Appendix J.
REPORT ON THE NEW TERRITORIES
FOR THE YEAR 1921.
A. NORTHERN DISTRICT.
I—STAFF.
Mr. D. W. Tratman continued in charge throughout the year. Mr. A. C. Burford, Land Bailiff, went on long leave in March and for the remainder of the year the work in both portions of the district was carried out by the remaining bailiff.
II—MAGISTRACY.
Table A shows the number of cases heard by the District Office sitting as Police Magistrate and as Judge of the Small Debts Court.
The reduction in the number of Small Debts Cases and the still greater reduction in Writs of Execution are due to the policy of strong discouragement adopted towards “Wai” claims. For reasons indicated in last year’s report, the Court gave assistance only where solid and final results were attainable. In the former category fall “wui’s” the running of which is menaced by wilful default on the part of members well able to pay their contribution; in the latter “wui’s” which have been “drawn” to the end, pressure from the Court enabling the “head” to close his account with reduced losses. Further investigation of the Shün Wan “wui’s” fully justified the strictures passed upon that district in the former report, no less than 52 “wui’s” having their home in this small area. Under such circumstances all concerned must have been well aware that their participation was a gamble pure and simple and no serious injustice can result from ruling this group of “wui’s” en bloc out of Court. Of the 161 Writs of Execution issued only 20 proved ineffectual.
The increase in the duties on native tobacco has given strong incentive to smuggling from Sham Chun, which even imprisonment in addition to a fine seems unable wholly to suppress. The long frontier and many passages by land and water make evasion easy and it is probable that much of the tobacco smoked in the Territory still pays no duty.
III—LAND OFFICE.
The number of sales of land and other transactions affecting land which took place during the year are set out in Table B.
The number of memorials registered was 3,576 as against 3,607 in 1920, but the registration fees amounted to $3,163 as against $2,435.60. The increase in fees is due to the entry into the market of
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