instituted against the owner for the recovery of the money due to the Government. During the year, 12 such cases were referred to the Legal Department for legal proceedings to be instituted, and a total sum of $502,402 was recovered in 13 cases, including five referred to the Legal Department in the previous year. Four cases were pending at the end of the year.
Armed Services Lands
56. The Land Office maintains registers of all lands held by the Ministry of Defence and is responsible for preparing all documents relating thereto. Under the new policy announced by the Government in December 1966, the old Military Lands Account procedure established in the 1890s was superseded by a new arrangement, under which the Ministry of Defence has agreed to return to the Hong Kong Government free of charge any land held by it as soon as the land is no longer required for purposes in connection with the defence of the Colony, and the Government has agreed to provide land free to the Ministry of Defence when the Government agrees the land is needed. During the year Memoranda of Appropriation were in the course of being prepared in respect of eight pieces of land provided by the Government for use by the Ministry of Defence, five of them for married quarters.
Acquisition of Land by Charities
.
57. The Charities (Land Acquisition) Ordinance provides that land shall not be assured to or for the benefit of or acquired or possessed by or on behalf of or for the benefit of any charity as defined in the Ordinance or assured, acquired or possessed for any charitable purpose, otherwise than under the authority of a licence granted by the Governor. The power to sign such licences was delegated by the Governor to the Registrar General in 1959, and during the year under review was in addition delegated to the Assistant Registrar General in charge of the Land Office. 55 licences were granted during the year, seven to educational bodies, four to welfare bodies, and 44 to religious bodies, including 28 to Protestant bodies, one to a Roman Catholic body, 12 to Buddhist bodies and 3 to Taoist bodies. 36 licences were in respect of flats or floors in buildings in urban areas; one in respect of a floor in a building in the New Territories; seven in respect of lots in urban areas totalling 996,924 sq. ft.; and 11 in respect of lots in the New Territories totalling 358,984 sq. ft. Table VII gives an analysis of
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