Omit.
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The total strength of the Police Force in 1921 was Europeans 185, Indians 430, Chinese 726, making a total of 1,341 exclusive of These the five superior officers and staff of clerks and coolies. figures include polico paid for by the railway and other Government departments. Of this force 15 Europeans, 127 Indians, and 58 Chinese were stationed in the New Territories during the year.
The District Watchmen Force, numbering 102, to which the Government contributes $2,000 per annum, was wall supported by the Chinese during the year. These watchmen patrol the streets in the Chinese quarter of the City. They are placed on police beats and are supervised by the European police on section patroi.
The total number of persons conquitted to Victoria Gaol was 1,900 as compared with 5,153 in 1920. Of these 1,732 were committed for criminal offences against 1,999 in 1920. Of committals for non- criminal offences there were 7 less for hawking without a licence, and 9 less for unlawfully boarding steamers, than in 1920.
The daily average of prisoners confined in the Gaol was 764, the average for 1920 being 73, and the highest previous average being 756 in 1919. The percentage of prisoners to population, according to the daily average of the former and the estimated number of the latter, was 012. The average percentage for the last ten years was 012. Owing, however, to the large floating population, which is constantly moving between the Colony and Canton, the percentage of crime to population does not convey an accurate idea of the comparative criminally of the residents of the Colony. The Victoria Gaol has accommodation for 707 prisoners. The Branch Prison at Laichikok hau adcommodation for 200 prisoners.
The prison discipline was satisfactory, the average of punish- ments per prisoner being 120 as compared with 99 in 1920 and
096 in 1919.
Long sentence prisoners serving two years and upwards are taught useful trades, including, printing, book-binding, tin-smithing, mat-making, tailoring, carpentering, ot. The profit on the work lone was $77.750.18 as against $64,014 in 1920. A sum of $4,858 was received and credited to Government for non-Government work as against $3,593 in 1920,
-VITAL STATISTICS.
(a.) POPULATION,
The civil population of the Colony, according to the census taken on April 24th, 1921, was 625,166, of whom 83,163 reside in the New Territories and in New Kowloon; at the census taken in
Gad 8.
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1911 it was 456,739 with 104,287 as the figure for the New Territories and New Kowloon. The estimated total population at the middle of the year under review was 686,680, but this includes the New Territories; and, as the birth and death figures given below do not include those from this area (with the exception of New Kowloon), the population for the purposes of calculating these rates is estimated at 585,880, of whom 14,100 were non-Chinese.
The distribution of population estimated to the middle of 1921 was as follows:-
('hinese
Population.
Non-Chinese Civil Community,...
14,100
City of Victoria (including Peak),...
360,000
Villages of Hongkong,
18,300
Kowloon (including New Kowloon,
120,000
New Territories,
100,800
Population afloat,
73,420
672,580
686,680
Total Chinese Population,
Total Civil Population,
(b) PUBLIC HEALTH AND SANITATION.
The activity in building operations, which has been so notice- able a feature since 1912, has not abated, and the demand for housing accommodation by the Chinese continned to be greatly in excess of the supply, as many of those who fled with their families to Hongkong during 1911, 1912, and 1913 elected to remain in the Colony,
The birth-rate for the year was 5'68* per 1,000 among the Chinese community and 25.88 per 1,000 among the non-Chinese community, as compared with 3'90 and 19-78 for 1920.
The death-rate for the year was 2020 per 1,000 among the Chinese community and 1808 among the non-Chinese civil com- munity, as compared with 22-78 and 179 for 1920.
The number of deaths from Malaria (332) was the same as for 1920. The deaths of Chinese from this cause in the City of Victoria numbered 142 out of a population of 360,000 or a rate of 0:39 per 1,000 per annum.
The deaths from Plague numbered 130 as compared with 120 in 1920.
Small-pox deaths numbered 162, all but two were Chinese.
T'here were 3,832 deaths from respiratory diseases other than Pulmonary Tuberculosis as compared with 3,834 in 1920, and 80 of
This figure in wholly misleading as it la impossible to register more than portion of the births.
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