CO129-273 - Governor Sir Robinson & Others - 1896 [10-12] — Page 284

Enclosure 1.

282

I also enclose for your information a report on the circumstances by the Director of Public Works in whose views I entirely concur.

I have the honour to be, Sir, Your most obedient humble servant,

William Robinsy

Guel 2

4th Decr. 1874

SIR,

E. R. BELILIOS AND J. D. HUMPHREYS TO SECRETARY OF STATE.

333

5.7

HONGKONG, 16th November, 1896.

We have the honour to address you with reference to certain property held by us at Kowloon in the Colony of Hongkong under the following circumstances :-

We are the Crown Lessees of Kowloon Farm Lot number one for the unexpired term of 999 years at the annual Crown rent of $29.25. The condition of the lease restricts the lessee to the erection of buildings and dwelling houses required for the occupation of the premises as a farm only and not to be erected within 30 feet of any public highway. Another condition gives the lessee the right to turn out cattle on the adjoining waste or uncultivated hills. The area of the Farm Lot is six acres and two roods and the uncultivated hills adjoining extend from our Lot nearly to the Chinese city of Kowloon, a distance of about two miles.

This lease is dated in 1865 and the two conditions above-mentioned are in the present improving state of this portion of Kowloon absolutely injurious both in the interests of the Government and the lessees, the lot being situated between the market town of Yau-ma-ti immediately to the south and the new and important village of Mongkok immediately on the north, and as it stands any proper access between the two places is prevented.

Certain Government improvements of streets and roads to extend north of Yau-ma-ti being projected, on the 30th October, 1895, Mr. Belilios saw the Director of Public Works upon the subject, with the result that on the 6th November following the Director of Public Works wrote to Mr. Belilios the letter marked A in the annexed correspondence, proposing to change the Farm Lot into 10 building lots with reserves for Government streets upon which we were to pay a Crown rent of $100 an acre and expend $20,000 on rateable improvements, but the term of the proposed new building leases was to be for 75 years only. Not being willing to accept the proposed leases for such a short term nothing further was done in the matter until the 2nd September, 1896, when Messrs. John D. Humphreys & Son wrote on our behalf to the Director of Public Works the letter marked B in the annexed correspondence offering to allow the proposed roads to be made through our lot upon condition that the restrictions to building contained in the Farm Lease should be removed. We also offered to pay the increased Crown rent of $100 an acre and to expend $20,000 in 5 years in rateable improvements as suggested by the Director of Public Works in his letter of the 6th November, 1895.

On 10th September, 1896, we received through Messrs. John D. Humphreys & Son the letter from the Director of Public Works marked C in the annexed correspondence in which our proposal is refused.

On 27th October, 1896, we addressed to the Director of Public Works the letter marked D in the annexed correspondence pointing out the reasons for asking that the term of the present lease should not be altered and in the alternative offering to sell the property to the Government for its cost, $17,500, and interest on $40,000 from 1889 at 5 per cent.