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6. Cadastral Work.-All questions relating to land in the New Territories were settled in 1900-05 by a Land Court on the basis of the cadastral maps prepared by the Survey Party from India and it has not been found necessary to again deal with the matter. In Hongkong and Kowloon, the cultivated areas are of small extent and any surveys required in connection with them were completed prior to the 31st March, 1909. Consequently, no cadastral work has been done during the period under review.
7. Special Work.-A Board for dealing with squatters' claims had been constituted by Ordinance in 1890 but had not concluded its labours. As the work had proceeded in a very desultory manner for many years, the Government decided that an effort should be made to bring it to a close and, with that view, the Principal Land Surveyor was appointed Secretary. In addition to the Principal Land Surveyor, fully half of the survey staff were engaged for 6 months in preparing particulars of claims to some 505 holdings comprising roughly about 930 plots of land and small houses or matsheds. These were all dealt with by the Board and the work is now practically completed.
The delimitation of lands in occupation or required by the Military Authorities, the preparation of accurate plans of the same and the settlement of areas to be surrendered by the Military Authorities to the Colonial Government under the Lewis Agreement of 1905 were all in progress during the year.
The setting out in the New Territories of areas granted to certain parties known as Taxlords, who were recognised by Government as having some claim to compensation in the form of land for the abolition of certain fees they had enjoyed prior to the British occupation, took up about a fortnight of a Surveyor's time and a month of a tracer's time.
Much clerical work is involved in carrying on the dual duties of land survey and superintendence of Crown Lands conducted by the Land Survey Branch.
8. Maps published.-No maps were published during the year.
9. Miscellaneous Matters.-The multifarious nature of the work performed by this branch in the preparation of sale particulars and lease plans; of permits and licences for cultivation, boat breaming, slipways, piers, &c.; of schemes for the laying out of new areas and the improvement of many insanitary areas and villages; of setting out reclamations, new roads, &c., &c., precludes the possibility of any considerable amount of systematic survey work. The total length of traverses run during the year between the triangulated points already valued and accepted, exclusive of detail lines, amounts to about 60 miles.
The following is a brief summary of the other work accomplished:-
261 lease plans (in triplicate) with particulars were prepared. 27 sale plans (in duplicate) and sale conditions were prepared.