Sessional_Paper_1900 — Page 259

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even hamlets of two or three houses, which were considered as belonging to larger villages when my report of last year was drawn up, or in some cases omitted owing to the somewhat hurried nature of my first visit to the territory. Some of these villages are walled, the object being, as I pointed out in my former report, to afford the inhabitants greater security if attacked by robbers and to place them in a stronger position for purposes of defence in case of clan feuds. One of these walled villages in the sub-district of Lung Yeuk T'au was once besieged for three months by robbers. A map is attached (Appendix No. I) on which the districts and sub-districts are marked,

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APPOINTMENT OF COMMITTEE-MEN FOR SUB-DISTRICTS.

After the districts and sub-districts had been defined, circulars were issued to all the villages on the mainland and in the islands, requesting the villagers to send in the names of such persons as they wished to reconimend for appointment as Committee-men of the sub-districts under section 4 of the Local Communities Ordinance.

Every village with a population of from 50 to 100 persons was entitled to nominate one Committee-man, as were also the smaller villages, the combined populations of which amounted from 50 to 100 persons. In the case of a large village, à Committee-man was allowed for every hundred of its population.

The names of the Committee-men for the sub-districts were duly submitted and approved by the Governor.

The first list was published in the Gazette on the 7th of July and a second list on the 15th of the same month.

On the 2nd of August, the Committee-men of the castern portion of the territory waited on the Governor at Táipó, and on the 4th of August the Committee-men of the western portion waited on His Excellency at Ping-sháo. I attach a copy of the Governor's remarks on those occasions and of the replies of the Committee-men (see Appendix No. II).

These Committee-men have formed a useful link between the Government and the villagers, and have been of much assistance in explaining to the people the objects of the various measures of Government which have been introduced from The Co ittee-nen as a rule are those who possess influence in

and whose lead is those to whom the g them to elucidate

tion 5 of the Local

No Chairmen of Committees have been app Communities Ordinance, and it is not proposed to make such appointments until experience has shown them to be desirable.

No local tribunals have been established under Part VI of the Ordinance. It is very doubtful whether it will be ever necessary, even if it were regarded as desirable, to bring this part of the Ordinance into force.

LAND.

After the hoisting of the flag and the appointment of Sub-District Committee- men, attention was given without delay to the work of land registration.

A

I attach a memorandum on Chinese land tenure (see Appendix No. III) which has been prepared with the assistance of Mr. MESSER and Mr. Tson. perusal of this memorandum will, I think, show that, though the Chiuese system may be excellent in theory, it has not been well carried out in practice, with the result that the land question has proved one of great difficulty.

The Land Office in Victoria was constituted the head office. A branch office was established at Táipó in July under Mr. MESSER, assisted by a Chinese staff, and another at Ping-shan in the month of October under Mr. KEMP, to deal with the work of registration in the districts north of the Kowloon range of hills and in the islands of the East, whilst the head office in Hongkong, with the assistance of Mr. CHAMPMAN and Mr. KING, attended to the work of registration in the districts south of the Kowloon range of hills and in the islands to the West of Hongkong.

The first object aimed at was to secure the registration of all the owners of cultivated land in the New Territories in order to prepare a Crown Rent Roll.

On the 12th of July a Chinese proclamation was issued by the Governor (see Appendix No. IV), informing the people of the procedure which the Government

* Not printed.