Mr Lucas.
The death rate in Hong Kong among infants appears to be far heavier than in the Straits,
but the Registrar-General allows and it is perfectly apparent that the figures are utterly unreliable
Still there were registered in the Colony 13312 births
and 571 deaths of children under one month old
and 598 deaths of children between one month and a year old. This gives
a total infant mortality of 1169 or more than 40 per cent of the children born
I refer you to our despatch to the Secretary of State No. 13270/47 calling
attention to these figures as presumptive evidence that the death rate must be abnormally high.
20/6/97 2.0 p.m.
We need not notice this point just now, but should watch the matter in
future years, especially to see if any indirect deleterious effects from the new Diamond Jubilee Women's and Children's Hospital
are of serious wrong. Reg.-General suggests
that there were probably over 5000 unregistered births. It is likely there
were for A24.
Government House,
Hong Kong 19th May, 1897.
Sir,
I have the honour to forward to
you the following Sessional Papers :-
(1) Reports on the Hong Kong Volunteer Corps;
The Right Honourable
Joseph Chamberlain, M.P.
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