Registrar-Generals-Department-Annual-report-1966-1967 — Page 61

Re-registration of Births and Deaths

172. The Births Registration (Special Registers) Ordinance and the Deaths Registration (Special Registers) Ordinance provide for the re-registration of births and deaths recorded in registers destroyed or lost during the Japanese occupation. 92 births were re-registered during the year, and altogether 5,425 births and 66 deaths have now been re-registered under these two Ordinances.

Adoptions

173. An adopted Children Register is maintained at the General Register Office under the Adoption Ordinance. During 1966-67, 107 adoptions, 48 of boys and 59 of girls, were registered as compared with 106 in 1965-66. These new registrations brought to 1,206 the total number of adoptions registered since the first entry was made on 22nd July 1957 up to 31st March 1967. Table XL shows the relationship of adopters to the 1,184 children adopted under the Adoption Ordinance up to 31st December 1966, distinguishing sex and age. It will be seen from this that many more female than male children have been adopted, the totals being 765 and 419 respectively. 392 of the children adopted were under two years old, 94 two years old, and 178 three and four years old. Thus 664 or more than half of the 1,184 children adopted were under five years old when adopted. The remaining 520 were distributed among the age groups thus, 5-9 301, 10-14 161, and 15-20 58. In the cases of joint adopters and sole female adopters the adopters fall mainly into the category of no stated relationship. In the case of sole male adopters, however, the father is usually the adopter.

Compilation of Vital Statistics

174. The Births and Deaths Registry is responsible for the com- pilation of vital statistics for the Colony. The Hollerith system is used for compiling statistics of mortality, and information is recorded by means of punched cards, covering the age, sex, marital status, nationality, occupation, place of death of the deceased, and also the cause of death, whether the body was sent to a mortuary, and the registration number of the attending doctor. In relation to these statistics close liaison with the Medical and Health Department and the Statistical Branch of the Commerce and Industry Department is maintained.

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