CO129-431 - Governor Sir May - 1916 [1-2] — Page 268

CONFIDENTIAL.

Sir,

1

-

:6 VE 13,

GOVERNMENT HOUSE,

HONGKONG. 27th. January, 1916.

266

I have the honour to submit for your favour-

-able consideration the question of leasing certain small areas of land at Taipo in the New Territories without auction.

2.

The land is shown on the enclosed plan and consists of three small lots, one of about a quarter of an acre, and two of about half m acre each. There are small bungalows on the lots, which were formerly occupied by the Railway Construction Staff, and these were purchased from the Government in the year 1911 by Mr. E. Bruce Shepherd, who is employed by the Hongkong Land Investment and Agency Company, Limited, Mr. R. Baker, Engineer of Ways and Works of the Kowloon-Canton Railway, British Section, and Mr. E. A. Irving, Director of Education, as dwelling houses. The lots on which the houses stand being leased to them for 5 years only. These gentlemen, with the exception of Mr. Irving, who has to be in Hongkong for the present, have continued to live in the bungalows ever since, and they have effected con- -siderable improvements both in the houses and their surroundings.

3.

Since Mr. Harcourt approved in his Confidenti-

-al Despatch of the 6th. June, 1913, of the formation of a

European reserve at Taipo only one lot has been sold. It was

purchased by Mr. H. K. Holmes, a solicitor in Hongkong at a

premium of £100 m acre and crown rent at the rate of 850 an acre,

and he has built a substantial house on the land. Mesars. Bruce-

L 17954

73.

| RIGHT HONOURABLE

ANTRET BONAR LAW, M.P...,

&0..

&c...

-Shepherd