N°16
262
With regard to the second paragraph of your letter, you may be aware that it is the intention of our client to forward the correspondence that has passed upon the subject of this transfer of land to the Right Honourable the Secretary of State for the Colonies, believing as she does that she has been treated oppressively in this matter.
We do not think however that she will make any difficulty in surrendering the land at once to the Government if that will be convenient; upon the understanding that no steps are taken to proceed with the valuation of the land by arbitration, until an answer to her petition has been received from the Secretary of State. In the event of her so surrendering it we presume that reasonable time would be given her, and all facilities afforded her, for removing and rebuilding upon the same plans her house.
Yours faithfully,
(Sd.) DENISON RAM & GIBBS.
We return you the formal notice of resumption.
N°17
No. 1548.
Gentlemen,
Public Works Department,
Hongkong, 14th November, 1906.
Kowloon Farm Lots Nos. 3 and 4.
I beg to acknowledge receipt of your letter of this date. As regards no reply being sent to your letter of the 22nd ultimo, I thought I had made it clear in my letter of the 11th ultimo that no further concessions could be made and, as your subsequent letter merely repeated a proposal which you had been informed that the Government could not entertain, I did not consider that it required any reply from me.
I note what you say about the plans to accompany your appeal to the Secretary of State. They will doubtless be sufficiently accurate for the purpose for which you propose to use them, if copied from the map published by this Department.
I have the honour to be,
Gentlemen,
Your obedient servant,
W. CHATHAM.
Director of Public Works.
Hongkong, 14th November, 1906.
The Hon. T. SERCOMBE SMITH, Colonial Secretary.
Sir,
The Hon. W. CHATHAM,
Sir,
Kowloon Farm Lots Nos. 3 and 4
We have received no answer to our letter of 22nd ult. re the acquisition by the Government of a portion of the above lots, but we have received a formal notice of resumption of the land in question from the Crown Solicitor.
We presume therefore that it is the intention of the Government to disregard our client's protest against her land being taken from her at a nominal compensation fixed by yourself instead of by an exchange of land considerable areas of which belong to the Crown in this neighbourhood.
In a few days we shall forward to the Hon. The Colonial Secretary copies of the correspondence for transmission to London, and we will ask you to note that the plans attached thereto are not recent surveys but are taken in great part from existing government maps. If you should detect any serious inaccuracies in these you will perhaps be so good as to notify us of the same in order that they may be corrected before the correspondence is forwarded.
Yours faithfully
(Sd.) DENISON RAM & GIBBS.
Will you be so good as to let us know the regulations which govern the submission of correspondence which is to be transmitted for the consideration of the Right Honourable the Secretary of State for the Colonies.
Yours faithfully,
(Sd.) DENISON RAM & GIBBS,
Messrs. DENISON RAM & GIBBS.
Gentlemen,
Colonial Secretary's Office, Hongkong, 15th November, 1906.
The Colonial Secretary desires me to inform you, with reference to your letter of the 14th instant, that under No. 218 of the Rules and Regulations for His Majesty's Colonial Service, a communication addressed to the Secretary of State for the Colonies should be forwarded, unsealed and in triplicate, to the Governor with a request that he will transmit it.
Yours faithfully,
W. FLETCHER,
Assistant Colonial Secretary.
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