CO129-328 - Governor Nathan - 1905 [1-6] — Page 740

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those persons who were found by the Land Court to have been

C

the proper owners under the Chinese Government at the time

:

of the taking over of the New Territories. It is not com-

-petent to the Government to repossess itself of the lots

belonging to these persons without payment of the value of

the leases nor to prevent their subletting to Europeans or

others who may desire to purchase them for the erection of

factories or godowns or for other purposes. The land that

might be reserved in the manner requested by the Admiralty

is therefore confined to that which is at present uncultiva-

-ted and unoccupied for which no Crown Leases have been is-

-sued.

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63

3.

With regard to this land I am for

the reasons stated in the 3rd. paragraph of Sir Henry

Blake's Despatch No. 274 dated the 4th. June, 1903, averse

to its reservation in the manner proposed which would mere-

-ly have the effect of depriving the Colony of the value of

the land in order that in an indefinite future the Admiral-

-ty may, should they wish to acquire it, do so at less than

its market value at the time.

4.

I am prepared, however, to give

to the Admiralty the first refusal of any Crown Land, other

than lots for ordinary cultivation or for the erection of village