Surrenders of Crown Land
41. 387 Deeds of Surrender comprising 405 lots or sections of lots were prepared and put through by the Land Office. Most of these surrenders were required in connexion with exchanges negotiated by Government for public purposes and with regrants of land. Many of the remaining surrenders were free surrenders of portions of scavenging lanes being taken over by Government. Only in a relatively small number of cases, mostly having to do with street widening, was any- thing paid by Government for the surrender. The total amount paid in 1962-63 was $1,697,857.
Naval, Military and Air Force Lands
42. The Land Office maintains registers of all lands held by the Admiralty, War Department and Royal Air Force, and is responsible for preparing all documents relating thereto. The year's transactions included the putting through of a very important Agreement with the War Department under which the Army agreed to give up a 42 acre site at Whitfield Barracks in the Kowloon Peninsula in exchange for the reprovisioning by the Hong Kong Government of the existing facilities on two other sites one in Waterloo Road and the other at San Po Kong on part of the old airfield land. It is estimated that the reprovi- sioning, which will take place over six or seven years, will cost about $42,000,000. Under the Agreement the War Department will endeavour to release portions of Whitfield Baracks in advance of the whole area as soon as they can be made available.
Acquisition of Land by Charities
43. The Charities (Land Acquisition) Ordinance, 1958, provides that land shall not be assured to or for the benefit of or acquired or possessed by or on behalf of or for the benefit of any charity as defined in the Ordinance or assured, acquired or possessed for any charitable purpose, otherwise than under the authority of a licence granted by the Governor. 23 such licences were granted during the year to religious bodies for miscellaneous religious purposes, non-profit-making schools, social welfare purposes, and, in one case, investment. 12 licences, including 6 in the New Territories, were in respect of flats or floors in buildings; 6 in respect of lots in urban areas totalling 58,359 sq. ft; and 5 in respect of lots in the New Territories totalling 140,541 sq. ft.
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