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year 1907. The number of minor offences reported shows a decrease of 475 as compared with 1910, and was 877 below the average of the quinquennial period.
The total strength of the Police Force in 1911 was Europeans 134, Indians 399, Chinese 547, making a total of 1,080 (as compared with 1,012 in 1910) exclusive in each case of the five superior officers and staff of clerks and coolies. These figures include police paid for by the railway and other government departments, and by private firms. Of this force 13 Europeans, 92 Indians and 47 Chinese were stationed in the New Territories during the year, under the District Officer.
The District Watchmen Force, numbering 124, to which the Government contributes $2,000 per annum, was well 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 patrol.
The total number of persons committed to Victoria Gaol was 4,178 as compared with 4,867 in 1910. Of these 1,191 were committed for criminal offences, against 1,212 in 1910. Of committals for non-criminal offences there were 9 less under the Prepared Opium Ordinance, and 13 less for infringement of Sanitary Bye-laws, than in 1910.
The daily average of prisoners confined in the Gaol was 595, the average for 1910 being 547, 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 1.61 as compared with 1.33 in 1910 and 1.38 in 1909.
Long sentence prisoners serving two years and upwards are taught useful trades, including printing, book-binding, washing, mat-making, tailoring, oakum-picking, etc. The profit on the work done was $51,833 as against $48,902 in 1910. There was $4,627 received and credited to Government for non-Government work against $4,253 in 1910.
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