ENG-1948 — Page 17

Statistics

From June, 1948, onwards statistics relating to economic and other subjects, compiled by the Department of Statistics in consultation with the Departments

the Departments concerned, have been published monthly in Supplement No. 4 to the Gazette. The statistics for the year were summarised in the Supplement No. C. 7, Part II, to the Gazette No. 65 of the 30th December, 1948, which comprised nearly one hundred pages of figures, in 69 tables. In one of these tables 39 index figures of economic significance were presented, most of which were calculated on the basis of the monthly average figures for 1947. This table, produced on page 12 affords an extensive review, in consolidated form, of many aspects of the economic progress of the Colony during the year.

In addition the following figures, many of which further show remarkable increases as compared with those of 1947, are of interest:

People.

The population of Hong Kong is estimated to be 1,800,000 and is greater than that of New Zealand.

47,475 people were born in 1948 and only 13,434 died. In 1940 45,064 were born and 61,010 died.

The number of infants deaths per 1,000 live births was 104.7 as against 119 in 1947, 109 in 1946, 327 in 1940 and 617 in 1931.

Just under two million people entered and just over two million people left the Colony by rail, sea and air during 1948. Records are not kept of those who enter or leave by road. The number is comparatively small.

Air traffic was about 2 times that of 1947. Over 14 thousand aircraft (5,486 in 1947) carrying more than a quarter of a million passengers (81,815 in 1947) and 1.7 million kilograms of freight (845,652 in 1947) arrived at and departed from Kai Tak airfield. This represents a traffic two thirds of

that of Heath Row.

Over 3 million people were carried on the British Section of the Kowloon Canton Railway, an increase of more than a third over 1947.

Nearly 88 million passengers travelled on the Tramway, 21 million more than in 1947 and 8 million more than in 1941.

Buses travelled for 12 million miles, a distance equal to 500 times round the word and carried 76 million passengers.

Ninety thousand people per day crossed the harbour by the Star Ferry in December 1948, three times the pre-war number. During the whole year over 28 million people were carried in 108,000 harbour crossings.

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