CO882-(4-5) — Page 660

PUBLIC RECORD OFFICE

Reference :-

TILLIC.O. 882

וווווווווווווז

ALLY WITHOUT PERMISSION OF THE BE REPRODUCED PHOTOGRAPHIC- COPYRIGHT PHOTOGRAPH—NOT TO

5 PUBLIC RECORD OFFICE, LONDON

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miles from Castle Peak Bay. The crops are rice and sugar cane, the latter apparently of not very good quality. Here I met over one hundred Committee men, who struck me as being somewhat better class than those in the Taipo-Hui district, and more wealthy. After speaking to them, and receiving their reply, I had some conversation with them on their cultivation, the question of roads, &c., and found them shrewd and intelligent. I learned from them that the sugar canes have never been changed, and that they use the primitive rough stone mills for expressing the juice. I have promised to get a better quality of canes for them to try, and to procure a few Chattanooga steel sugar mills, such as were introduced into Jamaica at the exhibition of 1891, the effect of which would probably be to increase their output of sugar by one-third, for which they ex- pressed themselves as very grateful as there is an extensive cultivation of sugar I have requested Mr. Ford, the Director of the Botanic and Afforestation Department, to pro- cure the canes from Java or Singapore, and will take measures to introduce the im- proved mills. The elders were quite ready to discuss matters of local interest, and dis- cussed them intelligently. For instance, in talking of making a road, the necessity for which is apparent, as in wet weather to get from Castle Peak to Ping-Shan one must literally wade to one's waist sometimes, I said that either they must pay for the road, or they could make it themselves, and explained that after all if they paid for it by a local rate, the money would all be paid to themselves for labour, and come back into local circulation, but at the same time if they chose to make the road themselves, ac- cording to the plans, I would be equally satisfied. One of the gentry said it would be better for the Government to make the road, as they knew how, and would do it pro- perly, whereas they did not know how to make it.

5. The visits were interesting, and impressed me favourably with the people. I have no doubt that they will have a good effect in creating confidence. Heretofore they have never had any evidence that Government took the slightest interest in anything beyond the collection of taxes and squeezes, they were expected to manage all their local affairs so long as there was no trouble to the Government, and that armed gan robbers did not increase in numbers to so great an extent as to form a nucleus for a rebellion. Clan fights were the recognized modes of adjustment in disagreement be- tween villages, and in those fights, which sometimes occupied weeks, scores of men were killed without any interference or inquiry on the part of the Government; no official could be approached without the preliminary of an offering in proportion to his rank, and even the retainers down to the gate-keeper had to be feed. One of the elders said that some time ago a large band of armed robbers from the north shore of Deep Bay came into Ping-Shan district and attacked his house; he was fortunate enough to beat them off, killing three of them in the fight. They laid a complaint before. the Magistrate at Nam Tau, who summoned the elder before him, but before he was allowed into Magistrate's presence he was obliged to pay one hundred and fifty dollars. The result of the interview was that he was scolded severely for shooting too straight and ordered to pay the expense of burying the three dead robbers. To people accustomed to such a system as this, the visit of a Governor, who gave instead of taking, who con sulted their views as to local matters, and apparently took some interest in their con- dition, was a new departure that they seemed to appreciate, and they are beginning to realise the comfort of being really protected from the incursion of armed bands of robbers; that this system of brigandage will cease in a moment I do not expect, but I have no doubt that in a short time we shall make the whole district practically safe.

6. The valley is typical of all the large valleys in the New Territory, the popula- tion may broadly be said to depend upon rice cultivation, two crops of rice being grown in the year; the crops pay well in good seasons, but, like the potato in Ireland before the famine, it involves the danger that being the sole resource of the mass of the people, if it fails there is nothing behind. With so large a market as Hong Kong, I see no reason why a paying cattle industry should not be established. There is no water power to speak of, the rain running off the treeless hills at once. With the bills clothed with pine, camphor, and other trees, the climate and possibilities of the new area would be modified.

7. One of our most serious difficulties at present is the apparent unhealthiness of the entire territory. It may be that the position chosen for the matshed barracks and quarters for the Police have not been the best. They were chosen with great care on the summits of low hills that raise themselves about a hundred feet above the valleys. But almost every European and Indian employed in the New Territory has been down with malarial fever. Mr. Messer, who so far had enjoyed excellent health has now succumbed, just as he was entering upon the important work of land registration, and has been removed to hospital in Hong Kong. One station temporarily established in

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the village of Ping-Shan has suffered less than the others I am having a return made of every case of sickness so that we may consider the question of the position of the stations. In Jamaica, and in the Senegal swampy district of Africa it was found that certain positions raised above swamps were malarious, while persons living in the swamps did not suffer. It may be that those hills that look so tempting are unsuitable for human habitation on account of the malaria rising from the rice swamps of the valleys, and that the "Fung Shui" that prevents the Chinese from building on the hills overlooking the valleys and drives them down to the level ground is only a traditional expression of the dangers of invading the hills resulting from an experience of four thousand years.

8. I have the honour to enclose some photographs* taken during the visits to Taipo-Hui and Ping-Shan.

I have, &c.,

HENRY A. BLAKE,

Governor, &c.

Enclosure 1 in No. 243.

His Excellency (the Hon. J. H. Stewart Lockhart translating) then said:-Now that this territory has been divided into districts and the sub-district committeemen have been selected from the elders and gentry I wish to meet you and to explain to you the principles upon which the government of this portion of the Colony of Hong Kong will be conducted. I desire that you, who have been officially appointed, shall co- operate with the Government in regulating the local affairs of your villages so that the people shall enjoy security and that there shall be no disorder. The Government has appointed officials who will advise you as to sanitary improvements in the villages so that the health of the people may be preserved, for the Queen of England wishes that all Her Majesty's subjects shall be healthy and prosperous. In giving you the position of Committeemen I rely upon you to discharge your duties in a faithful and upright manner and would call your attention to the fact that one of our most stringent laws is that if as much as one cash is taken from the people except the rates and taxes levied under authority the person extorting it will be rigorously punished by fine and imprison- ment and be dismissed in disgrace from his position. I wish to interfere as little as possible with your good customs, but there is one principle of British law that must be observed. All punishment for injuries must be inflicted by the appointed authority under the law. Therefore in case of injury the proper authority must be appealed to and the punishment must not be undertaken by private individuals. The time has now come when all occupiers of land must register their titles with the Land Officer. When application is made giving the exact area of land occupied, a notice will be posted in the village so that if another claims the land he can apply to the Land Officer, when the claims will be considered by the Land Court. No certificate of registration will be issued until the Crown rent has been paid. There should be no delay in registering your titles. The occupier will, in the absence of another claimant, be accepted as owner, but if the person in occupation is decided not to be the proper owner the amount paid by him will be returned, and the rent will be collected from the person decided to be the lawful owner. A few days ago some ill-advised people assembled near Un Long and behaved in a riotous manner, assaulting a party who were examining certain lands. I warn you against such unlawful proceedings, as this was taking the law into their own hands. They should, if they objected, have applied to the Land Officer, who would have examined into the matter, and decided upon their objections. Under the powers given to me by the law, I could have placed a station of Police upon that land and compelled the villagers who created the disturbance to pay the entire cost of building the station and paying the Police. But I have determined not to do so on this first offence, but to warn the people through you that such illegal rioting will be severely punished in future. The elders of a village can always prevent such disorder by giving timely information to the Police. If they do not prevent it, then they and the villagers will be held re- sponsible All persons of whatever nation must be free to move about without danger of molestation. You must understand from what I have said that clan fights cannot be allowed. The law is strong enough to protect the rights of every man, and must be appealed to in cases of dispute that cannot be settled by the local committees. I an sorry to find that robberies by armed gangs have been frequent, and against such vio lence you have hitherto not been adequately protected. I have established Police

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חחחוי

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C.O. 882

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stations in different parts of the territory for the purpose of preventing such robberies and protecting your lives and property. Since the territory was taken over three months ago many of those robbers have been arrested, the stolen property has been re- stored to the owners, and a large number of the robbers are now in gaol undergoing sentences of imprisonment for five and seven years. I am determined that such rob- beries shall be pirt down, and that law-abiding and peaceable people shall enjoy security that has hitherto been denied them. You have all heard of the cruel murders of inno- cent men that took place at Un Loong in April last. For the murder of one of those men two of the principals in that brutal crime, after a fair and patient trial, have paid the penalty with their lives. I hope that if any bad characters remain in the territory, they will take warning and cease from evil ways. I have directed that the law against gambling shall be rigidly enforced. The Chinese law against gambling is very strong, but the officials have neglected it. In British territory all laws must be equally re- spected. You have seen by my proclamation the amount of Crown rent that has been decided upon as the land rent for the present. In considering what taxes are to be levied on you, you must remember that all the money paid by you to the Government is money that is paid for your protection and for the improvement and development of your property. The money paid for public works is paid to your own labourers for their labour and comes to the traders in the ordinary course of business. Up to the present over ten thousand dollars have been paid in wages to the working people of this district, and now that gambling has been stopped, this money will be spent in the chase of land for farms or of food and clothing from the shops, while the main road from

pur Kowloon to Taipo will enable the people to send in their produce to market in any weather There will be a license tax on all business houses, but you have been relieved from the payment of all customs duties and monopolies that raised the price of thing that you consumed. Do not object to strangers coming to the district. They will every- all bring money and increase the wealth and comfort of the people. I know that many people from this district have travelled to other countries. They must have seen there how capital employs labour and produces wealth. With the introduction of fresh

capital into this district that I hope to see one day some who are now driven to evil courses for want of occupation will find within their reach employment that will enable them to live respectable lives. I have appointed you to the responsible position of Committeemen because you have been recommended to me by your villagers. Do not forget that your responsibility is very real, as I look to you to preserve the peace and good order of your villages, and to report to the authorities all bad characters and persons who endeavour to stir up strife. With the support of the sub-district Com- mittees and the villagers, I look for the firm establishment of internal peace and pros- perity, and I undertake that you shall be fully protected by the Government from any interference from without. I wished to add a few more words on the subject of land. It has been reported to me that as soon as the Convention between the Emperor of China and the Queen of Great Britain was signed certain people were induced to sell their lands at a low value by being told that the British Government would take pos- session of the land without payment when they came into the territory. I take this opportunity of telling you, the elders and gentry of all the villages, that if any man has been induced to sell his land by these false misrepresentations, and he is not satisfied, he can give notice to the Land Officer, who will register the title until the real question at iue has been looked into and decided. I have mentioned all this before by proclamation, but I wish to emphasize it more strongly now that I see the gentry and elders before me, as I am determined that if any man has been improperly induced to give his land away under its value I won't accept the sale as valid.

Enclosure 2 in No. 243.

We, the people of the New Territory, look up to Your Excellency's humane poliny, and we rejoice that you have come to visit us. We know that Your Excellency is doing your utmost for the good of the people, and under your government this out- post of the Empire will continue to be more and more prosperous, and the people to enjoy greater peace and security.

As a slight mark of our respect and appreciation we humbly pray that Your Excellency will accept this tablet.

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YOUR EXCELLENCY,

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Enclosure 3 in No. 248.

YOUR subject, on behalf of the gentry and elders present and the people whom they represent in this part of the territory, thanks Your Excellency for your trouble and condescension in coming here. We have been waiting for this visit with as much anxiety as those who, in time of drought, await the refreshing rain. Your kindness in visiting us has given us the privilege of seeing you in person, while the speech we have just heard, so dignified and so clear, has increased our reverence for Your Excellency, We are well aware that Your Excellency's policy in this territory is a kind and benevolent one, and your subjects are unanimous in their feeling of gratitude.

Your Excellency's character will act as a transforming influence for good among us. We also predict that this barren region will become a land of wealth and progress under Your Excellency's administration. What we feel with the deepest pleasure is that all evils are being now eradicated, while what is good and noble are being encouraged. Law and order, peace and prosperity, alike distinguish Your Excellency's government.

We pray that Your Excellency will, when memorialising the Throne, tender to Her Gracious Majesty the humble submission and profound feelings of loyalty of her sub- jects in this western portion of the territory.

YOUR EXCELLENCY,

Enclosure 4 in No. 243.

YOUR subject, on behalf of the Committeemen present, and the people of the districts and sub-districts, whom they represent, thanks Your Excellency for honouring us with a visit.

We have eagerly looked forward to Your Excellenoy's coming to-day, which marks a new era in the history of this territory. This visit will infuse into the country and the people a new life and spirit, and will be followed by peace, prosperity, and happiness.

We know that Your Excellency will treat us justly, considerately and impartially. We congratulate ourselves on our good fortune in having placed over us such a kind Governor, and, proud, indeed, are we to be the subjects of such a benevolent Sovereign as Her Majesty Queen Victoria.

We pray that Your Excellency will, when memorialising the Throne, tender to Her Majesty our humble submission and our profound feeling of loyalty.

Enclosure 5 in No. 243.

To His Excellency the Governor.

All the inhabitants of the territory look up to you with reverence and hope. In the summer of the twenty-fourth year of the reign of His Imperial Chinese Majesty (1898), it was decreed that the territory in the neighbourhood of Kowloon 'in the San-On district should be leased to Her Majesty the Queen of Great Britain.

At the beginning of the present year, Sir Henry Blake was appointed by Her Majesty the Queen, Governor of Hong Kong and its Dependencies.

It is well known to all that since Hong Kong became a British Colony, and since the establishment at Shanghai of a British settlement, these two places have become the abodes of peace and prosperity, and their inhabitants are filled with songs of praise. This is due to the people residing there having enjoyed to the full the great benefits of a just government, which has been able to transform places formerly insignificant into a land of happiness.

Happy is the lot which has now fallen to the Kowloon territory, the inhabitants of which are fortunate indeed to have been born in such a place and to be living at such a time.

Henceforth we shall dwell in our homes enjoying peace and quiet, and free from all care and anxiety under the protections of a good and just government.

Such happiness has been the hope and dream of our lives, and joyful indeed are we that at last our wish is realised.

The people of this territory humbly pray that Your Excellency will condescend to accept this tablet as a slight mark of their feeling of respect and gratitude

Respectfully presented by the inhabitants of the eastern part of the territory.

1999.

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