"Following this revocation of the special status of the City of Kowloon it was therefore the case that in the walled city no less than elsewhere in the "New Territories" all the laws of Hong Kong applied and the Governor's jurisdiction was in no way specially limited.
X A note to this effect was handed to the Chinese Minister in London on the 30th May, 1899, stating that "after the recent experience which they have had, not only of the worthlessness of the protection extended by the Chinese garrison at Kowloon, but of the additional danger involved in its presence, it is impossible for His Majesty's Government to allow the resumption of Chinese authority within the Walls of that City".
The Chinese Government did not accept this decision, but after much discussion on the subject, the matter appears to have been 'shelved' owing to the Boxer Rebellion and no further reference was made to it for over thirty years. X
The
"In the revival of Chinese nationalist sentiment after the War an irredentist attitude regarding the "New Territories' of Hong Kong has mildly manifested itself. development of Kowloon i.e. the British Pennisula into a large modern city with wide streets of stone buildings has reached and passed the old Chinese walled city and it has for some time been clear that the continued existence of that small area could not long be exempted from the building and town- planning developments in the surrounding area. The leases of the small Chinese pig-keepers and others who reside in the area expired at the end of 1933 and the Government resolved not to renew the leases but to allow a year's grace for the inhabitants to take up other (and superior) accommodation elsewhere on favourable terms. The intention was to devote part at any rate of the walled city site to be laid out as a public park. This provided the occasion for an agitation to be whipped up amongst certain Chinese in Canton and the walled city against an alleged infringement of the Chinese rights in the area, based upon the Anglo-Chinese Convention of 1898. The position in the walled city and the intentions of the Government are set out in the Governor's confidential despatch of 9th January, 1934. The Foreign Office gave us their views as regards the strength and possible grounds of criticism of Hong Kong's claim to
'expropriate' the owners and dispose of the site of the walled area. Their conclusion was that the claim was a strong one but in order to avoid dispute with the Chinese Government every endeavour should be made, they suggested, to secure the consent of the Chinese owners concerned. Very favourable terms have been offered by the Hong Kong Government and all except a very small minority of the inhabitants have accepted them. To the Chinese Government itself a reply was returned by H. M. Minister that the Governor of Hong Kong was clearly acting within his rights and no question of breach of Treaty stipulations was involved. "
(Sgd) G. E. J. Gent.
22.7.35.
Apparently all the residents in Kowloon City agreed to leave on the favourable conditions offered to them by the Hong Kong Government except those in four hovels who were obviously being urged to stay by the Chinese authorities from political motives.
The Chinese Government raised the question of their jurisdiction over Kowloon City (in a despatch from the Chinese Special Delegate for Foreign Affairs to H. H. Consul-General,
/Canton
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