CO129-513-4 Land leases in the new territories 8-11-1928 - 29-7-1929 — Page 40

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Enclosure No. 1.

MEMORANDUM.

Land Leases in the New Territories of Hong Kong.

A conference was held in Sir V. Wellesley's

room at the Foreign Office on Wednesday, November 7th, to

discuss the question of land leases in the New Territoriės

of Hong Kong. The following were present: Sir Cecil

Clementi, Sir G. Grindle, Mr. Ellis, Mr. Caine;

Sir V. Wellesley, Mr. Pratt, Mr. Ashton-Gwatkin.

Sir Cecil Clementi explained that although the

Hong Kong territories were divided into three parts,

viz. the Colony of Hong Kong, old Kowloon and new Kowloon

(i.e. the leased territory) yet for practical purposes

they constituted a single entity that of Hong Kong

Harbour. The Southern side of the harbour (i.e. the

Colony) was almost if not quite fully developed; the

Northern side (i.e. the leased territory) was beginning

to develop and would develop rapidly if security of tenure

were assured. Persons and firms interested would take

up land for large undertakings only if granted leases

beyond the period for which the territory had been leased

by the Chinese Government to His Majesty's Government, i.e.

99 years from 1898. It was pointed out that the lease

from Government to Government was not merely a land lease,

but a lease of all sovereign rights; this would include

the right to dispose of land and allot leases even beyond

the term of the head lease. Sir C. Clementi therefore

urged that, in the best interests of the Colony and of the

new territories themselves, he should proceed to grant

leases for periods beyond the balance of the 99 years.

Sir

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