39
26
SECTION II.
PUBLIC HEALTH.
PART I VITAL STATISTICS.
Civil Population.
57. The estimated civil population for the whole of the terri- tories under British jurisdiction at the middle of the year was 900,812, of which 880,812 or 97.73 per cent was Chinese and 20,000 or 2.27 per cent non-Chinese. The distribution was as follows:-
Urban area of Victoria:- Europeans and Americans
27
The above does not represent the total movement between Hong Kong and the neighbouring provinces for there are many who arrive and depart by junk or sampan. It is estimated that on an average some 7,000 arrive and 7,000 depart daily.
Births and Deaths Registration.
59. The Registration of Births and Deaths Ordinance has since 1911 applied to the whole territory under British jurisdic- tion but until this year no action was taken to enforce it in the New Territories where registration of both births and deaths was the exception rather than the rule.
60. Death registration in the Colony proper being a necessary preliminary to a permit to bury, it may be taken for granted that practically all deaths are registered. Bodies found dumped or abandoned in the streets and open spaces, and they are not a few, are taken to the Public Mortuaries where they are amined by the Medical Officer who fills in the necessary certia- cates which go through the Coroners' hands to the Registrar. All certificates of death are scrutinized by the Medical Officer of Health.
ex-
61. It has been found very difficult to obtain anything like complete registration of births and a considerable number of births, especially those of females, are never reported. Every facility is offered for registration and the Chinese are more and more coming to realise its benefits.
4,000
Other non-Chinese races
5,500
Chinese
364,279
373,779
Villages of Hong Kong
Europeans and Americans
Non-Chinese other than Europeans
300 100
Chinese
43,513
43,913
Total for Hong Kong Island
417,692
Urban Area of Kowloon including New Kowloon :-
Europeans and Americans
4,480
Other non-Chinese Races
Chinese
5,600 273,244
were:-
Total for Kowloon & New Kowloon....
283,324
Junks and Sampans :-
Chinese
100,000
New Territories exclusive of New Kowloon : - Europeans and Americans
20
Chinese
99,776
Total civil population
99,796
900,812
Births.
62. The births registered as having occurred in the Colony
Chinese Non-Chinese
Total
Deaths.
13,166
431
13,597
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58. During the year 2,368,340 persons entered and 2,392,340 left the Colony by river steamer and by railroad, making a surplus of emigrants over immigrants by these routes of 24,000. Fuller details are as follows:-
River steamer
Railway
Ocean going steamers
Total
Arrived.
Departed.
1,545,162
1,668,431
823,178
728.909
606,918
435,109
2,975,258
2,827,449
63. The deaths registered among the civilian population of the Colony (including New Kowloon but excluding the remainder of the New Territories) was 19,829, giving a crude death rate of 24.74 as compared with 24.08 for the previous year.
64.
Year
Deaths
Estimated population
Death rate per
mille population
1932
Chinese
Non-Chinese
19,546 283
781,036
25.02
19,984
14.16
1931
Chinese ...
Non-Chinese
18,566 231
761,149
24.39
19,522
11.83