250
26
Hong Kong Annual Administration Reports, 1841-1941
COLONIAL REPORTS- ANNUAL.
committed for criminal offences, against 1,191 in 1911. Of committals for non-criminal offences there were 286 less under the prepared Opium Ordinance, and 16 less for infringement of Sanitary By-laws, than in 1911.
The daily average of prisoners confined in the gaol was 701, the average for 1911 being 595, and the highest previous average being 726 in 1904. The percentage of prisoners to population, according to the daily average of the former and the estimated number of the latter, was 0.14, which is the average percentage for the last ten years. 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 criminality of the residents of the Colony. The gaol has accommodation for 590 prisoners.
The prison discipline was satisfactory, the average of punishments per prisoner being 1.40 as compared with 1.61 in 1911 and 1.33 in 1910.
Long sentence prisoners serving two years and upwards are taught useful trades, including printing, bookbinding, washing, mat-making, tailoring, oakum-picking etc. The profit on the work done was $60,976 as against $51,833 in 1911. There was $4,636 received and credited to Government for non-Government work against $4,627 in 1911.
IX.-VITAL STATISTICS.
(a.)-POPULATION.
The civil population of the Colony, according to the Census taken on May 20th, 1911, was 456,739, of whom 104,287 reside in the New Territories and in New Kowloon; at the Census taken in 1906 it was 301,967 exclusive of the New Territories and of New Kowloon. The estimated total population at the middle of the year under review was 467,777, but this includes the New Territories; and, as the death figures given below do not include those from this area (with the exception of New Kowloon), the population for the purposes of calculating death-rates is estimated at 377,183, of whom 21,163 were non-Chinese.
The distribution of population at the Census was as follows:—
Non-Chinese Chinese Population Civil Community (City of Victoria (including Peak) 12,075 219,386 Villages of Hong Kong 16,106 Kowloon (including New Kowloon) 67,602 New Territories 80,622 Population afloat 60,948 Total Chinese Population 444,664 Total Civil Population 456,739