TNAG-0670-FCO40-819-Policy-of-Government-of-Hong-Kong-on-land-in-New-Territories-1977 — Page 19

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will become increasingly serious.

22.

The situation has become somewhat more

complicated by the fact that documents relating to the

resumption of land in New Kowloon in 1925 have recently

come to light. At that time the description of what was

happening in Kowloon was similar to the development taking

place in the New Territories to-day. The Governor wrote

"district development has been taking place on an unprecedented

scale. Hills are being levelled, valleys raised, roads

driven, water courses diverted and trained, drainage laid,

and hugh reclamations are being made, all of which work is

costing an enormous sum of money.

23.

7

Arising from this the petition was made to the

Secretary of State in which reference was made to the Con-

vention and to the terms of the lock Crown Lease. The then

Secretary of State was disposed to accept certain of the

views put forward by the petitioners.

"I find great

difficulty in agreeing with Sir R.E. Stubbs that the

compulsory purchase of land is not expropriation" or that

town planning, carried on in the way which he describes, is

an official purpose within the meaning of the Convention;

and later 'It appears to me possible that if the Government

of Hong Kong were to adopt a fairer and more generous

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