G1 2
7.—NEW TERRITORIES.
The sanction of the Secretary of State was obtained during the year to dispense with the practice hitherto in force of holding an auction for every small piece of Crown Land granted on a longer lease than 5 years in the case of building lots not exceeding 1,000 sq. ft. or agricultural lots not exceeding ¼ of an acre when the Land Officer certifies that there is no probability of any competition and that the applicant is the only person interested and that the land is required for bonâ fide Chinese occupation and there is no probability of much development in the neighbourhood. By this means a considerable saving of expense has been effected in advertisements.
Rules requiring the registration of graves have been made by which it is hoped the many disputes regarding graves and grave sites may be lessened.
The system of issuing annual or 5 years leases of waste lands for agricultural purposes at double the usual Crown Rent to persons who were unable or unwilling to pay a premium and take up the ground on long leases, which was sanctioned at the end of 1908, has been much appreciated. Many such leases in which suitable provision is made for the compensation of tenants in the event of their leases being determined have already been applied for and granted.
Owing to the difficulty of access to the portion of the Northern District known as the Hang Hau Peninsula in Junk Bay from the District Office at Tai Po, it was decided to transfer this area to the Southern District Office at Hongkong and the necessary transfer has now been carried out.
The provisions of the Foreshores and Sea Bed Ordinance, 1901, necessitating advertisements in the Gazette of every small plot of foreshore in the New Territories having been found to hamper sales of land owing to the cost of advertisement frequently exceeding the purchase money of the land, Ordinance 41 of 1909 was passed exempting lands in the New Territories from the provisions of the Ordinance as regards notices of the sale, the provisions of the Ordinance regarding posting of notices on the land which alone are likely to be seen by the inhabitants still however continue in force.
In order to shorten notices of sales in the Gazette special conditions of sales were drafted to meet all ordinary cases; these conditions are now referred to only by number.
Apart from the portion known as the Southern District Mainland in which district fees for registration are already charged under the Order in Council of 17th August, 1908, it is considered that the time has not yet arrived when the fees for registration can be charged without the disadvantage of preventing registration.
In accordance with the promise made by His Excellency Sir Matthew Nathan not to increase the Crown Rents of lands held by the original leaseholders after the expiration of the first 10 years of the lease a notification was issued in June stating that the Director of Public Works had fixed the rents originally payable as those to be paid during the remainder of the unexpired leases which are mostly for 75 years expiring 30th June, 1973.
G1 2
7.-NEW TERRITORIES.
The sanction of the Secretary of State was obtained during the year to dispense with the practice hitherto in force of holding an auction for every small piece of Crown Land granted on a longer lease than 5 years in the case of building lots not exceeding 1,000 sq. ft. or agricultural lots not exceeding of an acre when the Land Officer certifies that there is no probability of any competition and that the applicant is the only person interested and that the land is required for bonâ fide Chinese occupation and there is no probability of much development in the neighbourhood. By this means a con- siderable saving of expense has been effected in advertisements.
Rules requiring the registration of graves have been made by which it is hoped the many disputes regarding graves and grave sites may be lessened.
The system of issuing annual or 5 years leases of waste lands for agricultural purposes at double the usual Crown Rent to persons who were unable or unwilling to pay a premium and take up the ground on long leases, which was sanctioned at the end of 1908, has been much appreciated. Many such leases in which suitable pro- vision is made for the compensation of tenants in the event of their leases being determined have already been applied for and granted.
Owing to the difficulty of access to the portion of the Northern District known as the Hang Hau Peninsula in Junk Bay from the District Office at Tai Po, it was decided to transfer this area to the Southern District Office at Hongkong and the necessary transfer has now been carried out.
The provisions of the Foreshores and Sea Bed Ordinance, 1901, necessitating advertisements in the Gazette of every small plot of foreshore in the New Territories having been found to hamper sales of land owing to the cost of advertisement frequently exceeding the purchase money of the land, Ordinance 41 of 1909 was passed exempting lands in the New Territories from the provisions of the Ordinance as regards notices of the sale, the provisions of the Ordin- ance regarding posting of notices on the land which alone are likely to be seen by the inhabitants still however continue in force.
In order to shorten notices of sales in the Gazette special condi- tions of sales were drafted to meet all ordinary cases; these conditions are now referred to only by number.
Apart from the portion known as the Southern District Mainland in which district fees for registration are already charged under the Order in Council of 17th August, 1908, it is considered that the time has not yet arrived when the fees for registration can be charged without the disadvantage of preventing registration.
In accordance with the promise made by His Excellency Sir Matthew Nathan not to increase the Crown Rents of lands held by the original leaseholders after the expiration of the first 10 years of the lease a notification was issued in June stating that the Director of Public Works had fixed the rents originally payable as those to be paid during the remainder of the unexpired leases which are mostly for 75 years expiring 30th June, 1973.
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