CO129-402 - Governor Sir May - 1913 [7-8] — Page 379

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(a) for the lawful purposes of

and

12.05ber of Commerce,

Best 25 100 13 (b) for the Ellis Kadoorie Scheel now standing upon the

lot; because by the deed of trust of the 19th.

March, 1907, the Government seems to have acquiesced

in an extension of the trust upon which the Trustees

for the Chamber held the land. The former of these

trusts has now to all intents and purposes ceased,

for the Secretary for Chinese Affairs has reported

that the Chinese Chamber of Commerce no longer exists, and it is proposed under Section 6 of Ordi-

-nance 47 of 1911 to write the name of the Chamber

off the list of registered societies. The latter

trust is in a most unsatisfactory stete (1) because

the extension of the trust was ultre vires, the

sanction of the Secretary of State for the Colonies

not having been obtained, and is therefore strictly speaking illegal, although the Government could scarcely repudiate it now; and (2) because the

Crow lessees, i.e. the trustees for the Chamber

have left the Colony and someone else is apparently

paying Crow Rent in their name.

4.

In these circumstances I am advised that the

best plan will be to persuade the payees of the Crown Rent to make

default in payment. The Covernment could then re-enter on the pro-

-perty and would only have to deal with the Trustees of the

School. It would then no doubt be easy for Government to agree

with the trustees of the School to take from Covernment a new lease

upon such terms as the Government might think fit to grant for the purposes of the School only.

If you agree to this procedure I propose that the new lease should be granted upon the following terus:-

(1). Term of lease 75 years.

(2). Crown Rent 1 per annum.

(3).