ENG-1965 — Page 292

POPULATION

237

BIRTHS AND DEATHS

The registration of births and deaths is compulsory. Facilities for registration are provided throughout the Colony including the outlying areas and islands, where births are registered at rural committee offices by district registrars who pay regular visits. Deaths are registered at local police stations. The General Register Office is situated at Li Po Chun Chambers, Connaught Road Central, Victoria, where all records of births and deaths are main- tained. An important amendment to the requirements was made during the year by the Births and Deaths Registration (Amendment) Ordinance 1965, which as from 1st April extended the statutory period during which a birth should be registered from 14 to 42 days, the latter being the period allowed in Britain. The amending ordinance also increased the fees payable under the principal ordinance, some of which were the same as those originally laid down in 1872.

During the year 102,195 live births and 17,621 deaths were registered, compared with 108,519 and 18,113 respectively in 1964. These figures give a natural increase in population for 1965 of 84,574. Only 72 illegitimate children were registered without the name of the father in the birth entry.

A birth which has not been registered within one year after the date of birth may be post-registered with the consent of the Registrar, and 3,615 such births were post-registered during the year. Most of these were adults and older children born in the New Territories, where facilities for registration were not available until 1932. The New Territories cases are dealt with by mobile registration teams, which for several years were booked up many months ahead, but which have now succeeded in eliminating the back-log of cases. There were also several hundred post-registrations of births in the urban areas, many being in respect of births in the war years when there was no registration of births.

MARRIAGES

All marriages, except non-Christian customary marriages, are governed by the Marriage Ordinance. Under this, notice of an intended marriage must be given to the Registrar at least 15 clear days before the date of the marriage. The Registrar has discretion