Hong Kong Annual Administration Reports, 1841-1941
COLONIAL REPORTS-ANNUAL.
have frequently been made use of for various purposes during epidemics. A Government grant-in-aid of $2,500 is made to the College, to be used as honoraria to the lecturers.
The City Hall receives an annual grant of $1,200 from Government. It contains a reference library and museum.
VIII.-CRIMINAL AND POLICE.
The total of all cases reported to the police was 11,812, an increase of 560 or 4.97 per cent. over those reported in 1903. In the division of these cases into serious and minor offences, there is a decrease in the former as compared with the previous year from 4,862 to 3,532, that is of over 27 per cent., occurring in every nature of crime with the exception of offences against women and girls.
The number of serious offences reported was 334 below the average of the quinquennial period commencing with the year 1900.
The number of minor offences reported shows an increase of 1,890 over the number for 1903, mainly in offences against the Prepared Opium Ordinance, due to a considerable rise in the price of opium and consequent surreptitious manufacture and smuggling of the drug, and in offences against the sanitary bye-laws, which were more stringently enforced as the public became better acquainted with the provisions of the Public Health and Buildings Ordinance of the previous year.
The number of minor offences reported was 1,640 over the average of the quinquennial period.
The total number of persons committed to Victoria Gaol was 7,464, as compared with 7,273 in 1903, but of these only 4,027 were committed for criminal offences, against 4,644 in 1903. Of committals for non-criminal offences there were 439 more under the Prepared Opium Ordinance and 133 more for infringement of Sanitary By-laws.
The daily average of prisoners confined in the Gaol was 726, the highest previous average being 653 in 1903. The percentage of prisoners to population, according to the daily average of the former and the estimated number of the latter, was 0.201 as compared with 0.189, the average percentage for the last ten years. The Prison discipline was satisfactory, the average of punishments per prisoner being 1.1, as compared with 2.34 in 1903 and 3.42 in 1902. The continued overcrowding of the Gaol emphasises the necessity for the proposed new Convict Prison, and the question of a fresh site has for some time past been under consideration.