CO129-494 - Governor Sir Clementi - 1926 [9-10] — Page 15

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gempensation based on what the agricultural use

of the land is worth to an agriculturist. b

When the petitioners contend that this is

a breach of (a) the Convention and (b) the

promises of the Govt., it does not seem to me

to be a sufficient answer to say that neither

the Manchu rulers nor the Chinese Republic would

have treated them better. ES

7. At the gand time I do nots

forget that one is dealing more

with land speculators who bought in anticipation of

selling to the Govt, than with peasants deprived of

their ancestral holdings:

and

I have not

lost sight of the fact that the development of

this area for residential and business purposes is

of vital importance to the Colony, and that the

consequences of a hasty decision may be to inflict

irreparable damage on the whole community.

As you point out in para, lô of your despatch any

alteration in the present policy must imply an

admission of error, and involve the re-opening

of all past transactions,

I am therefore

not disposed to press my view which has hitherto

been that compensation

should be assessed not

under

refly

C

i

the

value of the land, unless and until the

whole question has been so fully explored

in all its bearings that I am satisfied

that no other course is compatible with

due observance of our undertakings both at

the time of the Convention and subsequently.

do not consider that I am at present in a

position to pronounce confidently on the

subject, and in existing conditions it is

of course out of the question for you or

your advisers to deal with this matter more

exhaustively than you have already done in

your careful despatch on the subject.

9 bue

It has been suggested that an

addition of 10% to the price as now assessed

should be allowed with retrospective effect

(see paragraph 17 of your despatch under

acknowledgment) but this concession might

fail to satisfy all the petitioners and the

action of your Government might still be

attacked as a breach of the Convention.

10.

I am inclined, therefore, to think

that the best plan will be to take the

only on the actual but also on the potential

value

petitioners