Appendix J.
REPORT ON THE NEW TERRITORIES FOR THE YEAR 1928.
A. NORTHERN DISTRICT.
I. STAFF.
Mr. J. A. Fraser continued in charge throughout the year. Mr. E. H. Williams was appointed A.D.O. on 30th August.
On the transfer of Mr. G. J. Chambers to P.W.D. on 30.6.28, Mr. F. Brett was appointed junior Land Bailiff at Ping Shan, and Mr. W. G. Routley continued to act as L.B. at Taipo.
II.—MAGISTRACY.
Table A shows the number of cases heard by the District Officer sitting as Police Magistrate and as Judge of the Small Debts Court.
Motor traffic on N.T. roads steadily increased, and in the course of the year passenger services were organized between all main centres, terminating at the frontier, Sheung Shui, (connecting with the railway) and Kowloon by Yuen Long and Castle Peak. There is keen competition between the 'bus companies and the owners of lorries and cars for the mixed passenger and goods traffic, and this coupled with a stricter supervision led to an increase of 180 traffic offences reported which represents the bulk of the 50% increase in the number of cases brought in the local police court.
The number of opium cases was reduced from 49 in 1927 to 23 in 1928.
It is noteworthy that there were 81 cases under the Larceny Ordinance in 1928 against 50 in 1927.
A curious result of the prosperity of the District is the increase in the number of crimes of violence, originating in the native's dislike of the incoming settler, traceable generally to prejudice or fear.
The number of small debts cases increased very slightly. The local unthrifty practice of investing money in "money loan associations" continues to be a fruitful source of litigation, and to prevent such disputes blocking the work of the Court it has been found necessary to restrict the number of cases which the head of one association as plaintiff may bring at one time.