CO129-318 - Governor Sir Blake - 1903 [7-10] — Page 215

G

213

it became evident that there were strong grounds for believing

that in the one case

-

-

the

known as Ho Lap Pun's claim

Chinese title deed did not confer any rights over the bed of

the sea or to reclamation; while in the other the Kowloon

City case the title deeds were forged.

4.

In the first case the compensation claimed

the sum

would in all probability not be less than $50,000

for which it is understood that Ho Lap Pun has either sold or

contracted to sell (it is more probable that no sale has

actually been effected) whatever rights the award of the Land

Court gave him. In the second, the value of the area of the

claim allowed by the Land Court has been assessed on behalf of

the claimant or his assignees (in this case as far as the

information of the Government goes a sale has been effected)

at $485,000 by a local firm of Architects and Engineers.

It is true that on behalf of the Govern-

ment the value in this latter case has been assessed at less

than $20,000. But even that is a large sum to pay for a claim that (if the Government is correctly advised) is based upon

fraud.

5.

In these circumstances it was evidently

desirable in the public interests that steps should if possible

be taken to enable the Government to have reviewed by the high-

est judicial authority the awards of the Land Court in these

two cases, and in any other in which a title has not yet been

granted by the Governor.

Accordingly on the suggestion of the Law

Officers of the Crown and Mr. E. H. Sharp, K.C., and with the

advice