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The City Hall receives an annual grant of $1,200 from Government. It contains a theatre, some large rooms which are used for halls, meetings, concerts, etc., a museum in which are some very fair specimens, and a large reference and lending library, to which new volumes are added from time to time, as funds will allow. The building was erected in 1866-9 by subscription.
Small grants are also given to the Italian Convent, the French Convent, (both of which take in and tend abandoned or sick infants), the West Point Orphanage, the Seamen's Hospital, and other charitable institutions.
The Chinese Public Dispensaries are institutions maintained in order to provide the Chinese with the services of doctors, whose certificates will be accepted by the Registrar of Deaths, and with the services of interpreters, who can assist the inmates of houses, where a case of infectious disease has occurred. Coolies are engaged and ambulances and dead vans provided in order to remove cases of infectious disease to the Infectious Diseases Hospital and dead bodies to the Mortuary. The Dispensaries receive sick infants and send them to one or other of the Convents and arrange for the burial of dead infants. Free advice and medicine are given and patients are attended at their houses. There are eight Dispensaries in existence. The total cost of maintenance, which is defrayed by voluntary subscription, was $38,355.32 for the year 1917. The Dispensaries are conducted by committees under the chairmanship of the Secretary for Chinese Affairs.
VIII CRIMINAL AND POLICE.
The total of all cases reported to the Police was 9,508, being a decrease of 1,811 or 16 per cent. as compared with 1916. There was in 1917 a decrease in serious offences of 93 or 2.64 per cent. as compared with the previous year. The number of serious offences reported was 126 over the average of the quinquennial period commencing with the year 1913. The number of minor offences reported shows a decrease of 1,718 as compared with 1916 and was 41 below the average of the quinquennial period.
The total strength of the Police Force in 1917 was Europeans 160, Indians 481, Chinese 588, making a total of 1,229 (as compared with 1,215 in 1916) exclusive of the five superior officers and staff of clerks and coolies. These figures include police paid for by the Railway and other Government Departments. Of this force 15 Europeans, 137 Indians, and 33 Chinese were stationed in the New Territories during the year.
Up to the end of the year one Assistant Superintendent, one Probationer, and 59 members of the Hongkong Police Force had enlisted for active service.