ADMINISTRATIVE REPORTS FOR THE YEAR 1937
Table of Contents
1 Geography, including Climate and History
2 Government
3 Population and Births and Deaths
4 Public Health
5 Housing
6 Production
7 Commerce
8 Wages and Cost of Living
9 Education and Welfare institutions
10 Communication and Transport
11 Banking, Currency, Weights and Measures
12 Public Works
13 Justice and Police
14 Legislation
15 Public Finance and Taxation
A Financial Returns
A(1) Finances (Missing)
A(2) Audit office
B Assessment
C Secretariat for Chinese affairs
D Harbour office
E Imports and Exports office
F Royal Observatory
G Supreme Court
G(1) Registrar of Trade Marks
H Police Magistrates' Courts
I Land office
J New Territories
K Police and Fire Brigade
L Prisons
M Medical and Sanitary
M(1) Sanitary
N Botanical and forestry
O Education
P Volunteer Corps (Not Published)
Q Public Works
R Post office
S Railway
Chapter I.
GEOGRAPHY, INCLUDING CLIMATE AND HISTORY.
The Colony of Hong Kong is situated off the south-eastern coast of China between latitude 22° 9′ and 22° 17′ N. and longitude 114° 5′ and 114° 18′ E. The island is about eleven miles long and two to five miles in breadth, its circumference being about 27 miles and its area 32 square miles. It consists of an irregular ridge of lofty hills rising to a height of nearly 2,000 feet above sea level, stretching nearly east and west, with few valleys of any extent and little ground available for cultiva- tion.
2. The island of Hong Kong was ceded to Great Britain in January, 1841, the cession being confirmed by the Treaty of Nanking in August, 1842. The charter bears the date of 5th April, 1843. The Kowloon peninsula and Stonecutter's Island were ceded to Great Britain under the Convention signed at Peking in October, 1860, and under the Convention signed at Peking in July, 1898, the area shown as the New Territories including Mirs Bay and Deep Bay was leased to Great Britain by the Government of China for 99 years. The total area of the Colony including the New Territories is about 390 square miles.
3. The importance of Hong Kong has grown with the increase of China's trade with foreign countries. It is now in respect of tonnage entered and cleared one of the largest ports in the world. It is the most convenient outlet for the produce of South China as well as for the incessant flow of Chinese emigration to the Netherlands East Indies, Malaya and else- where. It is also the natural distributing centre for imports into China from abroad.
4. The Colony is not primarily a manufacturing centre, the most important of its industries being those connected directly or indirectly with shipping, such as dock and warehouse, banking and insurance undertakings. Sugar refining and cement manu- facture are also major industries, and in recent years considerable quantities of knitted goods, electric torches and batteries, and rubber shoes have been produced and exported.
5. The climate of Hong Kong is sub-tropical, the winter being normally cool and dry and the summer hot and humid; the seasons are marked by the prevalence of the S.W. monsoon in summer and the N.E. monsoon in winter. The temperature seldom rises above 95° F. or falls below 40° F. The average rainfall is 85.16 inches, May to September being the wettest months. In spring and summer the humidity of the atmosphere
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is often very high, at times exceeding 95% with an average over the whole year of 79%. The typhoon season may be said to last from June to October though typhoons occasionally occur before and after this period."
6. The rainfall for 1937 was 82.50 inches. The mean tem- perature of the air was 73.3° against an average of 71.9°. The maximum gust velocity of the wind was greater than 125 m.p.h. from N.E. on September 2nd.
7. Government:-Sir Andrew Caldecott left the Colony on the 16th of April having been appointed Governor and Commander-in-Chief of Ceylon. The Hon. Mr. N. L. Smith administered the Government until the arrival on the 28th of October, of His Excellency Sir Geoffry Northcote, the new Governor.
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8. Official Visits.-General Yu Han-Mow, Commander-in- Chief of the 4th Route Army and Pacification Commissioner for Kwangtung, visited the Colony and paid an official call on the Governor on the 8th of March. General Wu Teh-Chen, newly appointed Civil Governor of Kwangtung, paid an official visit to the Colony on the 12th of April.
9. Public Works.-During the year three major public enterprises were finished and declared open. The Governor, Sir Andrew Caldecott, on the 18th of January officially inspected the new prison on Stanley Peninsula, which has accommodation for 2,000 prisoners. On January the 30th the Governor unveiled a tablet at the Jubilee Reservoir, Shing Mun. The reservoir took four years to complete and has a capacity of 3,000 million gallons. The dam, 285 feet high, is the highest in the British Empire. The Queen Mary Hospital, a granite-faced structure standing 500 feet above sea-level in open country on the south side of the island, was opened on April the 13th. 546 beds and the most modern equipment are provided in this hospital, which replaces the old Government Civil Hospital and the Victoria Hospital.
10. Communications.-Three new passenger air-services were inaugurated during the year. On the 6th of May the Pan- American Airways commenced a passenger service from Manila to Hong Kong. On the 1st of December this service was extended to San Francisco. On the 29th of June Eurasia Airways extended their Peiping-Canton passenger service to Hong Kong.
A telephone service between Hong Kong and Hankow was made available to the public on the 20th of March providing a further link in the telephonic communication between the Colony and the interior of China.
11. Commissions.-A Commission was appointed by the Officer Administering the Government on the 7th of October to inquire into the sinking of Chinese fishing junks off the Chilang Lighthouse on the 22nd of September.
12. The Coronation.-The Coronation of His Majesty King George VI was celebrated on the 12th of May. In the early morning the Officer Administering the Government (The Hon. Mr. N. L. Smith) held a review of the combined services at Happy Valley. The parade consisted of over 2,500 members of His Majesty's forces in the Colony, and
and was witnessed by approximately 100,000 people.
At noon a meeting of the Legislative Council was held at which members signed a Loyal Address which was sent to Their Majesties.
2,000 guests attended a Reception and Ball at Government House in the evening. General illuminations, a silver Dragon and a Chinese lantern procession were other features of the celebrations.
13. Sino-Japanese Hostilities.-On the 7th of July hostilities broke out between China and Japan. During the ensuing months much of the trade bound for the interior of China was diverted through Hong Kong. Wharves and godowns remained crowded until the end of the year. The first refugees from Shanghai arrived in Hong Kong on the 17th of August. At the shortest notice approximately 4,800 non-Chinese refugees were accommodated in four Refugee Centres, in hotels and in private houses. It was not considered safe for women and children to return to Shanghai until late in December.
14. The Typhoon.--On the 2nd of September the most disastrous typhoon in local history passed over the Colony. At the height of the storm the barometer fell to 28.298 inches and it is estimated that a wind velocity of 167 m.p.h. was reached. Vast damage was done to property in all parts of the Colony, but by far the greatest sufferers were the Chinese fishing com- munity. Information was received of 1,361 native boats being sunk and it can only be presumed that many thousands of seafaring people were drowned. No fewer than 27 steamers of various sizes were sunk or driven ashore.
15. Decorations.-Among the Honours conferred by His Majesty during the course of the year, were:—
K.C.M.G.-H.E. Sir Andrew Caldecott, Kt., C.M.G.,
C.B.E.
O.B.E.-Mr. T. M. Hazlerigg, M.C. (Civil Division).
The Coronation Decorations were awarded as follows:
C.M.G.-H.E. The Officer Administering the Govern-
ment, Mr. N. L. Smith.
Kt. Mr. V. M. Grayburn.
O.B.E. (Civil Division)-Mr. D. L. King.
M.B.E. (Military Division)-Capt. H. Westlake, D.C.M. M.B.E. (Civil Division)-Mrs. J. M. King.
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Chapter II.
GOVERNMENT.
The Government is administered under Letters Patent of 14th February, 1917, and Royal Instructions of the same and subsequent dates, by a Governor aided by an Executive Council, composed of six official and three unofficial members, and by a Legislative Council composed of nine official and eight unofficial members. Prior to 1928 the numbers of the Legislative Council members were seven and six respectively. The six official mem- bers of the Executive Council are the Senior Military Officer, the Colonial Secretary, the Attorney General, the Secretary for Chinese Affairs, the Financial Secretary, all of whom are members ex-officio, and the Director of Public Works, appointed by the Governor. The three unofficial members, one of whom is Chinese, are appointed by the Governor. The six official mem- bers of the Executive Council are also members of the Legislative Council; the other three official members of this Council, who are appointed by the Governor, are the Inspector General of Police, the Harbour Master and the Director of Medical Services. Of the unofficial members of the Legislative Council two are appointed by the Governor on the nomination respectively of the Justices of the Peace and of the Chamber of Commerce; the Governor also appoints the remaining members three of whom are Chinese. Appointment in the case of unofficial members is for five years for the Executive and four years for the Legis- lative Council.
2. The Urban Council composed of five official and eight unofficial members has power to make by-laws under the Public Health (Food) Ordinance, the Public Health (Sanitation) Ordin- ance, the Public Health (Animals and Birds) Ordinance, the Hawkers Ordinance and Factories and Workshops Ordinance in matters appertaining to public health, subject to an overriding power in the Legislative Council.
3. There are a number of advisory boards and committees such as the Board of Education, Harbour Advisory Committee, Labour Advisory Board, etc., composed of both official and unofficial members. They are frequently consulted and are of much assistance to the Government.
4. The English Common Law forms the basis of the legal system, modified by Hong Kong Ordinances of which an edition revised to 1923 has been published. A further revised edition was commenced during 1937. The law as to civil procedure was codified by Ordinance No. 3 of 1901. The Colonial Courts of Admiralty Act 1890 regulates the jurisdiction of the Supreme Court in Admiralty cases.
5. The daily administration is carried out by the twenty- eight Government departments, all officers of which members of the Civil Service. The most important of the
are
...
purely administrative departments are the Secretariat, Treasury, Secretariat for Chinese Affairs, Post Office, Harbour, the Imports and Exports, Police and Prisons Departments. There are seven legal departments, including the Supreme Court and the Magistracies. Two departments, Medical and Sanitary, deal with public health, one, Education, with education; and one, the largest of all the Government departments, Public Works, is concerned with roads, buildings, waterworks, piers and analogous matters.
6. An important change in the system of Government during 1937, was the creation of the post of Financial Secretary in place of the former Colonial Treasurer, with а view to reorganizing the financial administration of the Colony generally.
Chapter III.
POPULATION AND BIRTHS AND DEATHS.
The estimated civilian population at mid-year 1937, based upon the arithmetical increase in population between the Census periods of 1921 and 1931, amounted to 1,006,982. Of this figure 984,400 or ninety-eight per centum were Chinese. Excluding Chinese, who do not register, 6,444 aliens were registered in the Colony at the end of the year and it is therefore estimated that there are approximately 16,138 Non-Chinese British subjects. Forty-eight per centum of the estimated Non- Chinese population resides in Kowloon and New Kowloon, the latter being primarily a residential area. In view of the Sino- Japanese conflict which has driven a large number of refugees to Hong Kong the estimate of 1,006,982 is considered to be within the region of thirty per centum below the actual popu- lation. The population distributed into the main districts of the Colony is shown in the following tabije:-
Island of Hong Kong.
Non-Chinese
Chinese
Kowloon Peninsula.
Non-Chinese
Chinese
New Territories.
Non-Chinese
Estimated at mid-year 1937.
9,847 437,982
10,887 339,366
476
Chinese
107,052
Maritime.
Non-Chinese
1,372
Chinese
100,000
Total Non-Chinese
22,582
Total Chinese
984,400
Totals
1,006,982
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Registration of births and deaths is compulsory and is governed by the Births and Deaths Registration Ordinance, No. 21 of 1934.
Births. There was a large increase in the number of births registered in the year under review. Whereas in 1936 the figure was 27,383 (530 Non-Chinese), in 1937 the number of births registered was 32,303 (692 Non-Chinese) an increase of 4,920. This is attributed to the increase in the population due to large numbers of refugees seeking shelter in Hong Kong and to the desire of Chinese residents to register births with a view to claiming British nationality. The number of late registrations after twelve months totalled 744 in 1937 and 272 in 1936. The crude, uncorrected birth-rate for 1937 was 32.1 per thousand of the mid-year population.
The following table provides means for comparing with 1936 the number of males and females born:
Males
Females
Totals
1936.
1937.
15,064
17,559
12,319
14,744
27,383 32,303
Deaths. Once again the Sino-Japanese conflict caused some increase to registration figures, but in addition a severe typhoon which struck the Colony on the 2nd of September and a serious cholera epidemic earlier in the year resulted in known deaths of 490 and 1,082 persons respectively.
as
In 1937 the number of deaths amounted to 34,635 against 25,380 in 1936, to which must be added 11 and 17 respectively for deaths among the Forces of the Crown. The crude, uncorrected death-rate was estimated at 34.4 per thou- sand living, the corresponding figure for 1936 being 25.8.
Male deaths exceeded female as shown in the following table:
1936.
1937.
Males
14,681
20,233
Females
10,683
14,392
Unknown
16
10
Totals
25,380
34,635
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Some 11,620 Chinese and 30 Non-Chinese deaths of infants under one year of age were registered in 1937. The infant mortality rates showed some improvement over the previous year as may be seen from the following table:-
Non-Chinese
Chinese
1936.
1937.
37
46
372
376
Still-births in 1937 numbered 913 and 976 in 1936.
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Chapter IV.
PUBLIC HEALTH.
It would appear from first sight that public health in the Colony received a serious set-back in 1937 when the number of deaths registered exceeded the 1936 figure by 9,255. When, however, (a) the sudden increase in the population due to refugees leaving Shanghai and other parts of China, (b) the cholera epidemic, and (c) the typhoon are taken into considera- tion the reason for the set-back will be better appreciated.
Malaria.-During the year 696 civilians died from malaria, an increase of 193 over the year 1936. The ratio of deaths from malaria to deaths from all causes remained practically the same for both years.
INFECTIOUS DISEASES.
Plague. No case of plague has been reported during the last eight years. A proportion of the daily number of rats collected was sent to the Public Mortuary for examination. Deratisation of ships was carried out by the Port Health Branch. Ninety-one deratisation and eighty-eight exemption certificates were issued.
Cerebro-spinal fever.-Some 157 cases were notified in 1937 as compared with 123 cases in 1936. The number of deaths was eighty-eight and sixty-five respectively.
Cholera.-The Colony suffered a severe epidemic from this disease during the year. On the 22nd July, the first case was reported and by the 31st of December 1,082 persons had died of the disease. In all 1,690 cases were reported giving a mortality rate of sixty-four per centum.
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In view of the small amount of accommodation available at the Infectious Diseases Hospital, it was necessary to reopen part of the old Government Civil Hospital in order to cope with the 1,299 cases treated. Over a quarter of a million anti- cholera inoculations were administered free by hospitals, public dispensaries and the St. John Ambulance Association and Brigade.
Smallpox. Out of a total of 129 cases reported during the year, thirty-seven were notified in April. There were ninety- four deaths as compared with sixteen in 1936.
Preventive measures against smallpox included the vaccina- tion of some 443,021 persons with lymph prepared in the Gov- ernment Bacteriological Institute.
Some sixty cases were segregated in the Infectious Diseases Hospital at Kennedy Town.
Pulmonary tuberculosis.-Ranking high among the causes of death, 3,061 deaths from pulmonary tuberculosis were recorded during the year.
Schemes for improving the housing conditions of the poorer classes are under consideration and, should these materialize, it is anticipated that they may have a definite influence upon the incidence of this disease.
Dysentery.-On 5th February this disease was declared notifiable by Order of the Governor-in-Council. From that date 576 cases were notified of which 316 proved fatal.
Enteric fever.-Sporadic. cases of enteric fever were notified during the year. There was a total of 464 cases with 176 deaths, a slight increase over the previous year which was no doubt attributable in part to the influx of refugees.
Diphtheria. There was a noticeable reduction in the figures for the year as only 308 cases and 148 deaths were notified, whereas in 1936 the figures were 375 and 214 respec- tively.
Leprosy.-Cases of leprosy were cared for by Government at the Kennedy Town Tung Wah Leper Settlement and there were thirteen deaths recorded during the year.
Diseases of the Respiratory System. (Non-tuberculous).- These diseases accounted for 10,380 deaths and occupied the first place in the list of causes of deaths during 1937. The overcrowded housing conditions, associated with the exceedingly common and filthy habit of expectorating, provide sufficient explanation for the prevalence of this group of diseases.
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THE DUMPING OF THE DEAD:
To avoid paying burial fees, and, in the case of infectious diseases, to evade the cleansing of their houses by the Health Authorities, the poorer members of the Chinese community con- tinued to dump dead bodies in the streets. In 1937 the Police found 1353 of these bodies.
HOSPITALS.
The Queen Mary Hospital which was built to replace the old Government Civil Hospital was formally opened on the 13th April. This hospital has accommodation for 546 beds and cots, 138 of which have been allotted to the three clinical units of the Hong Kong University.
The total number of in-patients admitted was 5,566 which includes 191 maternity cases. The daily average of general in-patients was 289. 4,631 general in-patients were treated by Government officers, and 229, 275 and 240 by the Medical, Surgical and Gynaecological Units of the University Staff respectively. Sixty-three per centum of the in-patients admitted were of Chinese nationality. The Casualty Department treated 1,933 out-patients (new cases). Some 295 deaths took place amongst in-patients.
The Government Civil Hospital was closed on the 30th of June after all patients had been transferred to the Queen Mary Hospital. General in-patients numbered 2,693, whilst 469 maternity patients were also treated, giving a daily average of 197. Deaths in in-patients amounted to 172.
When this hospital was closed a portion of it, "C" Block, was renovated to accommodate the out-patients department. 21,246 new cases were treated in the Government Civil Hospital and in "C" Block during the year. The building at the Queen's Road entrance to the hospital functioned throughout the year and was used exclusively for special out-patient clinics as follows:-
"
New cases.
Medical University Unit
1,624
Surgical University Unit
4,459
Gynaecological University Unit
1,890
Eye Clinic (Government)
3,126
Venereal Diseases (Government)
1,811
Total
12,910
10-
The Kowloon Hospital is situated on the mainland and stands in a medical reserve of over thirty acres. There are ninety-seven beds in the general blocks and thirty-four in the maternity block. The out-patients department as in previous years increased its activities.
The following summary shows the work carried out during 1937 as compared with 1936.
In-patients.
1936
1937
General
Maternity
Daily average.
General
Maternity
Operations under general
anaesthesia
Out-patients
3,367
3,706
1,137
1,372
104
101
23
22
1,033
1,322
66,193 101,709
Some 334 deaths took place in in-patients.
The Victoria General and Maternity Hospital which pos- sessed forty-six general and twenty-six maternity beds in two separate blocks, was closed on the 7th of June.
During the period 1st January to 7th June the hospital accommodated 199 general, and 30 maternity cases. The daily average for the general block was twenty-four and for the maternity block three women and three children. There were no deaths. The number of out-patients treated was 542.
The Mental Hospital had a daily average of seventy patients although it was designed to accommodate only thirty-two patients. The hospital is used mainly as a temporary abode for mental cases, Chinese and Europeans being repatriated to their respective countries. 149 lunatics were transferred to Canton in 1937. Some fifty-one cases remained from 1936 and 359 were admitted in 1937. Seventy-one cases were discharged as cured, sixty-two as relieved and fifty-two as not improved. There were twenty deaths.
The Government Infectious Diseases Hospital is situated at Kennedy Town on the western outskirts of Victoria. It contains only twenty-six beds which have been proved to be inadequate to accommodate the more serious types of infectious diseases. 1,299 cases of cholera, sixty cases of smallpox and eight cases
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of chickenpox were treated during 1937 at the Infectious Diseases Hospital and at the old Government Civil Hospital taken back temporarily into use.
Tsan Yuk Hospital.-Formerly financed and managed by the Chinese Public Dispensaries Committee this hospital was presented to the Government on the 1st January, 1934.
There are sixty beds of which fourteen were reserved for gynaecological cases until the Queen Mary Hospital was opened. During the year 2,096 maternity patients were treated. There were 1,934 deliveries, six maternal deaths, thirty-three infant deaths and eighty-three still-births.
The gynaecological unit treated 140 cases and performed sixty-nine operations. Only one death was recorded during the year. Ante-natal, gynaecological and infant welfare clinics were held by the obstetrical and gynaecological unit of the Hong Kong University where some 952, 572 and 2,109 cases respectively were treated or advised. This included new and old cases.
Tung Wah Infectious Diseases Hospital. As these premises had been condemned for the treatment of acute infectious diseases, they were used as a settlement for lepers, the patients. being treated by the Government Medical Officer in charge of the Infectious Diseases Hospital. The cost for maintaining the inmates, thirty cents per leper per day, is paid by the Govern- ment to the Tung Wah Committee. The number of lepers admitted during the year under review amounted to 167, having remained from 1936.
The record for 1937 was as follows:
Transferred to Sheklung Leper Settlement,
Kwangtung, China
Discharged
Discharged at own request
Absconded