Office. The developer will likewise make a statutory declaration setting out certain other facts, and this will be filed with the Land Officer but not be available for public inspection. On the registration or filing of these statutory declarations they will be examined in the Land Office, and if they are in conformity with the forms as published in a Land Office Notification, the Land Officer will issue to the developer a cer- tificate of compliance. The consent of the Land Officer will thereupon be deemed to have been given to agreements for sale of the flats in ques- tion subject to the conditions set out in the Notification. It is anticipated that in the normal course of events it will not take longer than two weeks from the delivery of the statutory declarations to issue the necessary certificate.
47. The arrival of three new Legal Assistants in the final two months of the year made it possible to allocate one full-time on applications for consent, and the position with respect to delays consequently began to show a rapid improvement. A fee of $1,000 is charged on each applica- tion where the lot is held under Conditions of Sale, and altogether during 1963-64 77 such fees were paid, totalling $77,000.
Modification of Lease Covenants
48. Before the war many lots were sold with height and other re- strictions which are, under the changed conditions of modern Hong Kong, no longer considered necessary. There are therefore many cases in which Government is prepared to grant modifications of the original restrictions on terms usually including the payment of an additional premium. During the year 86 applications for modifications were received, 10 fewer than in 1962-63. Most of the modifications were wanted to enable the lessee to build blocks of flats. Any questions arising out of the applications are normally discussed and decided at the meetings mentioned in paragraph 41.
49. There was an increase from 7 to 35 in the number of New Ter- ritories modification cases on which the Registrar General's New Ter- ritories Section gave advice to the New Territories Administration.
New Territories Section
50. The New Territories Section of the Registrar General's Depart- ment established in November 1962 to give on the spot legal advice to the New Territories Administration at its own Headquarters continued to operate in this capacity throughout the year. It is staffed by a Senior Legal Assistant and an experienced Land Office clerk. On Saturdays
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