Sessional_Paper_1901 — Page 403

BIRTHS.

The births registered during the year were as follows :—

Chinese,

Non-Chinese,. {White,

Coloured,

Males.

Females.

Total.

431

247

678

69

54

123

82

56

138

582

357

939

399

This is equal to a general birth-rate of 3.3 per 1,000 as compared with 4.3 per 1,000 in 1899 and 4.7 per 1,000 in 1898. The birth-rate among the Non-Chinese community alone was 15.1 per 1,000 as compared with 17.7 per 1,000 in 1899 and 15.9 per 1,000 in 1898.

The nationalities of the Non-Chinese parents were as follows:-British 108, Portuguese 72, Indian and Malay 62, German 12, Japanese 4, French, Italian and Spanish 1 each. The preponder- ance of male births over female births is still very marked, as in former years, being, among the Non- Chinese population, 137 to 100, as compared with 104 to 100 in Great Britain. It appears, moreover, to vary considerably in successive years, as in 1899 it fell to 113 to 100, while in 1898 it was 136 to 100, and 1897 it was 115 to 100.

The number of Chinese births registered does not however give an accurate record of the number of births of Chinese which have occurred in the Colony, for many of the infants that die during the first month or so of life remain unregistered, although their deaths must be registered to obtain the necessary burial orders. It has been customary therefore to add to the registered births the number of infants of one month old and under that die in the various Convents or are found by the Police in the streets or in the harbour. The number during 1900, was 314 males, 492 females, and 1 of which the sex is unrecorded, making a total of 807 and the addition of these figures to the registered Chinese births gives a total of 1,485 births as compared with 1,501 in 1899. The corrected birth-rate is therefore 5.5 per 1,000 among the Chinese population alone, while the general birth-rate becomes 6.2 per 1,000. The above figures indicate in a striking manner the indifference of the Chinese towards female infant lives, for of the births which were registered, the proportion of sexes was 174 males to 100 females, while the total Chinese births as calculated above show a proportion of only 100.8 males to 100 females, and the dead bodies of infants found in the streets or left at the doors of the Convents show 63.8 males to 100 females.

DEATHS.

The total number of deaths registered during the year was 6,773 as compared 6,181 during the previous year. The death-rate for 1900 was therefore 23.9 per 1,000 as compared with 23.8 per 1,000 in 1899, and an average of 22.2 per 1,000 during the preceding five years. These deaths include 1,022 from Bubonic Fever (Plague).

The following table gives the death-rates during the past twenty years, inclusive and exclusive of deaths from Bubonic Fever, and exclusive in every case of the Naval and Military populations and deaths, as until the last six years, these latter populations were not ascertained :-

1881,

..24.07

1891,

..23.801

1882,

.26.11

1892,

.20.70

1883,

.30.04

1893,

22.70

1884,

26.91

1894,

.30.37

1885,

.32.36

1886,

.31.79

Average 27.84

1895,

21.89

1896,

.24.25

Average 23.40

1887,

.28.59

1897,

19.13

1888,

.31.72

1898,

.22.71

1889,

.23.64

1899,

.24.33

1890,

.23.19 J

1900,

24.12 J

Excluding Plague.

1894,

1895,

1896,

1897,

1898,

1899,

...19.85

21.74

.19.79

19.05

..17.98

.18.65

.21.10

1900,