CO129-513-4 Land leases in the new territories 8-11-1928 - 29-7-1929 — Page 22

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an the New Territories to the period of our own tenure of those Territories under the Convention. At present the practice of the Hong Kong Government is to grant leases for 75 years as from 1898, renewable for a further term of 24 years. Their proposal is that they should be allowed to grant leases for 75 years from the date of grant, and that if the applicant asked for more definite

assurance as to his security of tenure in respect of the period after our 99 years' lease from China expired he should be "informed verbally" that in the Government's view the Convention was intended to, and did in fact, confer full sovereign rights on His Majesty's Government for the 99 year period, and that those sovereign rights include the right to

dispose of land and grant leases even beyond the

99 year period: be told verbally, in a suitable case" that in any negotiations with China in due course regarding the Convention it would be natural for a stipulation to be introduced that the rights of such lessees would be respected.

Further "he might, Further "he might, perhaps, also

The Foreign Office decline to assent to any authority being given for land in the New Territory to be leased for periods beyond the

expiration of His Majesty's Government's 99 years lease under the Convention with China.

They can only

suggest that some other way be found to satisfy

apprehensions on the part of prospective lessees in

the New Territories e.g.

that

hat they should be informed

that when the question arises of renewing leases under

the existing practice for the further term of 24 years,

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every