1887-1903
317
7
COLONIAL REPORTS-MISCELLANEOUS.
A summary survey of holdings was made by an auxiliary staff, Mr. B. W. Grey, working under the directions of the Deputy Land Officer, being employed on the area to the south of the Kowloon watershed and part of Ts'ün Wán.
In the district to the north of the Kowloon watershed Mr. Messer, assisted by a Corporal detached from the Royal Engineers, was responsible for the survey, plot by plot, of the land in Hap Wo Sub-district and near the villages of Shek Ku Lung and Lin Au (Lam Ts'ün Sub-district), Ha Háng, Sha Lo Tung, and P'ing Shán Tsai (Shün Wán Sub-district).
At P'ing Shán Mr. Kemp and subsequently Mr. Wood assisted by a Sapper from the Royal Engineers made similar measurements over a large area.
These operations were intended by the Deputy Land Officer to furnish a provisional Rent Roll sufficiently accurate for the collection of revenue until such time as it should be superseded by a register of holdings based on the cadastral survey, but as it was realised that it would be impossible to finish the whole Territory on this plan within anything like a reasonable time, it was decided to abandon this scheme.
Until a rent roll based on the cadastral survey and the results of the work of the Land Court has been completed, the land revenue of the New Territory cannot be collected in anything like a satisfactory or thorough manner, though every attempt will be made in the meantime to collect as much Crown Rent as possible.
A number of disputes connected with land were submitted by the villagers to the Land Office in Hongkong and to Messrs. Messer and Kemp, at Táipó. Such of these as involved questions of title now await settlement by the Land Court.
TITLES.
I attach a memorandum* by Mr. Gompertz, Member of the Land Court, upon Land Tenure and Titles in the New Territory.
He recommends a modification of the Torrens System of Title by Registration, such as is in use in Malacca and the Federated Malay States, for the New Territory. In view of the very large number of small Chinese holdings in the New Territory, I am of opinion that this system will prove more effectual than the technical procedure based upon English law now in use in Hongkong.
LAND COURT.
The Land Court, established by Ordinance No. 18 of 1900, was constituted on the 1st June, 1900, Mr. H. E. Pollock being President, and Mr. Gompertz, Member. Mr. Kemp was appointed Registrar, and on his removal to act at the Magistracy, Mr. Wood was appointed Registrar. A very large amount of
Page 16
10057
A 1
1887-1903
317
7
COLONIAL REPORTS-MISCELLANEOUS.
A summary survey of holdings was made by an auxiliary staff, Mr. B. W. Grey, working under the directions of the Deputy Land Officer, being employed on the area to the south of the Kowloon watershed and part of Ts'ün Wán.
In the district to the north of the Kowloon watershed Mr. Messer, assisted by a Corporal detached from the Royal Engineers, was responsible for the survey, plot by plot, of the land in Hap Wo Sub-district and near the villages of Shek Ku Lung and Lin Au (Lam Ts'ün Sub-district), Ha Háng, Sha Lo Tung, and P'ing Shán Tsai (Shün Wán Sub-district).
At P'ing Shán Mr. Kemp and subsequently Mr. Wood assisted by a Sapper from the Royal Engineers made similar measurements over a large area.
These operations were intended by the Deputy Land Officer to furnish a provisional Rent Roll sufficiently accurate for the collection of revenue until such time as it should be superseded by a register of holdings based on the cadastral survey, but as it was realised that it would be impossible to finish the whole Territory on this plan within anything like a reasonable time, it was decided to abandon this scheme.
Until a rent roll based on the cadastral survey and the results of the work of the Land Court has been completed, the laud revenue of the New Territory cannot be collected in anything like a satisfactory or thorough manner, though every attempt will be made in the meantime to collect as much Crown Rent as possible.
A number of disputes connected with land were submitted by the villagers to the Land Office in Hongkong and to Messrs. Messer and Kemp, at Táipó. Such of these as involved questions of title now await settlement by the Land Court.
TITLES.
I attach a memorandum* by Mr. Gompertz, Member of the Land Court, upon Land Tenure and Titles in the New Territory.
He recommends a modification of the Torrens System of Title by Registration, such as is in use in Malacca and the Federated Malay States, for the New Territory. In view of the very large number of small Chinese holdings in the New Terri- tory, I am of opinion that this system will prove more effectual than the technical procedure based upon English law now in use in Hongkong.
LAND COURT.
The Land Court, established by Ordinance No. 18 of 1900, was constituted on the 1st June, 1900, Mr. H. E. Pollock being President, and Mr. Gompertz, Member. Mr. Kemp was ap- pointed Registrar, and on his removal to act at the Magistracy, Mr. Wood was appointed Registrar. A very large amount of
P. 16.
10057
A 1
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