Divorced
Spinsters
Widows
Total
Women
Bachelors Widowers
Divorced Men
Total
17,172 (17,785) 173 (163) 172 ( 189)
17,517 (18,137)
51 (65)
58 (55)
17,281
(17,905)
47
(54)
20
(20)
240 ( 237)
12
(10) 28 (26) 212 (225)
110 (129) 106 (101) 17,733 (18,367)
158. In one case, the Governor granted a special licence dispensing with the giving of the notice of an intended marriage. In nine cases the Registrar in the exercise of the discretion conferred on him by the proviso to Section 9 of the Ordinance issued his certificate allowing the marriage to proceed before the expiry of the prescribed 15 days' notice.
Work done and Fees collected
159. Table XXXII gives particulars of work done during the year and of the fees charged therefor, which totalled $246,213, down by $4,248 from the 1968-69 record figure.
General
PART IX
BIRTHS AND DEATHS REGISTRY
160. The registration of births and deaths is compulsory under the Births and Deaths Registration Ordinance. The General Register Office is situated at Li Po Chun Chambers, 92-97 Connaught Road Central, and there are nine District Registries on Hong Kong Island and six in Kowloon and New Kowloon. In the New Territories there are full-time Birth Registries at Tai Po, Tsuen Wan and Yuen Long, and also 'part-time' Registries at various Rural Committee Offices, which District Registrars visit according to a regular programme. Deaths in the New Territories are reported to local police stations. In addition to the above, three mobile teams operate in the New Territories dealing with applica- tions for post-registration of births. Table XXXIII shows the present organization of the Registry.
Population
161. According to the 1961 Census the population of the Colony on 7th March 1961 was 3,133,131 including 3,483 persons classified as transients. Since then the estimated population has risen as follows:
50