123
( 17 )
"man has been induced to sell his land by these false misrepresentations "and he is not satisfied he can give notice to the Land Officer who will register the title until the real question at issue has been looked into "and decided. I have mentioned all this be ore by proclamation, but I "wish to emphasize it more strongly now that I see the Gentry and "Elders before me, as I am determined that if any man has been im- "properly induced to give his land away under its value, I will not
accept the sale as valid.”
44
It will be thus seen that the Government has spared neither pains nor time in trying to discover whether land has been obtained by false misrepresentations. Up to the present time 25,540 claims to land have been registered and not a single complaint has, as yet, been received of any person having bought or sold land as. has been rumoured,
J. H. STEWART LOCKHART, Colonial Secretary.
15th January, 1900.
(Enclosure No. 1 in the Colonial Secretary's Memorandum of the 15th January, 1900.)
HIS EXCELLENCY (the Honourable J. H. STEWART LOCKHART translating) said: -Now that this territory has been divided into districts and the sub-district Committee-men have been selected from the elders and gentry, I wish to meet you and to explain to you the principles upon which the government of this portion of the Colony of Hongkong will be conducted. I desire that you who have been officially appointed shall co-operate with the Government in regulating the local affairs of your villages so that the people shall enjoy security and that there shall be no disorder. The Government has appointed officials who will advise you as to sanitary improvements in the villages so that the health of the people may be preserved, for the Queen of England wishes that all Her Majesty's subjects shall be healthy and prosperous. In giving you the position of Committee-men I rely upon you to discharge your duties in a faithful and upright manner and would call your attention to the fact that one of our most stringent laws is that if as inuch as one cash is taken from the people except the rates and taxes levied under authority the person extorting it will be rigorously punished by fine and imprison- ment and be dismissed in disgrace from his position. I wish to interfere as little as possible with your good customs, but there is one principle of British law that must be observed. All punishinent for injuries must be inflicted by the appointed authority under the law. Therefore in case of injury the proper authority must be appealed to and the punishment must not be undertaken by private individuals. The time has now come when all occupiers of land must register their titles with the Land Officer. When application is made giving the exact area of land occupied, a notice will be posted in the village so that if another claims the land he can apply to the Land Officer, when the claims will be considered by the Land Court. No certificate of registration will be issued until the Crown rent has been paid. There should be no delay in registering your titles. The occupier will, in the absence of another claimant, be accepted as owner, but if the person in occupa- tion is decided not to be the proper owner the amount paid by him will be returned, and the rent will be collected from the person decided to be the lawful owner. few days ago some ill-advised people assembled near Un Long and behaved in a riotous manner, assaulting a party who were examining certain lands. I warn you against such unlawful proceedings, as this was taking the law into their own
A