together with their specialized employees. Certain occupations also traditionally recruit their workers from particular districts.
8. Hong Kong has little agriculture and that merely village cultivation. Its fishing industry is primitive and inadequate to meet its requirements. Its mineral resources are believed not to be great the report on the geological survey under- taken in 1923 by the late Mr. R. W. Brock has not yet been received. Hong Kong depends for its prosperity on its position and function as a port and entrepôt for South China. Four-fifths of its external trade is such re-export.
9. As the Economic Commission* reported in 1935, "The real basis of the Colony's commercial existence is, and must continue to be, the handling of the trade of China" and the staple industries are connected directly or indirectly with shipping, and ship building and repairing. In the absence of mineral resources there is little prospect of other development in heavy industry. Sugar refining, rope making, and ginger preserving (a purely seasonal trade), and cement manu- facture are established industries of lesser importance. Of recent years there has been a growth of knitting factories and works for the manufacture of electric torches and batteries and rubber shoes. Many such articles are made of Empire material and enjoy Imperial preference.
10. Of the total population of $49,751 in 1931, 470,794 were occupied in pursuit of gain. Of those so occupied :
111,156 were occupied in Manufacture‡.
71,264 64,430 97,026
J
15
**
J
75
5
Transport and Communication.
Fishing and Agriculture.
Commerce and Finance.
The gainfully occupied constituted 71.28% of the male population and 27.58% of the female, together 52.87% of the whole population. Of the male employees 19.5% including 21,500 carrying coolies were engaged in transport and communica- tion, 15.3% including 13,000 hawkers, in commerce and finance, 14% in personal service including 32,579 in private domestic service. In the primary productions, agriculture and fishery, only 5.1% and 4.4% were respectively employed.
The only modern fishing boats are fifteen Japanese trawlers which make Hong Kong their base. The Honourable Financial Secretary informs me that he regards this figure, which is taken from the Report
of the Economic Commission, as exaggerated.
* "Commission appointed by His Excellency the Governor of Hong Kong to inquire into the Causes and Effects of the Present Trade Depression in Hong Kong and make Recommendations for the Amelioration of the Existing Position and for the Improvement of the Trade of the Colony.' Sessional Paper No. 3 of 1935. Described briefly in this Report as the "Economic Commission."
The term appears to
But see number of employees in registered factories and workshops, paragraph 121.
be employed in its widest sense.