CO129-328 - Governor Nathan - 1905 [1-6] — Page 5

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NO. Q

Hongkong.

Sir,

Rece

C.-O.

4669

Rec 13 FEL 05'

Governrent house,

Hongkong, Sth. January, 1905.

Enclosure! Enclosure 2.

40121

03

Your despatch No.431 dated the 30th. November,

1908, on the subject of a petition from certain persons residing

in the neighbourhood of Lantao Island that leases granted by the

Government for the collection of shells and coral off the coast

of that island might be cancelled, was brought to my notice

shortly after my arrival in the Colony, and I was informed of

the steps that had been taken towards assessing the compensation

which was to be paid to the petitioners in accordance with the

first of the alternatives for dealing with the matter which you

had directed should be followed.

2.

Great difficulty had been experienced in get-

ting any statement of clair or evidence of loss from the peti- tioners and it was only on the 12th. August that the Land Offi- ! cer, who had had the assistance of Messrs. Wilkinson & Crist, the petitioners' Solicitors, was able to present the report and

evidence of which copies are annexed. Only a small number of the

signatories to the petition were brought forward in support of

it; others proved to have no interest in the matter.

3.

The evidence showed that the business of collect-

ing lime and coral was es profitable now as formerly, that the

petitioners had not been prevented from carrying it on but that some of ther had suffered losses by declining to sell to the

THE RIGHT HONOURAELS

ALFRED LYTTELTON, K.O., M.E.

Fing

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