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Experiments have been made iu planting broad-leaved trecs and sowing seeds of shrubs on the bare hills on the southern slopes. of the Kowloon range of hills.
In Hongkong and Kowloon shade trees have been renewed where required, and flowering trees have been planted in suitable places. Altogether 800 trees have been used for these purposes.
Trees have been planted alongside the Castle Peak-Shatoukok Road to the number of 4,800.
At Aberdeen pine-tree felling under the timber contract has been carried out in two blocks. Seventy acres have been felled east of the Paper Mill and one hundred and forty acres west of the Aberdeen New Road.
Undergrowth to the extent of about 2,950,000 square feet has been cleared at the cost of the Government, 1,000,000 square feet at the cost of the Military Authorities, and 250,000 square feet at the cost of private individuals in connection with the fight against mosquitoes and malaria. About 300,000 square feet of undergrowth have been cleared for the Public Works Department for the pur- poses of survey.
Several kinds of fodder grass have hoen experimented with, but nothing has breit found equal to the Guines Grass which is so much grown in the Colony.
The first and second rice-crops were good. Lichis were a good crop and the railway carried some of the crop to Hongkong.
Several samples of vegetable products have been submitted to the Director of Imperial Institute for investigation. His report on the majority of the articles has not yet been received. In a report on tea-seed cake, however, he stated that the article was likely in loud to business, as two firms were satisfied with the price and wished to be put in communication with exporters of the cake.
The Key to the Flora of Hongkong, the New Territoriza and Kwang-tung Prosince is now in course of publication. The Editor of the Journal of Botany was unable, at the last minute, to accept it for publication, and it is now being published by the Director of the Royal Gardens at Kew, as an additional series of the Kew Bulletin.
(e) LAND GRANTS AND GENERAL VALUE OF LAND, The net amount received from sales of Crown Land and pier rights after deducting expenses of sales was $270,005, an increase of $207,319 on the previous year and $149,170 more than the average amount received for the last 5 years. Of this amount $4,741 was
received in respect of the sale of various pier sites and extensions to existing piers, $5,899 was received in respect of sales of land in the New Territories and the remainder from sales of new lots of Crown
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Land and grants of extensions to existing lots in the island of Hong- kong and Old Kowloon. The chief items were received in respect of the sales of Inland Lots 1892 and 1901 which realized $34,600 and $80,100 respectively.
There has been a considerable increase in the number of build- ing lots in the city sold by the Government during the year. 18 lots having an area of 7 A. 3 R. 353 P. having been sold for a premium of #234,767 as against 6 lots with an area of 1 R. 191 P. and at a premium of $4,776 for the previous year.
There has again been a very considerable increase both in number and value of private properties which have changed hands during the year, the purchase moneys having exceeded those of the previous year hy over six million dollars. There is a good demand for residental houses on the lower levels and in many instances a considerable rise in prices has been obtained, which may be accounted for by the large number of Chineso gentry who have invested in house property in the Colony during the latter part of the year. There is a considerable demand for good mortgage securties with a tendency to accept a reduced rate of interest.
Sales of vacant Crown Lands in the New Territories continue even and consist chiefly of small building sites at prices ranging from 1 to 2 cents a foot and land for purposes of cultivation at from 4 to 4 cents a foot.
I-LEGISLATION.
Sixty-five Ordinances were passed during 1911, of which 41 were amendments to other Ordinances, and 5 were connected with the revision of the Ordinances of Hongkong now being carried out by the Chief Justice (Sir F. T. Piggott, Kt.). This is the largest number of Ordinances ever passed by the Hongkong Legislative Council in one year.
The most important Ordinances were :-The Defence (Sketching Prevention) Ordinance (No. 3), the Consolidation of the Liquor Laws (No. 9), the University Ordinance (No. 10), the Stamp Duties Management Ordinance (No. 35), the Code of Civil Procedure Amendment (No. 36), the Societies Ordinance (No. 47), the Chinese Partnerships Ordinance (No. 53) and the law relating to Companies (No. 58).
IV. EDUCATION.
There are 67 Government and Grant Schools, the most important of which is Queen's College. Of these 20 are Upper Grade Schools with a staff competent to give instruction in all subjects of the 7th Standard and above. These latter schools have an average attend- auce of 4.107, and the medium of instruction in all of them, with the exception of four girls' schools, is English. The 47 remaining schools are all Lower Grade. They comprise one school for British Indians, where English and Urdu are taught, six Government Schools
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