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May 11, 1908.]
REGISTRAR GENERAL'S REPORT.
The report of the Registrar General for the year 1907, laid before the Legislative Council by Command of His Excellency the Governor, last week, states:
REVENUE AND EXPENDITURE.
rear
The revenue collected daring the amounted to $:63,261.13, a sum $14,023.08 be- low the revenue collected in 19.6. The esti mated revenue for the year was $156,180; the principoal items in which the estimate was exceeded were hawkers' licences, money chan- gers' licences and householders' registration. Reference is made to these increases blow. The revenue from markets fell short of the estimate by $3,000.
The only material decrease in the rev-nue compared with that for 196 is under the head Boat Licences. In 1906 the revenue from these licences was something over $24,00. It is nOW collected by the Harbour Master. 'There were substantial increases under the heads hawkers' licspces, money changers' licences, touseholders' registration and markets. The number of hawkers' licences issued increased from 14, 65 in 1906 to 15,193.
New Licences issued, Licences renewed,
Total,...
First half. Second half.
year ending year ending 31st March, 30th Septem-
1907. ber 19 7.
7,116
3,638
7.116
4.159 7,797-
An increase of 50 per cent in the revenue from money changers licences is due no doubt to the great discount at which the silver sub- sidiary coinage stood for a part of the year. The inclusion of the Kowloon Peninsula in that part of the Colony to which Part III of Ordinance No. 3 of 1888, providing for the registration of householders, applies, accounts for the comparatively large eam received under the heading householders' registration. The increase in the revenue from markels is a little over one per cent, and is fairly evenly distributed. It is satisfactory to find that the rents for the stalls in the Mongkoktsui Market are main- tained at the level at which they stood twelve months ago; the market evidently meets a want. The Des Voeux Road Market has not been hitherto a great success but for some reason the market people turned their attention to it in November and all the market is now fally let at the rate of $1,306 a year, a low rent it is true, but an increase of 30 per cent, on the rent received in 1906. As I stated in last year's report the accommodation for the poultry dealers in the New Western Market was found insufficient and two dealers have been given permission to more into premises outside the market. The Old Western Market has been opened out by the removal of unnecessary stalls and the remainder of the premises has been divided between the butchers and vegetable and fruit dealers. The arrangements were com- pleted on the 15th October.
Of the total revenue by the Registrar General's Department in 1907, 67 per cent. came from the rent of market premises, and 18 per cent.
from fees for hawkers' licences.
the total expenditure during the year was $35,630.89 compared with $33,917.45 in 1906. The expenditure in 1906 was increased by the Census. The actual expenditure fell short of the estimated expenditure by $2,701.1 The principal items in which the expenditure was below the estimate were personal emoluments, census and rent of quarters for student- interpreters.
PROTECTION OF WOMEN AND GIRLS.
CHINA OVERLAND TRADE REPORT.
that during the last year, too many doubtful cases have been permitted to pass. It is very hard in this business to strike the mean.
Leung Kak, 16 leing runaway maidservants. In all, 316 persons were admitted to the Po In the case of maidservants wherever there is evidence of ill-treatment the Police are asked to prosecute, but even in cases of ill treatment the fault is probably not all on one side. The schools to which these children are sent find them
as a class unsatisfactory and hard to manage. The numbers of girls added during the year to the list of these required under bond to report themselves regularly to the R- gistrar General was twelve. Sixty-six girls were reported to the Po Leung Ku as being missing in Hongkong during 107 and of these only nine were reported to have been recovered. Five persons were sen? to the Italian Convent during the year and twelve to Miss Eyre's Refuge, and of these four were sent under warrant, two to each institution. Both institutions have been visited by me more than once during the year, aud Miss Eyre's Refuge was also visited by some of the directors of the Po Leung Lak. At a final inspection made at the close of the year only Refuge and at the Convent looked clean, one complaint was made. The girls bath at the
healthy and happy. The Sisters tell me that they have now no trouble with the girls and that they will be willing to receive auy more who can ba sent to them. Two of the girls who have been married happened to be in the Convent at the time of my last visit: they were well-dressed and seemed happy.
The number of women detained under warrant was 139 compared with 160 in 1906. It is satisfactory to find that the percentage of cases in which after examination at the Po Leung Kuk, no grounds can be found for detention, has fallen as low as 28. To send 800 women to the Po Leung Kuk in one your throws a very great deal of work on the direc tors and puts severe strain on the resources and accommodation of the institution, whilst it is unpleasant to find that in 400 cases the detention was not justified. On the other hand it may be
EMIGRATION.
The examination of females and children under 16 is conducted by the Assistaut Re gistrar General and occupied about 156 hours; this is exclusive of the time spent by the Registrar General in re-examining doubtful cases. The number of women and children examined WBS 15,571, the examination is therefore conducted at the rate of about 101 emigrants the hour. This rate of speed may seem to be excessive and to give little opportunity for ascertaining the actual status of the emigrants but as a matter of fact in the case of eighty per o nt. no examination is called for, only identification. There are very rarely any grounds for suspicion in the osse of single women over 3), and of women and children going in families.
Male emigration has been very carefully supervised during the year. A number of ships taking third class passengers to the Straits Settlements have been inspected, and from the 1st November the emigration of labourers has been satisfactorily supervised by the adoption of measures agreed ucon at a conference held in March with Mr. Barnes, the Secretary for Chinese Affairs in the Straits Settlements. A probable change in the Emigration Law was foreshadowed by me in my annual report for 19:15, bat it was decided to take no steps antil an opportunity had been given of discussing the whole question in personal conference with some officer from the Straits Settlements. This
no
opportunity ccenrred in March last when Mr. Barnes passed through the Colony and an arrangement was come to, by which immigrant to the Straits Settlement from Hongkong would be permitted to enter into a labour contract unless he had appeared before the Regis rar General before embarkation,
It is too soon to say what effect the new arrangement will have on the volume of emigration but everything so far has worked smoothly. The examining officer has detected a number of cases of misrepresentation and fraud, and has rejected a number of youths and men physically unfit for work at the mines. This Office is in constant communication with the Protectorate of Chiness in Singapore and it is hoped that with a little more experience all but a few cases of fraud will be eliminated. A number of Chinese gentlemen who have served as members of the Board of Direction of the Po Leung Kak have undertaken to inspect the emigrants when they present themselves for examination, and they commenced their duties at the beginning of 1908. There is no doab that their assistance will be of the greatest value.
During the year, 51 hotel-l'cences and 34 emigration-house licences were issued. The boarding-houses are those which are made ass
.299
of by "assisted emigrants." Hotels are patro- nised not only by intending emigrants but by visitors to Hongkong-both men and women.
Since 1905 the accommodation provided in hotela has increased 34 per cent, and that in boarding-houses 100, Two boarding housa licences have been cancelled for misbehaviour on the part of the keepers. In the one cas a man had been induced to go on board by fraud and lept overboard, in the other an unwilling emigrant was prevented from leaving the house.
Enquiries have been made in several cases for relatives who had gone to the Straits Settle- men's or to Borneo, and the missing men have been fraced with the help of the records kept by the boarding-houses. In most instances the relatives have repaid, somatimes with the assis. tance of this office, the advances made to the emigrant; in some they have been content with an interchange of letters.
It is pleasant to learn that the efforts made in Hongkong to stop emigration abuses are recoguised elsewhere than in the Colony.
REGULATION OF CHINESE,
By an Order-in-Council dated the 2nd April, 1907, the provisions of Part III of the Ordin- ance were extended to the urban part of the Kowloon peninsula. In May, circulars were sent to landlords and householders calling their attention to the law, and by the end of the year, 1,783 houses out of 1,913 had been registered. The work of registration entailed the engage- ment of two temporary clerks for six months.
The balance to the credit of the District Watchmen's Fund on the 31st December was $1,9 as against $10,276 for the preceding year. Contributions shew an increase of $690,
expenditure on building in 1907, but in 1908 it expenditure a decrease of $88 ). There was no
will become necessary to increase the accom- modation in the District Watchmen's House at West Point. The Procession which was held in December necessitated the engagement of of Special Watchmen and entailed an expend- iture of $1,100 Efect was also given to B resolution of the Board passed some time ago and the three Watchmen's Houses and the Registrar General's Office were placed on the Telephone Exchange. The increase in the Force during the last few years has been 23 follows:-
70 District Watchmen
31st December, 1901{ of all ranks.
1903 1904-19,7
82
95
The nature and number of permits issued during the year were as follows:-
To fire crackers for marriages
on other occasions, "
286
110
326
To hold processions
30
(in other than per. To perform
< manent buildings... theatricals
Lin permanent buildings. 40 To hold religious ceremonies
51
4.
Total,
568
Permits to hold religious ceremonies and theatrical performances in the New Territories North of the Kowloon Range are issued by the Assistant Superintendent of Police at Taipo.
The
The holding of theatrical performances in a temporary building in connection with a temple festival is of regular occurrence. trustees of the temple invite tenders for the provision of a performance and the successful tenderer provides the theatrical company, builds as large a matsbed as he thinks will be profit- able and fills it as full as it can hold" with seats. As is known the result in China is sometimes disastrous. To remove as far as possible the chance of such a catastrophe in Hongkong all applications for permits are to be ccompanied in future by a sketch of the matshed, in order that the Superintendent of the Fire Brigade may see that there are adequate exits and gangwa 58,
The number of marriages solemnized during the year was 137, as compared with 125 in 1906. Twenty-seven marriages were con. tracted at the Registrar General's Office,
286 permils were issued to fire crackers on the occasion of Chinese marriages, as against
225 in 1906.
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