M 37-
The census report gives the population of the Colony as follows:-
Island of Hongkong,. Kowloon Peninsula, New Territories North,. New Territories South,. Floating population, Total,
347,401 123,448 66,114 17,049 71,154 625,166
The increase shown over the population at the previous census (1911) was 168,427.
The excess of males over females is very marked. At the census of 1911 there were 135,563 more males than females enumerated and in 1921 this difference had increased to 140,048.
The floating population (73,420) is distributed amongst the following classes of boats.-
Passenger boats, Lighters, cargo, and water boats,. Fishing and other boats, Hulks, Boats (mostly fishing) in New Territories,..
1,619 1,850 7,647 73 7,065
IMMIGRATION AND EMIGRATION.
There is a continual flow of the populace between this Colony and China and the population to a larger extent appears to be constantly changing, but it cannot be said to what extent arrivals in any year are of new comers or of people returning after having previously left the Colony.
The river steamers plying between Hongkong and China brought 444,044 and took away 459,571 persons.
The Kowloon-Canton Railway brought 462,379 persons and took away 435,933.
This gives a total of 906,423 immigrants and 895,504 emigrants by these routes alone but as there are other means of entering and leaving the Colony e.g. by junks and ocean going steamships these figures do not accurately show the interchange of population.
BIRTHS.
The Chinese are careless in the matter of registering births especially those of female children. It appears to be a Chinese custom not to register even the birth of a male child unless such child has survived for at least one month while female children frequently are not registered at all. This refers to the custom in China of enrolling the child's name at the ancestral temple and no doubt this custom prevents the registration in this Colony of births as required by the Births and Deaths Registration Ordinance which appears to live no counterpart in China proper.