ENG-1960 — Page 256

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LAW, ORDER AND RECORDS

have been made to set up other marriage registries in the next few years both in the urban areas and in the New Territories.

Births and Deaths. The registration of births and deaths is compulsory under the Births and Deaths Registration Ordinance (Chapter 174). The General Register Office is situated in the centre of Victoria, and district registries are found wherever they are most needed throughout the Colony. In the outlying rural and island areas births are registered by district registrars calling regularly at the District Rural Committee Offices, and deaths are reported to the local police stations.

After a slight decline in 1959 (for the first time since the war), the total number of births registered_ has regained its upward trend. During the year 110,667 births were registered as compared with 104,579 in 1959 and 106,624 in 1958. In addition, there were 4,115 births registered more than one year after their occurrence. Of these, 2,906 were births in the New Territories where no facili- ties for registration were available until 1932, and the facilities then provided were by no means fully used before the war.

The possession of a birth certificate has become so essential for many purposes that there has been a constant flow of applica- tions for post-registration. In the New Territories where there is a backlog of applications awaiting to be cleared, three special mobile teams are in full operation to deal with these applications. 131,160 birth certificates were issued as against 125,395 in 1959. A ceremony to mark the issue of the millionth birth certificate since World War II was held on the 1st April 1960, when the birth certificate, together with a peach-shaped gold pendant in- scribed with the character 'SAU' (meaning longevity), was pre- sented to the baby by the Registrar General.

The number of deaths registered continued its downward trend, the year's total of 19,146 being 1,104 less than that of 1959.

Adoptions. An Adopted Children Register is maintained at the General Register Office under the Adoption Ordinance, 1956. During the year 127 adoptions were registered as against ninety seven in 1959. From the time the first entry was made on 22nd July 1957, a total number of 339 adoptions has been registered.