CO129-401 - Governor Sir May - 1913 [5-6] — Page 216

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Registrars-General, who are now charged with the work of the

examination of emigrants who are brought to them for the purpose, will have to go out and look for cases by the closer supervision of Boarding Houses and of emigrant ships.

It is not possible therefore to utilise either of these Officers for the work which I propose the new First Assistant, if appointed, should undertake. But if at a future date it is found that their time is not fully occupied it will be a simple matter to absorb one of them in some other Department.

6.

The principal duties which I would assign to the new First Assistant would be the supervision of the entire District Watchmen's Force and the greater part of the work under the Ordinance for the Protection of Women and Girls. The super- -vision of the District Watchmen's Force will include the close regulation, through it, of the registration of Householders and the conduct of enquiries necessitated by any suspicious circumstanc -es that may come to light.

7.

In connection with the re-organisation of the registration of liouseholders I have to ask your permission to amend the Ordinance so as to abolish the fees for registration and to impose a fee of 1 for a duplicate certificate of registration if the original is lost.

It is found that the imposition of a fee

militates against the original registrations and as the revenue derived from the fees is but £2,000 a year (in Estimates for the current year) it is not worth jeopardising the success of a use-

-ful measure for the sake of a sun so small.

8.

I have also to recommend that the title of the

Registrar-General be altered to that of Secretary for Chinese

Affairs. The registration of births and deaths has been now with- -draw from the Registrar-General's Department. The registration

of marriages remains and as Chinese marriages are involved it is

well that it should so remain. But this modicum of registration is small justification for retaining a title which has for years past

been