Registrar-Generals-Department-Annual-report-1962-1963 — Page 38

1962-63 192 more brides under 21 than in 1961-62, and second, there were in 1962-63 increases over 1961-62 in the numbers of husbands and of wives in every single age group from 36-40 upwards with the exception of wives in the 66-70 group, the total number of husbands over 35 being 1,876 as against 1,730, and that of wives 692 as against 585. These increases are all the more striking when one takes into account the fact that there were 650 fewer registered marriages in 1962-63 than in 1961-62. Although no analysis has been made, it is probable that the increases in the numbers of over 35 spouses is partly due to the increase in the number of marriages between parties already married by customary ceremonies as noted in the following paragraph.

97. Section 39(2) of the Ordinance provides that the parties to a customary marriage may, if they so desire and provided they have not living any other undivorced spouse, contract with each other a marriage under the Ordinance, and that this shall not be deemed to prejudice the previous customary marriage. More and more people who have been married by customary marriage are availing themselves of this provision in order to get an official marriage certificate, and during the year no less than 1,024 marriages took place between parties already married by customary ceremonies of one kind or another. 172 of these marriages were performed at licensed places of worship, the remainder at the Registries. The total of 1,024 exceeded the corresponding figure for 1961-62 by 74.

98. Of the 11,187 marriages registered 10,909 were between parties of Chinese race. 209 of the parties married were divorced persons, and in accordance with the normal practice of the Registry the divorce docu- ments were carefully scrutinized before the marriage was permitted to proceed. There were three marriages by the Governor's special licence, and in 26 cases the Registrar in the exercise of the discretion con- ferred on him by the proviso to Section 9 of the Ordinance issued his certificate allowing the marriage to proceed before the expiry of the prescribed fifteen days' notice. The Registrar exercises this discretion only when he is satisfied that there are special circumstances justifying his doing so, and that the parties are free to marry.

Comparison with previous years

99. Table XIX gives statistics of marriages registered in the past ten years. From this it will be seen that the steadily rising trend of the previous nine years was reversed in 1962-63 with 650 fewer marriages registered than in 1961-62. This setback was not altogether unexpected

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