ENG-1949 — Page 100

removal of

of excremental wastes from the majority of buildings is carried out by the pan-conservancy system.

Many hundreds of workers in the employ of the Sanitary Department are responsible for emptying and cleansing pan receptacles and for discharging the waste matters collected into specially designed barges. These barges are stationed at convenient points along the water front. Collection and removal operations are carried out overnight.

Excremental matters are disposed of either by dumping at sea or by distribution to farmers and gardeners in the New Territories for use as fertiliser. During the year, political changes in China have caused a greatly increased demand for human fertiliser with the result that a very small proportion only of excremental wastes is now dumped at sea.

A scheme is envisaged for introduction throughout the Colony of a two-pail system, important features of which are the replacement of soiled pails by clean sterilised pails and the provision of water-tight covers to soiled pails during transit of contents to the 'sewage' barges.

That very necessary data may be available before embarking on a general scheme, a pilot service has been put into operation at Ho Man Tin, an important residental centre in Kowloon.

VITAL STATISTICS FOR 1949

A. Births

Records for births are incomplete owing to the hostilities in December, 1941, and the subsequent lack of interest in birth registration manifested by the Japanese during their occupation of the Colony from December, 1941 to August, 1945.

Year

1940

Births 45,064

1941

45,000 (estimated)

1942

10,343

1943

20,732

1944

13,687

1945

3,712 (to 31st August only)

1946

31,098

1947

42,473

1948

47,475

1949

54,774

B.

Deaths

Death registration was equally unsatisfactory during the Japanese occupation and many thousands of bodies never received burial in recognised cemeteries. Such figures as are

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