27. Towards the latter part of the financial year there appeared to be a considerable increase in the number of refugees and others arriving in the Colony which further aggravated the already desperate housing problem.
28. Owing to great pressure of work in connection with the registration of persons in the Colony the Government Statistician was unable to analyse the information obtained by the medico-social survey referred to in my last annual report.
29. In August and September and again in December and January 1960 there was a small outbreak of acute enteritis of infants on the ground floor of the maternity block of the Kowloon Hospital. In the first outbreak there were 43 cases and 4 deaths and in the second outbreak there were 28 cases and no deaths. This institution, like all other medical depart- ment institutions and particularly those concerned with maternity work, was grossly overcrowded. No organism was identified as being responsible.
III-VITAL STATISTICS,
A. Population.
30. In previous reports two population estimates have been given, one published by the Department of Statisties and one based on other sources of information. In recent years these two estimates have differed more and more widely and it is proposed throughout this report to accept the population estimate published by the Government Statistician and base vital statistics on that figure.
31. Unfortunately the proposed census has been further postponed, partly on account of the time occupied by the registration of persons and partly because, owing to conditions outside the Colony, the population is unstable and this would render any census of doubtful value for statistical purposes a very short time after it was completed.
82. Medical Department statistics, such as the number of births, the number of deaths from cancer, intra-cranial vascular lesions and cardiac lesions, all suggest there has been a consider- able increase in the population since 1947 and that an estimate of 1,867,000 for the mid year population for 1949 may well be on the low side; on the other hand a death rate of 8.8 per mille which this population estimate would give must necessarily be accepted with very considerable reserve. Registration of births and deaths is very complete in Hong Kong and approaches the 100% mark, and with the exception of a small number of deaths occurring in the more outlying places in the New Territories, the causes of death are certified by a doctor.
7
33. In those outlying places deaths are recorded at the nearest Police Station as being from natural causes or other- wise following an investigation by the Police. Those deaths recorded as being from natural causes amount to 6.7% of the total deaths recorded in the Colony.
34. Table 1 gives the population figures from 1920-1949 excluding the period of occupation by the Japanese.
Year
1920
1921
***
1922
1923
1924
1926
1926
1927
1928
1929
1930 1991
1932
1933
1934
1985
1936
1937
1988
1939
1940
1941 1942-1944
TABLE 1.
Estimated Population.
4คน
พ
H.W
1945 (September)
1946
1947 1948 1949
+ **
Ꭸ
...
24
(1) Estimated Population
648,150
625,116
638,300
667,900
695,500
726,100
710,100
740,300
A
766,700
802,900
*
838,800
840,473
900,812
922,643
944,492
966,341
988,190
1,281,982
---
1,478,619
1,760,256
1,821,893
1,639,357
+++
***
+4
TII
IM
++
410
Not available
(Japanese Occupation)
...Under 600,000
1,500,000
1,600,000
1,750,000
1,800,000
1,857,000
(1) Official estimate published by the Department of Statistics in Government Gazette, Supplement No. 4 of
March 4th, 1949.
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