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INDICTMENTS AND INFORMATIONS IN THE SUPREME COURT OF HONGKONG, Including Courts analogous to the Courts of Quarter Sessions in England, ¿e.,
District Courts, &c. (Year, 1899.)
Showing how the cases tried in the Superior Courts ended.
(Each Prisoner tried counts ns
a separate case; where a large number of Prisoners have been convicted together, the fact is mentioned in a note.)
Total,
Judgment for the Crown,
6
Judgment for the Prisoners,
Prisoner found lusane,
12
2
Cases which fell through for want of prosecution or ab- sence of accused, and cases thrown out by the Grand Jury (Attorney General),...
9
Cases postponed,
98
8
Including Attempts and Conspiracies to commit the several offences.
Murder.
Manslaughter.
Attempt at Murder.
:
:
Concealment of Birth.
Abortion,
10
Rape.
Unnatural Crimes.
Robbery with Violence.
Other Offences against the Person.
Offences against Property.
Miscoliauonus Offences.
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VIL-VITAL STATISTICS.
A-POPULATION.
The following is the estimated population in the middle of 1899 :~~-
Non-Chinese Population......
8,015
Chinese Population,
City of Victoria, including Peak and Stone
Cutter's Island,
..168,260
Villages of Hongkong and Kowloon,
40,530
Boat and Junk Population,
34,700
252,405
New Territory,
..... 100,000
Total Chinese Population,..
..352,405
Army (including wives and families), Navy,
3,520
3,385
Total Population,..................................
..359,310
1
34
6
18
10
3
1
5
000 in 1897.
:
:
1
There were 1,132 births and 6,181 deaths. The birth rate was 4.3 per 1,000 as against 4.7 per
These figures are exclusive of the New Territory for which no figures are available.
B. PUBLIC HEALTH.
The death rate was 23.8 per 1,000 as compared with 22.30 per 1,000 in 1898. Excluding the aths from Plague the death rate would have been 18.8 per 1,000.
The following figures show the comparison of the death rate in the different nationalities for the ast two years :--
2
i
41
11
24
Whites, Coloured,. Chinese,
1898. 16.2 per 1,000 33.6 22.54
1899.
"
12.5 per 1,000 28.3 24.4 "
11
COMPARATIVE TABLE.
COMPARATIVE TABLE showing the Number of Offences, Apprehensions, Convictions, and Acquittals for the last Four Years.
1896.
1897.
1898.
1899.
The increased mortality amongst the Chinese was occasioned by the greater number of deaths tom Plague.
The average death rate for the 14 years 1880-1893 was 26.74.
From 1894 (when Plague first made its appearance) to 1899 the average has been 23.78 includ- ag Plague, and 19.51 exclusive of Plague.
The total number of cases of Plague reported during the year was 1,480 and the total number fdeaths from this disease 1,428.
Small-pox was less prevalent than in 1898, only 69 cases being reported.
Fifty-nine cases of Enteric Fever were reported during the year. Of these, 31 were contracted 11.446cally as against 38 in 1898.
The Number of Cases reported to the Polico,.
12,975
9,629
10,896
9,023
The Number of Persons apprehended by the Police or summoned
before the Police Magistrates,
19,568
12,886 15,289
The Number of Summary Convictions:-
1. For Offences against the Person,
372
704
1,013
808
2. Gambling,
3. For Offences against Property other than Pradial Larceny, 4. For other Offences,
730
661
1,072
648
1,620
1,683
1,840
1,863
14,567
7,766
9,605
6.999
The Number of Convictions in the Superior Courts :-----
1. For Offences against the Person,
15
24
19
14
2. Praxial Larceny,
4. For other Offences,
3. For Offences against Property other than Prædial Larceny,
10
10
17
18
3
10
The Number of Persous Acquitted :-
1. In the Inferior Courts,
2. In the Superior Courts,
1,574 32
1,632 28
1,289 15
1,641
27
There was an increase during the year of 15.57 % in the numbers of serious offences reported the Police during the year compared with the previous year. This increase was in part due to the large area comprised in the Now Territory being added to the old Colony and partly to the lawless ness prevailing in the neighbouring province of China,
There were 9 cases of Diptheria reported.
For the third year in succession the Colony was practically free from Cholera.
Malarial fevers and Beri-Beri were more prevalent than in the previous year.
Beri-Beri is common among the Chinese, but the disease is not, as it now exists here, very infec- Jous and does not become epidemic.
C.-SANITATION.
Some
progress has been made during the year towards the improvement of the general sanitary condition of the Colony.
The most important measure has been the passing of the Insanitary Properties Ordinance by the provisions of which every existing domestic building must be provided with an open space in the rear
not less than 50 square feet, while every domestic building erected after the passing of the Ordinance ust be provided with an open space in the rear proportionate to the depth of the house.
Back-to-back houses are thus prohibited.
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