3
305
2.
inquirin
In reference to Your Grace's letter as to Registration of Births and Deaths I say that there never has been any attempt made here as yet to compile statistical tables of that description and that this Government proposes to furnish information on the subject except reference to the European and American population.
3.
Looking to the numbers of the Chinese land and boat population frequenting this Colony and to the various causes (of a political and communal nature) which affect the increase and decrease of the population, and also bearing in mind that the great majority (whether Chinese or Mahomedans) are not accompanied here by their wives and families, I am of opinion that such Statistics, if procurable at all, would not be reliable for the purposes contemplated by Your Grace.
4.
It is possible however that by constituting a fresh Department under the Registrar General and by furnishing the Officers of this Department with all necessary powers under an Ordinance expressly framed for the purpose, the number of Births and Deaths annually occurring here might eventually be ascertained with approximate correctness.
At the same time such a result would be comparatively worthless for useful purposes owing to the extra cost of fluctuation...
INDEX.