-C 4
The rest were sent home by the Tung Wa Hospital. 9 of them had no official papers, 2 were blind and required escorts to take them home.
17. 3 coolies were returned from Banka on account of ill-health; they were sent home through the Tung Wa Hospital.
18. During the year, 3 applications for the redemption and repatriation of assisted emigrants from British North Borneo were received by this office; all the emigrants concerned were traced and sent back.
Two applications for redemption of assisted coolies from Singapore were received: 1 was traced and sent back, the other absconded in Singapore.
Three similar applications for redemption from Banka were received: 1 emigrant returned, 1 absconded in Banka, and 1 was on his way back at the end of the year.
The expenses for redemption of Banka emigrants, which formerly were $80, have been raised to $120 owing to the great increase in the cost of passages.
19. Six passage broker's licences at $200 each were issued under the Emigration Ordinance, No. 30 of 1915.
20. Classification of Assisted Emigrants by the language spoken gives the following figures:
Cantonese, 4,693 Hakka, 3,895 Hoklo, 187 Hainanese, 82 Southern Mandarin (mostly from Kwong Sai and Hunan), 576 Total, 9,433THE BOARDING HOUSE ORDINANCE.
No. 23 of 1917.
21. 1918 was the first complete year in which this Ordinance was in full operation. Under it, Chinese Boarding Houses are divided into seven classes for the purposes of licensing and regulation.
22. Class I, Chinese Hotels.-These are run very much on the lines of European hotels: they are licensed for the sale of alcohol. Three of these houses had licences at the beginning of 1918, and a fourth, the Stag Hotel, was licensed during the year. As the licences of all boarding houses expire on October 31st each year, all four houses applied for and received fresh licences before the end of 1918.