CO129-546-11 Kowloon city- expropriation of Chinese owned land 9-1-1934 - 28-12-1934 — Page 97

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to the value of their present leased buildings. (d) To clear away the houses (exclusive of the five

blocks mentioned in paragraph 1) and preserve the "city" as "a place of popular resort and

antiquarian interest" similar to the Sung Wong

Toi (see Hong Kong Ordinance No.? of 1899.

Subsequently it was decided to offer more

generous terms to the "owners" on similar lines to those

adopted in the case of the resumption for the Shing Mun Water Scheme, i.e. to provide not only new sites, but new houses of

village type, with full New Territory tenure and in addition

properly constructed pigsties to be used under permit.

5.

These terms are of course vastly more generous than

anything the Chinese Authorities grant to owners of property

which stands in the way of their development schemes, and may

lead to a voluntary removal to the new site. They have not,

however, been communicated to the "owners" because it seems

obvious, as stated in the note of 5th September from the

Colonial Office to the Foreign Office, that the Chinese

Government is concerned not with the hardships to the "owners"

of these houses, but with the rights which China conceives

herself still to retain under the Convention, and until this

issue is disposed of it seems inadvisable to display a more

conciliatory attitude, even though based on quite different

grounds. For the same reason it seems inadvisable to postpone

the scheme and renew the leases of the property affected.

I have the honour to be,

Sir,

Your most obedient, humble servant,

んん

Governor, &c.