167. 438 multiple births were registered in 1969, 434 of twins and 4 of triplets, producing altogether 880 liveborn babies. 97 births were registered as illegitimate, as compared with 94 in 1968. The births registered also included 18 foundlings.
Post-registration of Births
168. Owing to the absence of facilities for registration in the New Territories until 1932, very few births in the villages were registered before then. In that year facilities were provided for registration at various places in the New Territories, but a great many villagers still neglected to register the births of their children. Under modern con- ditions a birth certificate has, at least for the young, become practically essential, and for many years past there has been a constant flow of applications to post-register births in the New Territories. To deal with these, three mobile teams have been operating throughout the year, visiting outlying villages according to a regular programme.
169. During 1969-70, 1,923 births were post-registered more than one year after the date of birth, as follows:
Hong Kong, Kowloon and New Kowloon
New Territories:
Islands District ... Sai Kung District Tai Po District...
Tsuen Wan District Yuen Long District
•
Total
...
...
1,244
37
29
271
...
80
262
679
1,923
This total represented a drop of 270 compared with the 1968-69 total of 2,193. At one time there used to be long waiting lists of applicants, but the substantial reduction in the number of applications since the peak of 7,124 in 1962-63 has enabled the registration teams to reduce delays to the minimum required for the process of verification, and by 31st March 1970 the total number of applications on the waiting list for all districts, urban and rural, was only 90. Of these 34 were in the urban area, and the remaining 56 in the New Territories.
170. Table XXXVII gives the number of births post-registered after one year from birth during the period 1945-57 and the years 1957-58 to 1969-70, from which it will be seen that no less than 72,121 have been registered in the 25 years since the war. The decline in the number
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