CO129-617-6 Development- recommendations of Hong Kong Colonial Development and Welfare Committee 18-7-1947 - 23-12-1947 — Page 20

RURAL DEVELOPMENT.

THE LAND.

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The Colony of Hong Kong covers 390 square miles. The New Territories, which are almost completely rural, form ninety-one percent of this area. In the history of the Colony development has been almost completely confined to the city areas of Hong Kong and Kowloon, the commercial centre, in which the majority of the people live and work. The Chinese of the New Territories remain primitive agricultural and fishing communities. The area is small compared with the vast expanse of China, but the people are very similar in their mode of life and character to those of the large agricultural districts in the south. The New Territories are of a convenient size for development into a model which might well become the pattern on which China could evolve progress on modern and democratic lines. It is believed that careful and sympathetic planning, supported by adequate capital and the good-will of all concerned, must produce remarkable and far-reaching results. It is realised that at comparatively low cost the New Territories could be converted into an ideal rural community. It is appreciated that this develop- ment must take time but much can be done in the first five years to prove to the people that we have their welfare at heart, and this is necessary in order to win their sympathy and co-operation in the implementation of a long-term policy.

The land known to be under cultivation in the New Territories covers an area of approximately 50 sq. miles of which two-thirds are devoted to rice and one-third to vegetables. The farmers of the New Territories, although skilled in the growing of crops by methods evolved empiri- cally over the course of centuries, are ignorant of the progress of modern science and are conservative in their methods and restricted in their outlook. This attitude is easily appreciated when it is realised that the people are very poor and are for the most part saddled with debts, the capital of which they cannot repay, and on which they pay exorbitant interest in kind.

In order to bring prosperity and happiness to these peasants, it is essential that in any development projects there should be encouragement and help given to improve both the economy and the social status of the farmer. If he can be assured of increased returns from his land and encouraged thereby to repay his debts and become solvent, and if at the same time his mental outlook can be broadened, it is inevitable that he will develop into a more self- reliant and happy citizen. To achieve these ends, projects that will result in improved communications, increased production, improved methods of handling and marketing, and improvement in the quality of crops must be given first consideration. It is suggested, therefore, that during the first few years attention should be paid in particular to the following:-

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