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The Societies (No. 8)-The object of this Ordinance was to repeal the Societies Ordinance, 1911, which had not proved satisfactory in practice, and to substitute a simpler system based on the Trind skid Unlawful Societies Ordinance, 1887.
The Plants (No. 11) the object of which is to enable the Governor in Council to make regulations for protecting trees, shrubs, and other planta from destruction, injury or removal. Its primary object was to protect the plant known as 'Azalea.
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The Criminal Intimidation (No. 13).-This enactment passed with a view to restrain a person from using threats of violence towards another person.
IV-EDUCATION.
No important changes have taken place in the Education Department during the year under review. The Staff has been depleted by causes due to the war, but the deficiency has been met in part by the appointment of Mistresses resident in the Colony.
The total number of pupils at schools in the Colony excluding the Police School and the uncontrolled schools in the New Terri- tories are:-
Government Schools,
Number of Pupils.
Total.
English Schools.
Vernacular
Schools.
2,020
2,929
Military Schools, -
145
145
ExcludedPrivateSchools,
121
26
147
Grant Schools,
2,330
3,409
5,780
Controlled Private
Schools,
3,670
13,719
17,398
Controlled Private
Schools, New Terri- tories. -
-
1,701
1,701
Technical Institute,
588
588
Total,
9,792
18,915
28,707
The most important schools, apart from the excluded schools, are Queen's College for Chinese, four District Schools its feeders, and the Belilios Public School for Chinese girls. There is an Indian School of growing importance now housed in a new building pre- sented to the Colony by Sir Ellis Kadoorie. Koitoon School and Victoria School for children of British parentage have an average attendance of 124. There is also a school for the children of
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the Peak District with an average attendance of 49. The Dioces School and Orphanage and St. Joseph's College are important boys schools in receipt of an annual grant. The Italian, French, and St. Mary's Convents, and the Diocesan Girls' School, are the most important of the English Grant Schools for girls.
The Hongkong Technical Institute affords an opportunity for higher education of students who have left school. Instruction was given in 1920 in Mathematics, Machine Drawing. Architectural Design, and Building Construction; in Chemistry and Physice; in Commercial English, Logic, and Political Economy; and in French, Shorthand, and Book-keeping. Classes in Sanitation (Public Hygiene) are also held, the examinations being conducted under the auspices of the Royal Sanitary Institute, London. Classes for Men and Women Teachers, both "English" and "Vernacular" are a' feature of the Institute.
The Lecturers are recruited from the members of the Medical and Educational faculties of the Colony, and from the Department of Public Works, and receive fees for their services. The Institute is furnished with a well equipped Chemical Laboratory and excel- lent Physical apparatus.
The University of Hongkong is an institution that arose from the joint enterprise of British and Chinese subscribers. It was founded with funds representing about equal proportions of Chinese and British money.
At the end of the year the number of students was 225, 77 of whom were taking the Engineering Course, 75 Medicine, and 78 Arta, While most of the students have studied in Hongkong schools, a number come from Canton, the Coast Ports of China. the Straits Settlements, Siam, and Japan. There are numerous scholarships, including those founded in honour of King Edward VII, the President of the Republic of China and by various Pro- vincial Governments.
The idea of the University is to provide, close to China, educa- tion for Chinese similar to that given in the British Universities, but at a much cheaper cost; for if a Chinese goes abroad to be educated he has to pay, besides travelling expenses, some $2,500 per annum; whereas at Hongkong the expenses of the University are $540 per annum for board and tuition, or including extras about a minimum of $1,000 per annum.
The founders of the University took into consideration the fact that Chinese students being educated abroad have usually to make their own arrangements for board and lodging. Consequently sometimes they contract irregular habits. All students educated at the Hongkong University are required to become boarders, and thus their whole lives are under supervision whilst they are there. Ample provision is made for indoor and outdoor recreation, and in this connection it is interesting to note that the Chinees residents of Hongkong subscribed a large sum for levelling a new playing field for cricket, tennis, etc. There is also a University Union building for social purposes,
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