310
THE HONGKONG GOVERNMENT GAZETTE, MAY 28, 1909.
EXECUTIVE COUNCIL.
No. 318.
Rules made by the Governor-in-Council under Section 3 of the New Territories (Regulation) Ordinance, 1899, (Ordinance No. 8 of 1899), this 1st day of February, 1909,
FORESTRY LICENCES.
1. Assistant Land Officers may issue and re-issue Private or Village Forestry Licences to private persons or to villages to cultivate pine trees on unoccupied Crown Land in the New Territories. Cultivation of pine trees shall mean resowing whenever trees are felled and sowing trees on land where none have previously been grown.
2. Upon receipt of an application for a Forestry Licence the area applied for shall be marked out and notice shall be posted in an approved form and manner at least 14 days before the licence is issued stating that application for the area defined by marks has been made.
3. After licences have been issued the Licensees shall mark out the land in respect of which they are granted licences clearly at each corner with a board or stone bearing the licence number and shall maintain such marks during the term of their licences.
4. Such licences shall not confer upon the Licensees ownership of the ground nor of its natural products.
5. The Licensees shall not desecrate any existing grave on the land in respect of which they hold licences nor interfere with future burials, and they shall leave a clear space of grass one Cheung in width round every grave on their lots.
6. The holder of a Privat›› Licence shall not interfere with the cutting of grass on the land in respect of which he holds a licence. The holders of a Village Licence are at liberty to cut grass on the land in respect of which they hold a licence but the grass on a Village Forestry Lot shall not be cut by people of other villages without the permission, of the Licensees of that lot.
7. Licensees shall not interfere with persons in pursuit of their lawful avocation passing over the land in respect of which they hold licences.
8. For each licence a fee at the rate of 10 cents per acre per annum shall be charged. The fee shall be paid in advance and the minimum fee will be $1.
At the end of the first year the licences may be renewed at the reduced rate of 2 cents per acre per annum if it is found on inspection that the plantation is in good order, with the trees on each acre of about the same size and with their branches nearly touching, the lower living branches not removed and the groun I not denuded. Such plantations shall be called "A Plantations". If the plantation is not in a satisfactory condition the renewal will be at the original rate. Such plantations shall be called "B Plantations".
9. Licensees may fell pine trees in their plantations, but not more than one-fourth of the trees in a lot may be felled in any one year and no Licensee shall fell any wild trees. If in the opinion of the Assistant Land Officer of the District more than one-fourth of the trees in any lot is felled in any one year, he may refuse to re-issue the licence for such plantation.
10. The Government reserves the right to withdraw the licence at any time upon payment for the planted trees and of the outstanding part of the fee.
11. The Government shall have the first offer of trees on "A Plantations" when the Licensee wishes to dispose of them.
12. Payments for timber may be made in cash at the current rates or in the equivalent in mature timber from Government plantations at the option of the Licensee.