L
August 15, 1903.]
Districts. Lan Tao Island,
Tei I Island,
Chik Lap Kok Island, Ni Ka Chan Island, Fap Mun Island,
Pak Lap Chau Island, Kau Sai Island, Im Tin Tsz Island,
Sub-districts. The whole, with the exe-ption of small por- lops previously sur oyed near Mai Wo and Tung Chung. The whole. The whole. The whole.
The whole.
The whole.
The whole.
The whole
The staff engaged upon this portion of the work consisted, up till Jane, of two inspectors, 42 surveyors, 88 Indian chain-men, and about 60 Chinese coolies. I July, I inspector, 12 enrveyors and 43 Indian bain-men were sout back to India and, after about a month s cessation, field operations were resumed with 1 inspector, 27 surveyors, 37 Indian chain-meu, and about 55 Chinese coolies.
The demarcation of the areas surveyed during 1900 was completed by the 10 surveyors mentioned in last year's report, who are included in the cadastral staff enumerated above. They dealt with 13446,84 acres, which included 97,960 field constituting 32,824 holdings.
One surveyor, with one Indian colie, was detailed throughout the whole year for special work in connection with the Land Court.
Five office assistants were obtained from India in the early part of the year, one having been previou ly appointed osally. The number of maps dealt with during the year was 296. the boundaries being compared and the holdings and field inked in and numbered as the sheets were received from the surveyors
Two Chinese tracers were engaged in Novem- berssist in producing copies of the maps to a for the use of the Land Court.
Sickness was
somewhat prevalent among the staff, one surveyor dud two Iudian coulies dying during the course of the year and six Indian coolies being invalided back to India. Two surveyors were discharged on account of incompetence.
PUBLIC WORKS.
The works in progress of completed. during 1902, were the following
CHINA OVERLAND TRADE REPORT.
AFFORESTATION.
127
Department from the New [Territory during The revenue collected by the Harbour |1902 was $13,896.05.
POLICE.
I attach a table showing the distribution of police in the New Territory in 1902.
Tree Planting. The number of trees planted amounted to 31,746, the majority of which were the ordinary pine tre.
Most of these were planted along the Taipo Road, aud a few at Pingshan. Included in the total are 2,781 camphor trees planted along the Taipo Roat and 112 Castilton elastica planted below the 41 Chinese, with 10 boatmen, stationed in the There were 14 Europeans, 98 Indians and same road between the fourth and fifth mile-New Territory on land, and 6 Europeans, 35 stones.
Tree Seeds Sown.-Pine-tree seeds to proluce 46.800 trees were sown broad-cast in the catch. sixth and seventh mile-stones, and to produce ment area of the new. reservoir and between the 24,200 trees in sites to replace the failures of the previous year.
ger-
Camphor Trees.-Experiments were made iu sowing camphor seeds iù pots and planting the young trees out in the middle of the summer when about fiva mouths old in order to find a cheaper way of rearing this particular tree than has been pra-tised hitherto, The seeds minated and the trees were 6in. iu height when they were planted, some in prepared trenches and some in pits, but they have made very little progress since and do not give much promise of New Territory, when placed under suitable success. That camphor trees will grow in the conditions is proved by the fine specimens at there have the following dimensions in circum. Ho Sheung Heung. The trunks of seven of ference at three or four feet from the ground :- 20 feet 7 inches: 15 feet 9 inches: 3 inch: s: 11 feet 4 inches: 11 feet; 8 feet 6 13 feet inches: 6 feet 8 inches:
Fire Barriers-Ab ut 4 miles of old fire barriers, 15 feet wide, were cleared to protect the young trees on both sides of the Taipo Road.
MEDICAL
Mr. Ho Nai Hop, Chinese Medical Officer, resided at Taipo and visited periodically the several police stations and villages in the New Territory. He troated 812 native patients more than in the previous year.
Malarial Fever.-There was a considerable diminution in the number of cases occuring, especially amongst the members of the police force. This is attributed, to a great extent, to the prophylactic administration of quinine. From the 1st May to the beginning of December (I) Tai Po Road,-With the exception of each of the police, whether Europain, Indian some minor works, confined to the last 5 miles, the whole of the work was completed, the road
or Chinese, was given three gra'ns daily.
Cholera. This disease was prevalent in May. being available for ricksha traffic throughout Active measures were taken to check it by the its entire length. The distance from Tsimsha-issue of notices warning the Chinese against tsui Point to Taipo is 18 miles, the first miles consisting of roads south of the old boundary, which were male before the New Territory was taken over!
(II.) 1olice Sta in Sheung Shui-The buildings were completed and occupied by the police in May.: accommodation is provided for a sergeaut, 2 European, 12 Iudian and 8 Chinese constables; besides a charge room, two cells. etc. (III) Police Station. Tai ().—This station. which is situated near the sourthera extremity of Lan fao Island, was completed and occupied by the police in Novembert coutai. s accom. modation for a sergeant, an European coustable, 8 Indian and 4 Chin se constables and 4 Chinese boatmen, bes des charge-room, two cells, etc.
Seven police stations have now been built in the New Territory, 6 heing on the mainland and I on Lan Tao Island,
(IV.) Definit g Boundaries. Two large granite obelisks, bearing suitable inscriptious, were erected on Lan To Island, and a third near the shore of Mirs Bay, the former defining the points where the wester limit of the Concession meets the north and south supres of the I-laud, and the latter the point where the eastern limit meets the shore of Mirs Bay. The points were established by H.M.S. Brambile.
(V) Kowloon Waterworks-Taongh being constructed pricipally for the supply of the population s uth of the old boundary of British Kowloou, these works are situated almost entirely within the New Territory. Substantial progress was made with the excavation of the main dam for the large reservoir and about 3 miles of 12-inch cast-iron main were laid. The main was brought into service in October for conveying to. Mongkoktan and Yaumati the supply derived from the old intakes above Cheungshawan, and several new intakes were constructed and connected up.
eating uarije fruit, uncooked vegetables, &c., and advising them always to boil their drinking
water.
Chinese doing duty in launches.
There was a very satisfactory decrease in serious crime
follows:- figures for the
as compared with 1901, the last four years being jus
Ging robberies
Highway Boat and junk robberies and street robberies
Totals
1899 1900 1901 1902 25 20 23 11.
5 5
12
42
4
17
32 35 dinary police duties, in collecting Crown rent, Police were employed, in addition to their or- and the water police have licensed boats and ||received the fees on behalf of the Harbour
Master.
Taipo and Shatin districts in the spring of the Small-rox. This disease was epidemic at year, some twenty cases occurring with but one ing all the civil staff, and as far as possible most i death. Prompt measures were taken by vaccinat- of the villagers, with calf lymph, and apparently neighbouring districts. with success, as the disease did not spread to the
Vaccinations-Free vaccination was carried months, and altogether during the year 336 on at the police stations during the winter vaccinat'ous were performed as compared with
78 in 1901.
regularly once a week by Mr. Ho. The to'al Leprosy. The I-per asylum Was visited number of inmates was 27,
Plague.--No cises were reported as having occurred during the year.
Staff Mr. Ho resigned at the year and was succeeded by Mr. Laa Lai, a the end of licentiate of the Hongkong College of Medi- cine or Chinese.
EDUCATION.
The committee that reported on education in the Colony generally mide certain recommen- dations with regard to the New Territory which have not yet been given effect to.
HARBOUR DEPARTMENT.
The station at the island of Cheungohan was opened in September, the one at Tai O, in the island of Lau Tao, in October, 1899; that at launc', in Jaurary, 1900; that in Deep Bay on Taipo, in Mirs Bay, on board the police steam board the police steam launch, in November, 1901, and that at Saikung in April, 1902
8,359 licences, clearances, permits, &c., were From 1st January to 31st December, 1902, issued at Cheungchau; 3,390 at Tsi 0); 3,253 at Taipo; 3,010 at Deep Bay; and 3,108 at Saikung.
|
The new stations at Sheang Shui and Tai O were occupied on the 19th May and 3rd Norumber respectively.
has contioned aotive, and it is to a great extent The Chinese force stationed on the border
due to its presence that there have been fower. boundary. Increasing appreciation of the pre- incursions of robbers from over the northern
with which reports of all sorts are made to 8nce of the police is shown in the readiness them, although at t mes clan combinations and fear of revenge still make it difficult to elicit eridouco.
CRIMINAL STATISTI、8. before the Magistrates are appended. They Returus of the number of cases brought show a sati-factory decrease in crime and es- p cially in crime of a serious palure,
Mr. Hallifax, the District Magistrate in the anumber of ga-es brought before the magis- New Territories, reports that "though the trates shows a reduction, there is an ever increasing amount of work in the way of arbi- tration of disputes, nearly all of them trifling: questions of money, marrriage and fung shui are the most commou. By far the greater number of these cases are fairly easily settled, as soon as it is possible to get down to the bed rock of facts: an outside decision is all that is asked for without any reference to the senti- men'al points raised on both sides. Fung shui does at times give trouble: bat in no case yet has either party been able even after a week or enough for practical purposes. fortnight to give an iles of their case clear
REVENUE AND EXPENDITURE.
diture for the year 1902.
I aliach a statement of revenue and expen-
The collection of Crown rent has been rendered very difficult oing to the want of a rent-roll based ou demarcation. Demarcation is now practically completed and the rent-roll when collection of the rent with arrears should based on it will be ready in the early autumn, be comparatively easy if unde taken with vigour.
Transfers of holdings and parts of holdings such transfers was not ready, the collection of are frequent and as the machinery for recording rent has suffered. The New Territories Titles Ordinance now provides for this want. Changes in the trustees of common funds are also a constant source of trouble.
GENERAL,
The people seem to be more posperous than they were in a small way; a number of new houses are going up of a better class than the existing ones; there are a few new shops; a few new tea-houses show increased traffic, especially on the cattle routes; the cultivation of pine- apples is noticeably extending; and in spite of the fact that paddy is now at 83.90 a pioul, there is the exception of the Un Loong Powder Factory, no real distress as far as can be seen. But with and a few establishments in Tsiawan, there is no new undertaking of any size, unless the designated, increased activity of the brick-kilns can be so
Manila has occasioned a farore in commercial The introduction of the new Conant peso in circles on account of the difficulties experienced in teaching its value, says a Philippines journal
t