IX.-VITAL STATISTICS.
(4.) POPULATION.
The population of the Colony according to the Ceusus taken in 1901 was 283,975 while at the Census taken in 1906 it was 301,967 exclusive of the New Territories, New Kowloon and the Army and Navy Establishments, The estimated total population at the middle of the year under review was 435,986 as follows:--
tion,
Non-Chinese Civil Community,
14,280
Hongkong,
198,720
Chinese Popula-
Kowloon, (New and Old),
80,200
Floating Population,
48,010
Mercantile Marine, -
2,990
329,020
Army, (average strength), -
4.433
Navy, (average strength), -
2,362
6,795
Now Territories, (exclusive of Kowloon),
Totul,
85,011
435,980
(b) PUBLIC HEALTH AND SANITATION.
During the year under review further progress has been made in rendering existing domestic buildings rat proof as a pre- ventive of Plague. 324 ground surfaces of houses have been repaired. and 1,675 buildings have had rat-runs filled up with cement.
The cubicle question has for many years been one of the most difficult problems in connection with the sanitary welfare of the Colony, but it would seem that, at last, it has been solved in a satisfactory manner by a judicious combination of stringent régulations with administrative discretion. The Public Health law of the Colony prohibits the erection of cubicles in ground floor rooms and limits those on upper floors to two in number, while it also limits the height of the partition walls to six feet and regulates their con- struction in certain other directions, but a discretionary power is granted by the Ordinance which has now been vested in the Medical Officer of Health and the Assistant Medical Officer of Health and they have thus been enabled to permit the erection of a larger number of cubicles on any floor, wherever the lighting and ventilation of the premises has been found to warrant suel a concession.
New buildings (domestic) to the number of 93 were erected during the year and in these the effect of the present Ordinance is seen in the increased amount of open space about the houses, which the law requires. Scavenging lanes which have to be provided in the rear of new houses also increase the open space about them and tend to reduce overcrowding.
The general death-rate for the year was 22:50 per 1,000 among the Chinese community and 1004 per 1,000 among the non-Chinese community as compared with 2168 and 12:45 respectively during 1000.
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21
During the year there were only 23 deaths from Plague con- pared with 108 in 1909 and 986 in 1908.
There were 2,603 deaths from Respiratory Diseases amongst the Chinese, 765 of which were due to Phthisis, a percentage of 10'3 of the total deaths amongst that community.
Beri-beri caused 566 deaths-as against 545 in 1909.
The deaths from Malaria were 591 as against 422 in 1909, and 499 in 1908. The temporary increase is regarded as being partly due to large building works on the confines of the City, where there are untrained mountain streams which contain Anopheles mosquitoes and partly to the intermittent nature of the rainfall during the year. The streams are being trained pari passu with the completion of the building works.
(c) CLIMATE.
The average monthly temperature throughout the year was 720° F. as compared with 727° F. in 1909 and 720° F. during the ten preceding years. The maximum mean monthly temperature was attained in July, when it reached 87-0° F., and the mean minimum monthly temperature was recorded in December, when it was 54'9° F. The highest recorded temperature during the year was 913° F. on the 29th August, and the lowest 442° F. on the 25th January.*
The total rainfall for the year was 7012 inches as compared with an average of 8110 inches during the ten preceding years. The wettest month was June with 18:19 inches, the dryest, October, when 004 inch was recorded. The greatest amount of rain which fell on any one day was 8'11 inches on the 1st July, while no rain fell on 254 days of the year. The mean relative humidity of the atmosphere for the year was 77 per cent., as compared with an average of 77 per cent. during the ten preceding years. The average daily amount of sunshine was 60 hours being 53 per cent. of the possible duration.
These figures are those recorded at the Observatory, Kowloon, and there is a very cousiderable divergence between that place ani Hongkong (low levels), the Peak District, or Tai Po (New Territories), both in rainfall, temperature and humidity.
X-POSTAL SERVICE.
The total amount paid into the Treasury in 1910 by the Postal Department was $756,295.02 from which sum $237.228.48 was transferred to other heads of General Revenue under which fecs and duties are paid in postage stamps, which are now sold exclu- sively by the Post Office, leaving the sum of $519,060.54 as the approximate revenue from the Postal Service. The total expen- diture amounted to $470,984.35. The result of the year's working shows a profit $48,082.19.
* These are the temperatures recorded by the Observatory at sen-level. The temperature in the high levels at the Penk averages some 10° less.
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