No.
HONGKONG.
REPORT ON THE NEW TERRITORY. FOR THE YEAR 1901,
Laid before the Legislative Council by Command of His Excellency the Officer Administering the Government.
Land Court.
I attach (Appendix No. 1) a Report from Mr. GOMPERTZ, President of the Land Court, c. work done by his Department during 1901.
The work of adjudicating upon the claims to land has naturally been somewhat slow owin the amount of preliminary work which devolves upon the Land Court before any actual adjudicat of claims can take place.
Early in the year the Court held its first sittings, and euquired into the claims at Ma W Island and in the Islands of Cheung Chau and Peng Chau, and subsequently dealt with the intri claims to land bordering on the harbour.
The actual method of procedure adopted by the Land Court, preliminary to the investigation claims, is set forth in Mr. GOMPERTZ's Report. The whole of the New Territory, with the exception Sai Kung Peninsula and Ts'in Wán, has now been demarcated, and claims to over two-thirds of this have already been lodged with the Land Court.
In view of the difficulties incident to the inception of work of this description, the Land C ay be congratulated on the work already done. The number of lots already demarcated is 158, the number of claims lodged with the Land Court 69,253. Rent Rolls for Tái P6 and fr districts of Mui Wo and Tung Chung in the Island of Lan Tao have been made out: and, wi being unduly optimistic, one may prophesy for the year 1902 a much accelerated rate of progress.
Survey.
I print as Appendix No. 2. a Report from Mr. TATE on the Survey operations in the Territory up to the close of the Field Season, 1900-1901 (July 15th, 1901).
Mr. TATE has returned to India, and the completion of the Cadastral Survey is under the di of Mr. NEWLAND. The headquarters of the Survey are at present at Tái Po. In November, found necessary to bring 48 trained Indian Survey coolies from India, as the Chinese coolie was unsuitable for this class of work.
The Topographical Survey and the Triangulation on which the mapping has been based ai completed.
During the year 1901, 11,08735 acres and 174,677 fields were cadastrally surveyed. Ir the area surveyed was 35,257·77 acres and 226,588 fields. This difference is due to the fact t Surveyors are at present working with the Demarcators, both Survey and Land Office ope being carried on at one and the same time. The change in scales from 16 inch to 32 inch h retarded the progress of the Survey. This change in scale was found to be essential: it was imp to represent the small terraced fields or to survey in detail the villages on the scale of 16 inch
mile.
I attach some photographs, which Mr. NEWLAND has forwarded to me, which will give son of the nature of the ground at present being surveyed.
The districts surveyed during the year were:--
The whole of the Shataukok District. Sub-Districts; Shun Wan, Tsoi Hang, Lam Tsui
Wo and portions of Lung Yeuk Tau of the Sheung Ű District.
A portion of the Sub-District Kau Yeuk of the Kau Lung District. 、
A portion of the Sub-District Cheung Muk Tau of the Tung Hoi District. The Islands of Peng Chau, Kat O'and Double Island, in Mirs Bay.
Portions of Lan Tao Island near Tung Chung and Mui Wo.
The accompanying map* will show at a glance the situation and extent of these di
* Not printed.