CO537-1651 — Page 151

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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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