REVIEW
11.
committee of inquiry and eventually were confirmed for a period of 75 years without the option of renewal. This period was authorized by the Secretary of State in despatches of 1844 and 1845 and extended to non-building as well as building land.
In response to complaints from landowners about short tenure and high Crown rents, the Governor in 1848 sought authority to extend the 75 year term to a period of 999 years so as to 'convey to the landholders all the advantages that attach to a permanent grant without saddling them with the inconvenience sometimes attending the tenure of real property'. The Secretary of State accepted this proposal, albeit reluctantly, in preference to an actual reduction in Crown rent, as the only solution acceptable to the general body of landowners and in March-1849 extensions of 924 years free of charge, were offered in respect of all urban 75 year leases. All offers appear to have been accepted. For the next 50 years 999 years became the standard period of lease for all marine and inland lots (but not normally Kowloon inland lots); rural building and garden lots and all but a few Kowloon inland lots were granted for periods of 75 years only.
In 1898 it was laid down that no further 999 year leases should be granted and there was established the term of '75 years re- newable for a further period of 75 years at a reassessed Crown rent' which has remained the standard term of lease for land in the ceded territory (including Kowloon) since that time. This des- patch also allowed, as an exception to the general rule, the grant of 99 year leases with renewal for a further 99 years, and leases on this term were issued in a number of areas, notably for land granted on the Praya East reclamation in the 1920's. In the New Territories (including New Kowloon) the period of lease was, until late 1959, expressed as the remainder of a period of 75 years from 1st July 1898 with the option of renewal at a reassessed Crown rent for a period of 24 years less the last three days, thus covering the period up to the expiry of the term for which the New Terri- tories itself is leased to Great Britain, subject to revision of Crown rent in 1973. Since 1959 leases in this area are expressed as being for terms of 99 years from 1st July 1898 less three days, thus giving, in 1964, a term of 33 years without revision of the Crown rent.
In Kowloon from 1860 until 1898 the standard period of lease was 75 years only. This period saw the planning and sale of the