Sessional_Paper_1901 — Page 573

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There can be little doubt, however, that the operations of the Court w.. far more rapid and the difficulties less in the districts to the north of the Kowlo watershed, from which most of the land revenue must be drawn in the future.

The land outside permanent cultivation has been regarded by the Chinese of little value and will therefore be rarely claimed while the ownership of lar under crops is usually well known and will hardly ever be the subject of dispute.

SURVEY.

Mr. TATE and his assistant, Mr. NEWLAND. with their staff of trained India Surveyors and coolies have been continuing the survey of the New Territor throughout the year.

An area of 4,000 square miles has been triangulate, and of the points la.. down, those which are situated within the New Territory are being marked.

An area of 300 square miles has been surveyed on the scale of one inch to a mile for the topographical map, while an area of 4,500 acres has been surveyed partly on the scale of 16 inches and partly on the scale of 32 inches to a mile.

A special survey of the Chinese town of Kowloon together with its walled or fortified portion has also been made on the scale of 64 inches to a mile.

Progress has not been rapid, partly owing to unfavourable weather, and it is evident that the work will cost more than was anticipated by this Government on the report of the Surveyor General of India. As, however, the triangulation r the topographical survey are almost complete, it has been decided that Mr. T should return to India and that Mr. NEWLAND should be retained with such : as may be considered necessary for the completion of the cadastral survey.

I attach a report by Mr. TATE (Appendix No. 3) on the progress of cadastral survey up to the 15th of February, 1901.

The cadastral survey, which gives the position and area of individual hol is of course necessary as the basis of a permanent Rent Roll A commenceme made with a scale of 16 inches to the mile and the first 40,000 acres of cultivate were surveyed on this scale which is probably adequate in level country sue found round Ping Shán where holdings are large and cultivation continuous well populated areas where every foot of land is valuable-as for instance south of the Kowloon watershed-a survey on a larger scale will no doubt be necessary, while for land where the holdings are small there is no doubt t 16-inch scale is totally inadequate.

For these reasons and because it was desired to have maps of village sufficiently large scale to show each building in the village, it has been arrang when Mr. TATE. in charge of the surveys, and Mr. GOMPERTZ, Member of ti Court, agree that for any given area the 16-inch scale is too small, the larg of 32 inches may be adopted.

Since the constitution of the Land Court the area to the south of t!' hills, which had been already surveyed, has been entirely demarcated, Táipó District the work of demarcation and survey is being pressed for

BOTANICAL AND AFFORESTATION DEPARTMEN

Mr. TETCHER, the Acting Superintendent of the Botanical and . Department. has furnished me with the following information concerni. done by his Department in the New Territory during last year.

Tree planting was commenced around the Police Stations, at Au Tau, Táipó, and on both sides of the road from Sham Shui-pó 81,154 trees have been planted.

In February, 145 cuttings of seedling sugar canes were received CURTIS, F.L.S., Assistant Superintendent of Forests, Penang, and abc these were planted in the Sookunpó Nursery and the rest at Ha 15 plants were obtained in all, as the whole of the cuttings put in failed. Similarly of 318 cuttings received in July from Mr. E. Province Wellesley, only those planted at Sookunpó have done regards size a great improvement on the ordinary Chinese cane. them were taken in this spring so that by next winter, there shou quantity of mature canes to test their sugar producing qualities.