Sessional_Paper_1912 — Page 49

45

—

Police and Assistant Laud Officer in the North District became District Officer and Assist- ant District Officer,-the two officers in charge now sharing the same powers and duties. In 1998 the District Officer in the North District, and the Assistant Land Officer in the South, were empowered to hold a civil court to try small debt cases in the New Territories, involving sums not exceeding $200. In September, 1910, the Assistant Land Officer (South) was given the title of Assistant District Officer, and made a Police Magistrate for his district: in April, 1911, he was also appointed an Assistant Superintendent of Police for the Southern District.

13. The powers and duties of the Assistant District Officer (South) have thus been almost entirely assimilated to those of the District Officer and Assistant District Officer (North), except for New Kowloon at the back of the Kowloon Peninsula, which because it was, or was expected to be, almost a suburb of Hongkong, remained subject to the ordinary laws and regulations of Hongkong. In the Western portion of New Kowloon, these early expectations are in process of being realised, but Kowloon East still remains a rural district, in which it may yet be found advisable to utilise the simple forms of Government common to the more distant parts of the New Territories.

14. The administration of the New Territories is now wholly in the hands of the District Officer, and the Assistant District Officer (South), subject only to the higher authority of the Captain Superintendent of Police in Police matters, and of the Supreme Court in civil cases with over $200 at stake: but only very few cases do find their way to the Supreme Court. The survey of the Territories is in the hands of the Public Works Department.

1

15. Reference should also be made to the waning influence of the village elders. throughout the Territories. It was the intention of Sir Henry Blake that "existing village organisations should be maintained and utilised", and that the village tribunals should continue to decide local cases. But it soon became clear that the authority of the village elders was of no account, with the stronger authority of the Magistrates so easily accessible, and the idea of local tribunals had perforce to be dropped. Under Chinese rule, the remote ness, the danger and the expense of the central courts had left much authority to local elders; and especially to those entrusted with powers of collecting taxes: under British rule this authority naturally decayed, though they have continued sometimes to be the medium of dealings with the villagers. But their moral influence has often been of great assistance to the officials in the maintenance of the public peace, and their knowledge in the decision of questions concerning local custoins, disputed successions, fungshui and such like.,

!

III. LAND SURVEY AND SETTLEMENT.

16. The most important work to be accomplished after taking over the New Territo- ries was the allocation and registration of all privately owned land. As a preliminary to this. it was necessary to have a survey made of the whole country, and this was carried out by Messrs. Tate and Newland, who with a trained staff were lent by the Indian Government. They began work in November, 1899) in July, 1900, Mr. Tate returned to India and the survey on a scale of 32" to the mile was completed under Mr. Newland's charge by May, 1903. In the meantin é the registration of claims was being carried on steadily from July, 1899, by Mr. Messer i Taipo, Mr. Kemp at Pingshan, and in the Land Office in Hongkong. In the following year all the registration work was taken over by the Land Court, first under Mr. Pollock, and then under Mr. Gompertz. The work of registering claims was necessarily carried on hand in hand with that of the survey and demarcation, and disputed claims were then submitted to the Land Court. The latter work began early in 1901 with the sitting of the Cours in the Islands and New Kowloon but it soon became clear that the decision of all disputed claims through the Territories would be too large an undertaking for the undivided court to achieve. Accordingly Messrs. Messer, Wood and Clementi were appointed Members of the Land Court, and from March, 1904, until the end of the year, worked in different parts of the New Territories. finally determining all land claims, and making up the Crown Leare Schedules and Rent Rolls. Agricultural land was classified as 1st, 2nd or 3rd class, and Crown rent was assessed at $3, $2 or $1 per acre accordingly, except in New Kowloon where it is $5, $3 and $1.50. Building land was charged $50 an

acre (or 50 cents per annum for a small house) and $100 an acre in the case of the more thriving villages. These rates were fixed by a proclamation of July, 1906, and an undertaking was given that they should not be raised. Claimantą to lots re at first given "chi-tsai" or small slips of paper, bearing on their face the Lot number ad on the back the name of the owner and description of the land in Chinese.

don

After the