Registrar-Generals-Department-Annual-report-1971-1972 — Page 9

and projects on lots sold by auction or by private treaty in respect of which purchasers had entered into similar building covenants.

6. As the amount of accommodation available still failed to satisfy demand, the upward trend in rents naturally continued. In- creases were, however, to some extent moderated by the restraining influence of the Rent Increases (Domestic Premises) Control Ordinance.

7. There remains the prospect of an enormous amount of re- development to come in some of the older parts of the urban areas in which action has been taken in hundreds of cases under the Demolished Buildings (Re-development of Sites) Ordinance to require the owner to re-develop the site of a demolished building. During the year Re-development Orders were registered in 125 cases, 60 more than in the previous year, making a total of 1,312 since the Ordinance was passed in 1963.

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8. The foregoing is the background to the Land Office statistics for the year, the salient features of which, summarized from the details given in Part II and the relevant Tables, are as follows. The number of instruments of all categories registered was 77,552, which was 6,759 more than the previous record total of 70,793 in 1970-71. These included 1,758 assignments of whole properties, 23,292 assign- ments of units in buildings, 18,251 mortgages and 14,441 agreements for sale and purchase, the first and the last two being also record figures. The grand total of considerations expressed in all instruments was $6,697m., an increase of $1,300m. over the previous record figure in 1970-71. Increases in aggregate considerations were recorded in most categories of instruments, particularly notable being the in- crease in the considerations for assignments of whole properties, where the total jumped to $1,608m. from $802m. in 1970-71. A total of 189 Crown leases was issued, 302 lots or sections were surrendered to the Crown, and four lots were re-entered for breach of the lease conditions. The number of landowners (excluding mortgagees) rose by 13,158 over the previous year to the impressive total of 204,401.

Companies, Trade Marks and Patents

9. The continuing high level of business activity had its reper- cussions on the Companies Registry, where the year again saw many records broken. 3,953 new companies were incorporated during the

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