Of the land population nearly all are either Puntis, i.e., people speaking the Cantonese dialect, or Hakkas, e., "stranger" folk. Of these the Puntis were the older inhab- itants, and they are found in possession of the inland plains: the Hakka came later and occupied all the habitable portions of the coast, and many fertile valleys on the sea side of the hills. They are more hardy and simple folk than the Puntis, and many fertile hill- slopes bear testimony to their skill and industry.
Before the New Territory was taken over, many Puntis villages were living on their capital, on "squeezes" from their neighbours, and on pay received from the Government for collecting taxes. Under British rule these sources of revenue soon failed and the older families became impoverished: but their frugal neighbours, and especially the Hakkas, released from these former exactions, thenceforward increased rapidly in numbers and riches at their expense.
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6. The respective number of Puntis and Hakkas was given by Mr. Lockhart in 1898 as 64,140 and 36,070.: no account of dialects was taken in 1901, but in 1911 the respec- tive numbers are 47,990 and 44,375. The difference in the relative numbers between 1898 and 1911 is remarkable, but the figures on the former occasion cannot be considered as accurate, and we must wait until the next census to ascertain to what extent, if at all, the Hakka population is still displacing the Puntis.
8. The Hoklos, who are a kind of sea-gipsy, only form a very small section of the land population, some 1,500 in all, but much of the fishing is in their hands. Of the junk population the large majority are Puntis, and of the remainder some Hakka and some Hoklo.
9. The majority of the people live in small villages, of which there are some 800 in the New Territory with an average population of little over 100 in each. Nearly all are surrounded by small groves of trees, which are carefully preserved, and, outside of these, by stretches of cultivation which present a very bare appearance as they are usually devoid of any trees, or hedges or grass land to give variety to the view. During the last twelve years these general characteristics have altered little except for the extension of the urban districts of Yaunati on the West of Kowloon along the coast into Sham Shui Po.
II. GENERAL ADMINISTRATION.
10. The headquarters of the administration of the New Territories were from the Beginning fixed at Taipo, and here Mr. Lockhart remained in charge from May to July 1899. Mr. Hallifax was then appointed Police Magistrate and Mr. Messer, Assistant Land Officer, while Mr. Kemp assisted in land registration work at Pingshan. The organisa- tion of the policing of the whole of the New Territories both on land and water was entrusted to Mr. (now Sir) F. H. May. Police were immediately stationed at convenient /points through the Territory, and increased as soon as arrangements for accommodation could be made the whole force throughout the Territories was at first controlled directly from Hongkong, but at the end of 1899, it was 'ecided to appoint. Mr. Hallifax an Assistant Superintendent of Police for the New Territori, addition to his other duties.
11. The portion of the New Territories ving Soh of Kowa Hills and including the islands continued to be controlled from Hongkong, cept for law work, which was under the charge of the Land Office in Hongkon The work of land settlement is dealt. with under a separate heading. On January 1st, 1905, M J. R. Wood was appointed Assistant Land Officer in charge of land in the Southern Disrict of the New Territories. With the completion of the Crown Lease Schedules. in the same year the collection of Crown rent from the Territories became more feasible, and the Assistau, Land Officer in the South District and the Assistant Superintendent of Police in the Noth, became collectors of revenue in addition to their other duties.
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12. There was now at Hongkong and Taip proper machinery for dealing with criminal cases in the New Territories, but the Supreme Court in Hongkong remained the only resort for all civil claims, and it was at once expensive and incorvenie In the Northern District, which is further removed from Hongkong, it was usually poible for the Magistrate to enforce his decision in civil cases, but the want of proper power procedure for the hearing of small debts cases continued to be a difficulty. In 1906 experiment was tried of sending an Assistant Superintendent of, islands but it was not a success. In September, 1907, the Assistant Su tendent of
Police on occasional tad the
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