CO129-294 - Governor Sir Blake - 1899 [10-12] — Page 412

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الشاي

409

Therefore the amount of cultivated land in the New territo- ry (including the islands) which has been registered

with the Chinese Government is about 180,429 maus.

Owing to the system giving false returns

to the Chinese Government, only about three fifths of

the total amount of cultivated land has been registered

in the San On Land Register.

Therefore the actual area of cultivated

land in the newly leased territory is about 300,715 maus.

At the present rate of taxation this area would

yield an annual Crown Rent of about $60,000.

This area would give the rates of cultivated

to uncultivated land in the New territory as 1 in 5.3.

Until the survey of the territory has been completed, the areas as given by the various landowners, have to be taken instead of the actual areas. In many cases the farmers still think that by not reporting all their land, they will escape the payment of Crown Rent also the area as at present reported is usually about 5/6 of the

actual area.

The amount of Crown Rent therefore that

may be expected a year before the completion of the survey

is about $50,000.

One lau equals 6,600 square feet.

One acre equals 6.6 mus.

()

)C.McI.Messer.

November 21.11.99.

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