2 -
Civil
povulation.
ation
Adults.
Illiteracy.
Preponderance of Chinese.
Chinese of British Nationality.
3.
4.
For the purpose of this memorandum it seems desirable,
where direct evidence to the contrary is not available, to
adhere to the figures of the 1931 census.
On this basis the civil population of the Island of
Hong Kong and that part of the Kowloon peninsula which
would lie within the administrative area of the Municipality
would be approximately 666,000.
Of this number some 404,000 would be resident on the
Island and 262,000 on the mainland.
These figures do not include a population afloat
amounting to some 46,000.
On the same basis the number of adults would be
approximately 416,000, made up of 248,000 males and 168,000
females.
It is noteworthy that the 1931 census disclosed that
only 22.26 per cent. of adult Chinese women claimed to be
able to read and write their mother tongue and it would
be in keeping with oriental tradition that only a negligible
percentage would have any formed and independent opinion on
such matters as mnicipal affairs.
In 1931 the Colony's heterogeneous community was made
up of forty-three different races and those of Chinese race
formed 97.7 per cent. of the civil population of the whole
Colony. For the urban areas this percentage would be
slightly reduced because the population of the New Territories,
which was a factor in its ascertainment, is almost entirely
of Chinese race.
Of the population of Chinese race within the proposed
administrative area of the Council approximately 140,000,
or 21 per cent., claimed local birth and thus would be of
British nationality. It is, however, interesting to note
that only 2.3 per cent. of those of local birth claimed to
be British subjects.
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