## 6. Table IV gives an abstract of Cases under cognizance of the Magistrates' Courts during the years 1937 and 1938 in comparative form. The number of offenders previously convicted who were sentenced during the year is shown and the number of offenders who were placed under Police Supervision in addition to their sentences is given. Orders made for confiscation of unmanifested cargo, etc. are also shown.
## 7. Table V is an analysis of the "convicted and sentenced" column in table IV, showing the penalties inflicted under each of the seven main heads of crime in that table. The number of offenders previously bound over whose bonds have been enforced on committing a breach of the conditions of the bonds is also shown.
## 8. Table VI is a return of boy juvenile offenders brought before the Hong Kong and Kowloon Magistrates' Courts during the years 1937 and 1938 giving their ages, the offences committed by them and the sentences imposed.
## 9. Table VII is a return of girl juvenile offenders, giving information similar to that in table VI.
## 10. Table VIII gives the number of writs issued from the two Magistracies during the years 1937 and 1938.
## 11. Table IX is an abstract of all cases brought before the Hong Kong and Kowloon Magistrates' Courts during the last ten years.
## 12. Table X shows the work done by the Magistrates sitting as Coroners.
## 13. The number of bonds enforced during the year is also shown in tables IV, VI, VII, and IX.
## 14. Proceedings were taken under the Extradition Acts against 2 persons for crimes committed outside the Colony. Both of them were discharged.
## 15. Summonses under the Separation and Maintenance Order Ordinance, 1935, in Hong Kong numbered 16 as against 4 in 1937. Orders were made in 9 of them. In Kowloon these summonses numbered 5 as against 5 in 1937. Orders were made in all of them.
## 16. There have been marked increases in convictions for various offences. The most serious is in respect of opium and heroin offences which in Hong Kong increased from 500 and 243 to 936 and 419 respectively. In Kowloon the increase was most startling from 351 and 84 to 1259 and 681 respectively. Drug addicts form a large percentage of the criminal population and divans are their favourite resorts.
There has been in both Magistracies a serious increase amounting to 25% in convictions for Larceny from the Person mainly earring snatching.
Increases of 100% are recorded in mendicancy cases. This is due mainly to the Sino-Japanese incident.
Robbery (mainly armed) shews an increase due to the amount of arms in China.
## 17. The number of licensed hawkers has decreased but unlicensed ones have increased as measured by the number of convictions. Such cases form nearly half of the total cases heard and the magistrates feel doubtful whether the energy therein expended especially by the Police is of much avail.
## 18. Magisterial sentences for adults whether punitive or reformatory shew few changes. Noticeably fewer bonds were enforced and in Hong Kong fewer persons were bound over. The average fine paid has increased from $2.82 to $3.28; the number of persons fined having increased by 2,725 but the number imprisoned in default of a fine has dropped by nearly 400. This is due to lighter penalties being imposed.