Hong Kong Annual Administration Reports, 1841-1941
COLONIAL REPORTS-ANNUAL.
Canton with the Viceroy of the Two Kwang for despatching to Hong Kong labourers recruited at Wuchow by the Chinese officials. The class of recruits obtained in this manner was not satisfactory nor were the numbers obtainable from the two Provinces, in the face of opposition from persons interested in recruiting for other countries, sufficient to justify the maintenance of the depôt here. The attempt was therefore abandoned after 1,746 labourers had been despatched.
A rebellion in Kwang Si, which died down towards the end of the year, enabled Hong Kong to render a service to China by rigorously maintaining restrictions on the export of arms and ammunition from the Colony.
The construction of a railway from Canton to the frontier of the territory under British jurisdiction, for which the British and China Corporation had made a preliminary agreement with the Chinese Government on the 28th March, 1899, formed the subject of discussion in London with the Directors of the Corporation with a view to an arrangement being made for working this railway with one to be constructed from the frontier of the New Territories to the sea at British Kowloon. The strong feeling of the Government and of the entire commercial community of the Colony as to the importance of the complete undertaking to the prosperity of Hong Kong was expressed in the Report on the Blue Book for 1903.
During the year the work of the New Territories Land Court, established in 1900, and subsequently reconstituted, was completed. 354,277 separate lots had been demarcated and their ownership determined at a cost of $143,615. Appropriate titles to these lots have been since issued.
The rice crops in the New Territories were good, and an increase in the number of houses in nearly all the villages evidenced increased prosperity. The peasants appeared to appreciate the greater security they derived from adequate police protection and showed willingness to assist in improving road communications.
Building activity in old Kowloon and Yaumati gives hope that in time the considerable available area on the mainland south of the hills will furnish relief to the congested districts of Victoria. This relief will probably be accelerated when the proposed railway is in hand.
On the Island satisfactory progress was made on the two large docks under construction by the Admiralty and by Messrs. Butterfield & Swire. The 3' 6" electric Tramway from Kennedy Town through Victoria to Shau-ki-wan village (91/2 miles of route) was opened to traffic and in spite of fares that are high for China is largely used by Chinese of all classes.