CO129-513-4 Land leases in the new territories 8-11-1928 - 29-7-1929 — Page 44

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preventing attention being drawn to the point.

was thought unlikely.

This

The

4.

It was considered that it would be undesirable

at the moment voluntarily to alter generally the present

policy of granting leases for 75 years from the 1st July,

1898, renewable for a further term of 24 years less three

days. To do so would probably result in drawing

attention to the point at a moment when our relations with

China are somewhat improved but not stabilized.

action might perhaps be more advisable either when our

relations were more stable or when they were worse. At

the same time it was felt desirable that the Government

should be ready with a definite policy in case application

for a longer lease is made by some one who is dissatisfied

with the term, gradually diminishing, which is all that can

be granted under the present policy.

5.

It was therefore decided to recommend that the

Government should be prepared to grant leases for 75

years from the date of the grant, in case application is.

made for a longer title than that which the present policy allows. If, for instance, such a lease were granted

this year, the term of it would overlap by seven years the

period laid down in the Convention. If the intending

lessee were to ask for more definite assurances as to

the probabilities of security of tenure during the over-

lapping portion of the term, it is submitted that he might

be informed verbally that the view taken by the Hong Kong

Government is that the Convention was intended to confer,

and did in fact confer, full sovereign bights on His

Majesty's Government for the period contemplated by the

Convention,