not any great change in Kowloon City until Hong Kong was occupied by the Japanese during the second world war. At the present time the city is virtually a ruin, the city wall having been largely demolished by the Japanese in 1942. Only two buildings remain; a school which is in a dilapidated condition and a home for aged women.
It is in relation to the then state of affairs as so described that the expression in the provision in question "Within the City of Kowloon the Chinese officials now stationed there shall continue to exercise jurisdiction" has to be
construed.
Attached to the Convention there was a map showing
the leased territory, which includes the territory on which Kowloon City stands,
in the marking of the map between the rest of the leased territory and Kowloon City.
no distinction in that respect being made
It seems to us, having regard to the state of affairs which subsisted at the time when the words quoted were used, that it is impossible to construe them otherwise than as providing that the jurisdiction then exercised by Chinese
officials should continue to remain vested in the Chinese
authorities. The words quoted clearly cannot refer only to the actual individual officials then alive, and must, we think, be intended to describe the extent of the jurisdiction then
exercised. This jurisdiction was complete in the sense that it extended over the whole area of Kowloon City and applied to all the inhabitants, military and civilian, then in Kowloon City. It makes no difference that it was largely military in character, as we think that the expressi n "Chinese Officials" must include military as well as civilian control. It is to be noted that a Chinese version of the Convention was signed, but we presume that the equivalent Chinese expression bears the same meaning as the English.
If Kowloon had been a great city with a large and varied population subject to different types of local administration,
it/