Registrar-Generals-Department-Annual-report-1963-1964 — Page 12

other hand it should be borne in mind that the Marriage and Births and Deaths Registries are as a matter of policy not run on a self- supporting basis, and the fees charged therein represent only a frac- tion of the cost of running these Registries.

Functions

PART II

LAND OFFICE

19. The Land Office is responsible for the registration of all instru- ments affecting land, the settling and registration of Conditions of Sale, Grant and Exchange of Crown land, the issue, renewal, variation and termination of Crown leases, the granting of Mining Leases, and advising the Government generally on matters relating to land.

Deeds Registration

20. Under the Land Registration Ordinance (Cap.. 128) the Land Office is responsible for the registration of deeds and other instruments relating to land in Hong Kong, Kowloon, portions of New Kowloon, and a few lots in the New Territories which have been exempted from the provisions of Part II of the New Territories Ordinance (Cap. 97). The Ordinance provides that all such deeds, etc., so registered shall have priority according to the priority of their respective dates of regis- tration, and that with the exception of bona fide leases at rack rents for any term not exceeding three years, all such deeds, etc., which are not registered shall, as against any subsequent bona fide purchaser or mortgagee for valuable consideration, be absolutely null and void. No notice, actual or constructive, of any prior unregistered instrument affects the priority of any duly registered instrument. Where, however deeds etc. are registered within one month of execution, if executed in the Colony, or, if executed elsewhere, within twelve months of execu- tion, they take priority according to the respective dates thereof. Legally the system is one of registration of deeds and not of title; but in view of the above provisions instruments relating to land are always registered promptly after execution, and the Land Registers show the devolution of title to each property and all incumbrances on it.

21. Table III shows the number of instruments registered in each year since 1954–55; Table IV, the numbers of instruments by categories in each year since 1959–60; and Table V, the total considerations in the principal categories for each year since 1954–55.

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