352
man 18, French 3, American 4, Portuguese 77, Phillippino 10, Malay 8, Japanese 5, Jewish 5, Dutch 2, Arabian 2. Spanish, Boumanian, Italian, Brasilian and Eurasian 1 each.
The number of Chinese births registered does not give an accurate record of the number of births which have occurred. Owing to the custom of the Chinese in not registering births unless the child has survived for a month and often in the case of female children not at all, it is probable that the majority if not all of the infants which are sickly at birth or die before they have lived one month have not had their births registered. It is customary, therefore, to assume that all children of 1 month old and under who die in the various convents (being | brought there sick by poor people) and all children found dead in the streets harbour, hillsides, etc., by the police, ha:e been born in the Colony but not registered. By adding the number of such children to the number of the registered births a corrected number of births is obtained and from this is calculated a corrected birth-rata.
The number of such children in 1905 was 282 males and 458 females, total 740, which being added to the registered births equals 1,728.
The corrected birth-rate is therefore 4.7 while amongst the Chinese community alone the rate becomes 4.79 instead of 2.7.
The preponderance of male over female registered births is very marked amongst the Chinese, there being 216 males to 100 females. Even with 740 above-mentioned unregistered births the proportion is 124 males to 100 females. This suggests that even the corrected birth-rate may not be altogether trustworthy.
In the Non-Chinese community the propor tion of male births to female births for 1905 is 108 to 100 as compared with 83 males to 100 females in 1905 and 111 males to 100 females
in 1903 and 1902.
DEATHS.
The deaths registered during the year num. bered 6,594, The death-rate was 17:45 as compared with 16-94 in 1904. Those deaths include 287 from plague.
The total number of deaths amongst the Chiness community was 2,292, which gives a death-rate of 17:46 per 1,000 as compared with 17.18 in 1904.
The deaths registered amongst the nou. Chinese community numbered 305, of which 231 were from the Civil population, 30 from the army and 15 from the navy.
This gives a death-rate for the non-Chinese community of 17:08.
The nationalities of the deceased were
8.8
follows:- British 89, Indian 77, Portuguese 56, German 16, Japanese 16, American 11, Malay 6, French 6, Philippino 4, Italian 3, Swedish 3, Swiss, Jewish and Austrian 2 each; Irish, Datoh, Austrian, New-Zealander, Norwegian, Persian, Arabian, Danish, Turkish, Eurasian 1 esch, and of unknown nationality 2.
"INDENTURED LABOUR CLOSE TO SLAVERY."
Under the heading of Emigration (Chinese Emigration Ordinance, No. 1 of 1889), the Government Gazette contains the following notes:-
Out of 11,231 persons examined by the Re gistrar General before embarkation, 78 or 0.69 per cent. were detained for enquiries, as against 135 or 1.2 per cent, in 1904, Of thess, 27 or 34 per cent. were ultimately allowed to leave with- out any order being made, as against 55 per cent. in 1904. A return is inserted in this Report showing the occupations of female emigrants. Servant or seamstress is the usual occupation given by single women. Only two described themselves as miners, but I understand many more go in gangs to get work in the tin mines. Over 97 per cent. of the emigrants proceed to the Straits Settlements. The present state of the law relating to third class adult male Chinese passengers is held by many parties concerned to be susceptible of amendment Considering the volume of the emigration and the benefits that occur to the Straits Settlements and to the Canton Province one recalls how it has been said that, “It is the nature of all greatness not to be exact; and great trade will alway be attended with considerable abuses.' he contraband will always keep pace in some
|
THE HONGKONG WEEKLY PRESS AND
|
[May 14, 1908.
PLACING BODIES IN THE STREET.
measure with the fair trade. It should stand as | Commission, countersigned by the Secretary, a fundamentel maxim, that no vulgar precaution stating that the witness has upon his examina. ought to be employed in the cure of evils which tion made a full and trus disclosure as aforesaid, are closely connected with the cause of our pros as provided by Section 4 of the before mentioned perity". "On the other hand the importance of Ordinance; and I do further require you to maintaining Hongkong in good report among report to me the evidence and your opinion the Chinese must not be under-rated. Chinese thereon, and I hereby charge all persons in the public opinion would approve almost any precau- Public Service to assist you herein.” tion taken to prevent kidnapping, and I am coa. stantly being urged to recommend more stringent regulations. Whatever the labourers themselves may think about it there is no doubt that audible public opinion in China regards inden- tured labour as very close to slavery, and has not forgotten the horrors of the coolie trade to Peru. The time spent in examination of emigrants was about 103 hours. The bye-laws relating to Emigration House were revised during the year (see Government Noti- fications Nos. 341 and 441 of During the year 52 hotel-licences and 24
1905) licences for emigration houses for males were issued. At the end of the year there were 19 hotels and 18 emigration houses licensed, as against 48 hotels and 14 emigration houses at the close of 1904. The 49 hotels may legally accommodate 3,385 persons and they employ 770 servants. The 18 emigration houses may legally accommodate 322 persons, but as they employ 72 servants the number of emigrants who can be accommodated at one time is only 250, But this is an improvement on 1904 when there was accommodation for not more than 175 emigrants.
LOCAL ADMINISTRATION.
GOVERNMENT COMMISSION APPOINTED.
As we sunounced a few days ago, the Govern- into the administration of the Sanitary and ment have appointed a commission to inquire
Building Regulations. Official notification is made in the Gazette, the preamble reading Whereas it is expedient that a Commission be appointed to enquire into and report on the following matters, viz. :-(1.) Whether the
44
administration of the Savitary and Building
Regulations enacted by the Public Health and Buildings Ordinance, 1903, as now carried out is satisfactory, and if not, what improvements can be made. (2.) Whether any irregularity or corruption exists or has existed among the officials charged with the administration of the aforesaid Regulations"
The Governor, in virtue of the powers rested in him by the Ordinance of 1886, appointa- "The Honourable Mr. Henry Edward Pollock, Hewett. Fung Wa-chun, Esq., Lau Chu-psk, K.C., The Honourable Mr. Edbert Ausger Esq. Henry Humphreys, Esq., and Augustus Shelton Hooper, Esq., to be a commission for duoting such enquiry, the purpose of instituting, making, and con and appoints M». H. E. Pollock to be Chairman and Mr. C. F. W. Bowen-Rowlands to be Secretary of such Commission. For all or any of the purposes of the Commission four members inclusive of the chairman to constitute a quorum.
19
|
The Registrar General, in his report for the bodies in the streets, particularly those of in- yer 1905, comments on the practice of placing fints, which had become such a public scandal that Mr. Fung Wa-chan and Mr. Lau Chu. pak had consulted him as to what steps should be taken to stop it. The growth of the practice. he adds, is due to dread of the consequences of decided to try what could be done to lessen this death having resulted from plague, and it was
fear. Application was made for permission for the Tung Wah Hospital to open offices in various parts of the town and to have in at- Medicine and an interpreter: sick persons tendance a lic-niate of the Chinese College of would then have their complaint diagnosed by dises (where the removal of the patient a competent doctor, and in case of infectious
and the disinfection of the premises were necessary) the relatives would have the as- what was to be done and interpret their wishes, sistance of an interpreter to tell them exactly
Permission was obtained also" for the removal of dead infants to the offices and a reward of a dollar is offered in each case. Two offices are now opon, the one at No. 42, First Street and the other at No. 205, Queen's Road East. Ambulances are provided and coolies, for the removal of sick persons to hospital. wildest rumours travel quickly eaơngh among the Chinese, but although every endeavour was made to giva publicity to the opening of these offices, I have had frequent proof that much more requires to be done. I do not anticipate that the objects and benefits of the scheme will become fully known for another two or three years, and feel that the progress so far made is satisfactory.
HONGKONG REVENUE AND EXPENDITURE.
The
The following summary is from the Registrar. General's report for 1905 :-
The revenue collected during the year 85,864 over the amount collected in 1904. The amounted to 8172,947.89, being an increase of principal increases are again under the heads- Hawkers, Markets and Market Licences. The number of Hawkers' Licences increased by 1,014, from 12,768 in 1904 to 13,782 in 1905. From enquiries made in the Central and East- ern Districts of the town I find that vegetables are sold by hawkers cheaper than they are in the Government Markets, and the hawkers are obviously of great service to the poorer classes. They do the same class of business as costermongers in London, and the follow- article in the Times on the report of the London Trafo Com- mission may be of interest:-" The standing of the costermongers' barrows and stalls in many important thoroughfares is also pointed to as a serious obstruction; but this class of business is of such service to the poorer classes that it should not lightly or hastily be suppressed. The Advisory Board think that other sites could be selected, very much as is done in the little market-places of many English country towns and usually on the Continent, and the barrows and stalls banished from the main streets.
The commission by His Excellency proceeds: * And I do further hereby order and direct that the said Commission shall, for the purposing extract from an of making the said enquiry, have all such powers as are rested in the Supreme Court of this Colony or in any Judg. thereof on the occasion of any suit or action in respect of the following matters, viz. :-
(a.) The enforcing the attendance of wit. nesses and examining them on oath, affirmation or otherwise, as the Com missioners or any of them may think dt.
(b.) The compelling the production of
documents.
(c.) The punishing persons guilty of con-
tempt.
(d.) The ordering an inspection of any
property.
“And also the power, for the purposes of this Commission, to enter and view any premises.
“And I do hereby further direct that every examination of witnesses shall be held in private, and I do further direct that any person examin. ed as a witness in the enquiry aforesaid who in the opinion of the Commissioners makes 邋 full and true disclosure touching all the matters in respect of which he is examined shall receive a certificate under the hand of the Chairman or presiding Member of the
The increase of $3,914 in the revenue from the lease of Market premises is again distri- buted fairly evenly between the markets in Victoria, with the exception of the Des Voeux Road Market, and is a natural and unavoidable increase. In the villages, an increase in the rentals in the Hunghom Market is evidence of the growth of population in the neighbour. hood. The rents of the other markets show no material change. Licences for the sale of food outside the market are issued by the Sanitary Board and account for an increase of $520. The laundries at Wanobai which are lat by the same Department produce an increased revenue of $425. In March the rents were