For Public Wks. Extraordinary.
The overdrawn balance (presumably with the H.K. & S. Bank) is $251,900 odd.
2. Harbor Master's Report: Tonnage of Shipping (total) is a record over 6 million tons.
673,436,800 tons were handled, an increase over last year.
Municipal Vessels under the British Flag in River Trade show a large increase.
There are smaller increases in German, Japanese, and Norwegian boats.
British-built steamers of 78,203 tons show a decrease (as against 281).
The crews of British vessels remain mostly British, while foreign vessels have 26.6% "other Europeans" than British.
A large deal of rice and coal, and the introduction of trade in bulk oil from Sumatra, mark the year.
The Import Trade of the Colony increased from all parts of the world by 659,800 tons of cargo discharged.
The history of the trade shows interesting increases in export, import, and through trade, all over 1,600 chests.
3. The Sanitary Report complains of the lack of open space and public Conveniences (the latter point has been taken up by the local press).
The population is reported at 254,400, an increase of over 7,000 in the year.
The Kowloon district shows a population of 98,250.
Birth rate is 8 less than last year; death rate is 22.3 as against 18.85.
There were 1,175 deaths from bubonic fever - all but 8 being Chinese.
British troops died at a rate of 7 per 1,000.
Malarial diseases caused a total of 3 deaths in the rest of the white population, which is nearly double the British troops.
Dr. Clark also calls attention to the need for Chinese doctors trained in Western methods to teach their countrymen sanitation.
18.4% of deaths are infants under one year.
The Colonial Vet. report a serious outbreak of Foot-and-Mouth disease.
4/Water Account and 5/0 (Sewage) present no features of official interest.
6. Registrar-General's office: 225 girls were reported missing; 15 out of 68 missing were found.
67 warrants to search "susbrothels" resulted in the rescue of girls.
64 women emigrants were found where they were persuaded to go abroad under false pretences.
Several processions were held to avert the plague.
Nearly all the women and boys who emigrated went to the Straits.
7. Po Leung Kuk Society: 412 women & girls admitted to the home, or 27 more than in 1899.
8. Botanical Report: Nothing new to note.
9. Public Works: An excellent system of drainage is spoilt by Chinese misuse.
The Praya Reclamation Works get on well.
A new Port Office is urgently needed; so are roads.
The Dept is very short-handed.
10. Post Office: International correspondence of 734,460 cards; local correspondence shows a decrease of 26,930.
Sale of stamps shows an increase of $57,736.
Penny postage has increased the volume of correspondence very largely.