Sessional_Paper_1899 — Page 304

HONGKONG.

301

No. 15

99

REPORT OF THE ACTING REGISTRAR GENERAL FOR 1898.

Laid before the Legislative Council by Command of His Excellency the Governor.

REGISTRAR GENERAL'S OFFICE,

HONGKONG, 14th April, 1899.

SIR,-I have the honour to make the following Report on the work of this Department for the year 1898.

REVENUE AND EXPENDITURE.

The revenue collected during the year amounted to $127,610.73 as against $113,759.66 collected in 1897. Apart from the item Certificates of Identity issued to Chinese in which there is an increase of $4,793, substantial increases are to be noted under the headings: Hawkers, Boats, and Markets, The increase of $4,202.93 in the Market Revenue comes principally from the Central, the Western, and the Saiyingpun Markets. That in the Central is partly due to an increase which I effected in August in the rents of 56 of the stalls, mostly fish and vegetable stalls, after satisfying myself that there was no injustice to the tenants in raising the rents. The total monthly increase was $192.25-an average increase of 70 per cent. for each stall. In the Western Market the increase is due in a large measure to the inclusion in the Market of the basements of four houses in Queen's Road. These basements, situated in a very favourable position, close to the entrance, are now leased by the Government and have been sub-let for $234 a month. The increase of 16 per cent. in the revenue from Hawkers' Licences is probably to be attributed to the lenient way in which the Police enforce the law against depositing wares on the roads. The increase in the revenue from Boat Licences is due to an increase in the number of cargo-boats and lighters. The fee for Certificates of Identity to Chinese desirous of entering the United States was raised in April from $25 to $50. I anticipate a decrease in the revenue from this source next year, as according to instructions issued in July by the Government of the United States, several classes of persons, who until then had been permitted to enter, are now excluded.

The expenditure during the year was $13,128 as compared with $13,488.95 in 1897.

PO LEUNG KUK IncorporaTION ORDINANCE. (No. 18 of 1893.)

WOMEN AND GIRLS PROTECTION ORDINANCE.

(No. 9 of 1897.)

The report of the Po Leung Kuk Society for the year 1898 has been already forwarded to you. The expenditure for the year was a little over $5,000, whilst the revenue from subscriptions and from interest only amounted to something over $2,400. The financial position of the Society occupied the attention of the Permanent Board at more than one meeting, and it was finally resolved to ask for subscriptions from the guilds which subscribe to the Tung Wá Hospital. The guilds have readily agreed to subscribe, but their annual subscriptions will not exceed $2,000 and there is therefore at the lowest computation a gap of $400 to be filled up each year. In the meantime the Society can draw upon the balance remaining from the $30,000 originally subscribed. In July the Society appealed to the Government for an annual grant of $1,000, but their application was refused.

In June the Society received through the Consul for Japan a silver cup presented by the Bureau for Decoration and Merit in recognition of the protection afforded by the Society to Japanese women who had been fraudulently brought to Hongkong.

The number of women and girls detained under Part II. of Ordinance No. 9 of 1897 was 225. The average number detained each year from 1891 to 1894, inclusive, is 247, and during the succeed- ing four years, 229. Table IIA shews what action was taken in each case, whilst Table IIB gives particulars as to girls who have been handed back to their guardians under security.

The number of girls reported to the Po Leung Kuk as being missing in Hongkong was 48. Of these only 15 are reported to have been found. The rest, I have little doubt, were kidnapped and sold into brothel slavery.

The number of warrants issued under section 30 of Ordinance No. 9 of 1897 to search “sly brothels " was 671, and 17 girls were rescued.

EMIGRATION.

The number of female passengers and boys examined at the Emigration Office and allowed to proceed to their destination was 8,497 as compared with 8,501 in 1897. The number of women detained for enquiries was 67; and of these, 64 were found to have been persuaded to go abroad under false pretences.