# J 10
# B.-SOUTHERN DISTRICT.
## I-STAFF.
Mr. A. D. Ball acted as Assistant District Officer throughout the year.
The subordinate staff of the Department was augmented by the addition of a Notice Server, the post being filled from the 1st of January.
## II-MAGISTRACY.
The Assistant District Officer sitting as Police Magistrate heard during the year 129 cases affecting 188 persons. 142 persons were convicted or bound over and 25 were discharged.
The following table gives a comparison with 1914 and 1915:
1914 1915 1916 No. of cases, 247 127 129 No. of persons affected, 355 211 188 No. of persons convicted or bound over, 304 163 142 No. of persons discharged, 41 35 25 No. of persons imprisoned, 12 17 Fines (excluding opium and including Arms Fines), $4,865.78 $2,569.45 $1,163.52 Opium Fines paid to Government Reward Fund, $242.00 $305.00 $35.00 Forfeitures, $196.71 $121.42 $218.94## III-SMALL DEBTS COURT.
110 cases were instituted during the year as compared with 98 in 1915 and 57 in 1914. Courts were held as usual in the District during the year. The people are certainly availing themselves more and more of this convenient means of collecting debts.
## IV. LAND OFFICE.
The number of sales of land and other transactions affecting land which took place during 1916 are set forth in Table A, which has now been inserted in the Annual Report for the first time.
1,342 deeds were registered during the year as compared with 1,334 in 1915. This is again the highest number on record. Registration fees for 1916 were $1,549.50 as compared with $1,258.10 in 1915.
The sum of $75,000 was paid to the Treasury—the sale being negotiated through the Public Works Department of a large area of land (151.38 acres) for reclamation in Kowloon Bay.
The purchasers were the Kai Tack Land Investment Company.
Noticeable land transactions have been (1) the lease of a large area at Tai O for orchard—the first venture of its kind in this locality, and (2) the sale of approximately 8,000 sq. ft. of Crown land on the sea front at Cheung Chau. These two are largely responsible for the increase of Revenue under “Land Sales”.
Towards the end of the year an unusual number of applications was received for building land on Lantao Plateau.