Sessional_Paper_1904 — Page 509

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(f.) The whole of Lan Tao Island with the exception of portions previous-

ly surveyed near Tung Chung and Mui Wo.

(g.) And the following cultivated Islands --Tsing I, Chik Lap Kok, Ni Ku Chau, Tap Mun, Pak Lap Chau, Kau Sai and Im Tin Tsz.

The area dealt with amounted to 11,715.81 acres comprising 219,292 fields. Considering the increase in the staff, the results on paper do not compare favour- ably with the previous year's outturn; the reason being that only the most hilly Districts of the Territory, which remained to be surveyed, were dealt with.

4. In June, 1902, I made Hongkong my headquarters and in the same month reduced the staff by one Inspector, 12 Surveyors and 43 Indian coolies. Two Surveyors were also dismissed for bad work. After a month's rest the new field sea on 1902-03 was started and the following staff took the field on 17th July:-- One Inspector, 27 Surveyors, 37 Indian and about 55 Chinese coolies.

Early in May, 1903, the surveys were completed, and one Inspector, 20 Sur- veyors and 30 Indian coolies were sent back to India.

The following Districts and Sub-Districts were surveyed :-

(a.) The remaining portion of Sub-District Tsun Wan of the Kau Lung

District.

(6.) The Islands of Lamma and Pu Toi.

(c.) Four small patches of isolated hillside cultivation which had been

overlooked in the Tung Hoi Districts.

(d.) The resurvey on a larger scale (32") of 4 Demarcation Districts

of the Sha Tau Kok District.

(e.) The resurvey on a larger scale (32") of New Kowloop, compris-

ing Districts 1, 2, 3, 4, 5 and 9.

(f.) A 32-inch scale survey was also made of the cultivated area of Old Kowloon extending from the old boundary fence southwards to Yau Ma Ti and Hung Hom.

The area dealt with amounted to 2,653.65 acres comprising 28,245 holdings.

5. The accuracy of the survey is assured not only by check lines carried out during the survey stage by experienced Inspectors, but more particularly so, by the independent check lines carried out while the maps are locked up in office. The original maps and field books of check lines were inspected and passed by me.

The total amount of check gives an average of 8.32 linear miles of test survey to each square mile of detail survey.

6. When the resurvey, on a larger scale, of districts 1, 2, 3 and 4 of New Kow- loon had been completed, I found that the areas of claims, as derived from the two surveys, would not in most cases agree. I now understand that the Public Works Department is experiencing some difficulty in allotting land to the various claim- ants of holdings in these Districts as the new 32-inch maps are being utilised in pegging out the granted claims, while the Land Court judgments are based on the areas extracted from the original 16-inch maps.

I submitted the following Memorandum to the Honourable Director of Public Works and to the President, Land Court, explaining these differences in the areas of No. 4 District. The same reasons apply to Districts 1, 2 and 3 of New

Kowloon:-

"(a.) No. 4 District was originally surveyed on the 16-inch scale in January, 1900, and, after an interval of nearly 31 years, a resurvey was made on the 32-inch scale. In this interval a great many changes had taken place. Many new houses and boat-sheds had been erected along the foreshore between Sham Shui Po and Lai Chi Kok. The greater mass of the cultivation remained the same, except in the case of vegetable gardens and land on the outskirts. Here, besides the addition of new cultivation, the existing fields had altered considerably. Consequently the areas of claims as derived from the two surveys will not in all cases agree.