ENG-1971 — Page 22

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Review

A DECADE OF PROGRESS

1971 was a census year. This of itself would be encouragement to record some of the changes and progress made since the last census was taken in 1961. But it was also the year in which Sir David Trench, GCMG, MC, who had returned in April 1964 as Governor and Commander-in-Chief, relinquished his commission after seven and a half years. Hong Kong's commitment to the economic inter- pretation of historical trends has never interfered with her people's traditional apportionment of credit and blame for fortune to the man visibly at the helm, or their penchant for identifying eras with individuals. This introductory review is also a farewell tribute to the leadership of a Governor who had added to the popular trust and affection shown to him by publicly and humbly insisting that he was simply an administrator.

The information collected in the 1971 census is still being analysed and only a limited indication of some general trends is yet available. These may require modification later. But the basic fact is that the total population of Hong Kong grew from 3,133,131 to 4,064,400 over the decade. An extraordinary early rate of increase was only held down to this final level because of the steady decline in the birth rate, which now stands at just over half the rate recorded for 1961. This is a trend commonly found in communities that are enjoying a rising standard of living.

There has been a marked shift of the population from the old central slums to new homes in the more outlying areas. The popula- tion of the new towns of Tsuen Wan and Kwai Chung in the New Territories alone rose by 185,000. There was a slight drop in the population of Hong Kong Island itself, from 1,004,875 to 996,183; but the crowded Central and Sheung Wan districts now house only half the people who lived there in 1961, while the population of the cramped Western and Wan Chai districts, taken together, is also down by 56,400 or 16 per cent. By contrast, there has been an in- crease of 104,000 (62 per cent) people in Aberdeen and Shau Kei