9/585000 640/727717
before hearing the parties. I cannot approve of anybody patting in an exaggerated statement, but I do not think that matter comes into the question here, and we have been considering these three cases on their merits, and have care- fully considered the arguments brought befors We think that, taking all the facts into consideration, we shall allow costs.
us.
CLOSING THE BUSINESS OF THE BOARD.
1
His Lordship said-Mr. Attorney and gentle. men, as the claim which has just been dealt with is the last which this Board has to decide we think it may be both useful and interesting if before ne close our sitting we submit a brief sketch of the work which this Board has accom- plished. The Board was constituted by Ordin- ance No. 8 of 1891. That Ordinance exacted among other things that certain lands fully set out in the schedule to the Ordinance should be resumed as from the 1st June last, and consti- tated a Board--one member to be approved by H. E. the Governor, one to be elected by the unofficial members of the Legislative Council, and a third by the owners of the land resumed. The Board as at present composed was consti- The tuted by notice in the Government Gazette. Board was tu award fall and fair compensation to the owners of the said lands, and in doing so they were empowered to take into consideration any matters or things they may deem just and fair, and make such deductions as the age and sanitary or other conditious of the property re- quired. The portion of land resumed forms a regular parallelogram, masuring from east to west 1,000 feet aud 385 feet from north to south, including the two small quares or annexes, one at the north-east corner bounded on the north by Square Street, the south by Bridges Street. the east by Ladder Street, and the west by Tank Lan, and another on the south-west corner extending from market Street to Rutter Street and which is divided into four large lots, viz. --Inland Lots Nos; 599, 60), 701, 701 a. The whole of this land is divided into 78 Lots on which are built 429 houses, and are owned by 98 persons. Seventy-seven claims were put in, not counting claims filed by mortgagees in cases in which the owners had already claimed compensa- tion. The total amount claimed was $1,016,452 36. Claimants accepted the offers made to them in 39 casus to the amount of $319,497, and the remaining 45 claims were dealt with by the Board, which awarded the sum of $443 600. making a gross sum of $763,097. i eluding the claicus of Maria Stella, Dr. Chalmers Hospital, and Cheong Kai as to which special arrange- ments have also been suggested to enable the elaimants if possible to rewain in possession of their lots, one of which is ocenpied by a scho I and chapel, the other is unther chapel, and the last is the site of the temple of the Goddess of Meroy. The total net area of the lots was 279,30 square feet. exclusive of pablic streets, giving ac average rate of $263 per foot, the Lighest price bring $576, the price offered by Government to the owners of Iuland Lot No. 239; the lowest 75 cents, the amount awarded by the Board for Inland Lot 701. The largest sum awarded was $73,00, the lowest $290. (lere follows a hst of the awards) Wə never thought that our task would be an easy or a ceptable one. s bu one hand we hd a laigo body of alaimals who having th ir land aud houses taken from them against their wish were striving to htsin as much as possible for the property of which they had thus boon deprived, and on the of her hand the Government officials, who as guardians of the public purse and re- naturally taxpayers presenting the
#.re animated by the desire that the claimants should obtain only the strict market vaine of the properly. T have given satisfaction to he hi parti sun 'er auch op sing circumstacCOS was simply impossibl, and not in hava mude somuistakes in fixing the value of these large numbers of houses was gly beyond our powers, but we think we way fairly say that pn all ocesos we have done our bost, and taken
avory circumstance into cousid ration in order to arrive at and to fix a full and fair compensa No doubt there are tion for the land resam d some who having purchased their property at a time when the market for land was bigli, or who pl.oel too high a vine on land in Taipings'ian, believe thay bave been harshly dealt with and have not received the full value of their properly, bat we wou'd ask them to rememb that the earns of rent for the last three yours all showed that that neighbourhood had been losing some of its formaer popularity, and the instances which we have met with of houses or is net als pointed to the fact that other piel of the clony claimed the We would former deniz ns of Taipingshian.
them that euch case is met also assure with a cuin consideration at our hands in our endaroar to do justice to all parties. Many difficulties which at fist het our work ow.ng to this considerable divergence between the value set upon the property by the claimants and those who r presented the Government were afterwards greatly smoothed over by more mo- dorale demands on the one hand and the read. iness shown by the Director of Public Works to meet the wishes of the Burd, and we would bero acknowledge the Furnes, we may say even the liberality, which bas marked many of th recent off rs made by Gore ament. We also beg to thank all those profession 1 gentlemen engaged in this arbitr. ti for the aid and as, sistance which we have rec-ived from them of the first sittings and if during some any hasty remarks were mad, we that no one regretted them more than the s eaker and that if any little pain was cansed by the same at the time, this ha- beeg quickly and generously forgotten and foreivan. The members of the Hoard have felt greatly honoured by the ous lence placed in them by the Government and their fellow citizens, and have used their best endeavours to do justice in the interest of allud to justify the choice mada by Government and others. Our task is done; and before closing this our last sitting, we, m st from the bottom of our hearts. do
re sure
earnestly join in the hopes and wishes of the whole colony that the measures which bara been taken and the costly sacrifices which have been so readily made by the Government may be effectual, and that our fair island may in the future be ever spared a recurrenos of the terrible visitation of 1894. Personally I desira to express my great indebtedness to my colleagues on the Board for the great assistance and help which their experience in these matters and technical and local knowledge have been to me and which has greatly lessened my labours.
The Attorney-General in reply begged to thank the Board for its courtesy and the careful consideration its members had given to the cases before them. The amount of labour thrown upon the Director of Public Works by so large a number of glaims in addition to his other duties can be best appreciated by the Board, and those who, like myself, have been engaged before it It must have been a heary strain upon his health and strength, and I desire to acknowledge the great assistance he has been. Indeed the principal work bas of course fallen upon his shoulders. desire also to acknowledge the help I have all through received from Mr. Sercombe Smith, who himself appeared for the Crown in many of the later cases. I trust there will be little more for the Board to do unless any questions of costs should arise. I think we shall be able to s.ttle without taxation or additional expense the amounts payable as costs to the Government in the two cases in which costs were awarded to the Crown,
Mr. Deacon asked to be permitted on behalf of the solicitors who had appeared before his Jordship to thank him for the very kind remarks he had made, and he was sure they would be appreciated by the solicitors.
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