Sessional_Paper_1911 — Page 109

103 (1)

No.

17

1911

HONGKONG.

REPORT ON THE CENSUS OF THE COLONY FOR 1911.

Laid before the Legislative Council by Command of His Excellency the Governor, November 23rd, 1911,

CENSUS OFFICE,

HONGKONG, 27th October, 1911.

1. The decennial Census of the Colony was taken on the night of Saturday, 20th May.

2. A date in the early summer is not so suitable as one in the winter, so far as this Colony is concerned, but there was no alternative on the present occasion as it was neces- sary for the local Census to take place on a date approximating as nearly as possible to that fixed for the General Census of the British Empire.

The Enumerators were considerably hampered by the inclemency of the weather, there being almost continuous rain. In the Kowloon City District operations had to be suspended for a time on account of floods.

3. The Census was on a very much more ambitious scale than had ever before been attempted in this Colony, and the work of the Enumerators, and more especially of the tabulating staff, was correspondingly increased.

Full particulars were obtained for all the inhabitants of the New Territories and the Floating Population. The only information required of the latter in 1906 was Sex and Age. The total number of people dealt with was 450,098 (excluding the Mercantile Marine) as compared with about 284,000 in 1901 and 320,000 in 1906. Columns record- ing Religion, Married State, Degree of Education, and Infirmities, were added to the Census Schedule, and the total number of Tables is 42, as against 22 in 1901 and 17 in 1906.

The distribution of schedules commenced on about 17th May, and they were, as a rule, collected and brought in to the Census Office within a week.

4. A Preliminary Report was published on 8th June. Many of the totals were far from accurate, and it will be advisable in future to publish no figures until the Age columns are completed. On the present occasion as in the past, the Preliminary Report was compiled from the totals in the Enumerators' books.

5. What is known as the Slip System was employed for the first time in this Colony. Schedules are distributed in the usual way, but, alter collection, the particulars regarding every individual are copied off on to a separate card, and the latter are then sorted for the various Tables. This system was strongly recommended by the Indian Census Officials, and is certainly superior to the old method of obtaining all the information required by searching through the schedules. In France the cards are used from the very commence- ment, and schedules are dispensed with. Though a saving of time may result, this system possesses many inherent disadvantages, and has not been favourably reported on. A fuller description of the Slip System appears at the end of this Report in the Notes for Guidance of future Census Officers ".