Sessional_Paper_1900 — Page 283

Appendix No. VII.

Form of Notice posted in the Villages.

NEW TERRITORY,

新界

Claims to Provisional Certificates of Title in the.

....of...

27.

呈報暫領在

分約

村附近之地契

CLAIMANT.

PROPERTY CLAIMED.

NCMBER RENT

所報田畝

OF YEARS

PER

ANNUM.

IN

REMARKS.

No. CLAIM

OCCUPA

No.

Name of Owner

報號

or Occupier.

Class.

Description.

Area in Maus.

TION.

1 年若

雜記

業主姓名 何則 何等田地畝四管幾

數至 業年8

賦干

C.

Appendix No. VIII.

Memorandum of work done in the Land Office, Hongkong, in respect of the

New Territories for the year 1899.

1. The preliminary work of the Land Office in respect of the New Territory consisted in making arrangements for the registration of all the owners of cultivated lands there with a view to the preparation of a Crown Rent Roll; in devising methods for the classification of the lands for the fixing of proper Crown Rents; in assessing Crown Rents according to the classification of the lands, and in the drafting and superintending of the printing of the forms to be used in obtaining the requisite information of claims to land and the registers to be kept.

2. In the month of May last, soon after the New Territory had been taken possession of by the Colonial Government, questions arose in respect of the follow- ing matters, viz. :—

(1.) The registration of Chinese deeds under our Deeds Registration Or-

dinance of 1843.

(2.) The grant of Crown Leases by the Government in substitution of

the existing Chinese titles, or

(3.) The grant of Certificates of Title under which the existing titles

should be acknowledged by the Government.

3. As regards (1.) arrangements were then inade for the voluntary registration of all Chinese deeds by Memorial under the Registration Ordinance; the last deed before the date of the Convention (19th June, 1898) to be taken as the root of title, the previous title to be produced in support if required, but not necessarily for re- gistration, if the circuinstances did not require it. It was also necessary to obtain a translation in English of the deed forming the root of title, and to secure the payment of the fees under the Registration Ordinance, and the stamping of the deeds with the ad valorem duty under the Stamp Ordinances.

4. The first deed. which was one relating to land at Kowloon Tong, was registered on the 3rd June, 1899, and from that date to the end of the year deeds have been continuously coming into the Land Office for registration. The advantage of this registration is that the Government has no responsibility for the registered title, while the title of the registered owner is secured and if he is in possession