ENG-1963 — Page 43

REVIEW

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Village lands affected by the expansion of urban development have always presented special problems. Government policy has been designed to lessen, as far as practicable, the inevitable dis- turbance of the villager's way of life and to pay particular regard to his traditional interest in land ownership. The ways in which villages and their occupants are affected by land requirements are varied and each case must be dealt with on its own merits within this general policy. Lengthy negotiations are necessary to strike a proper balance between the needs of the Colony and those of the particular community affected.

In the New Territories where established villages have had to be moved to make way for the construction of reservoirs at Shing Mun, Tai Lam Chung and Shek Pik lengthy negotiations have been undertaken to re-provision the villagers not only with houses but also with some livelihood to substitute for that provided by their agricultural lands. Since the war most villagers have elected to accept accommodation in Tsuen Wan where families have been provided with shop premises as an alternative means of gaining a livelihood. A somewhat different problem has arisen where the development of a new town like Tsuen Wan has surrounded low- lying villages which present drainage, health and fire risks in such surroundings. Again particular negotiations have had to be under- taken to give such villagers alternative houses which fit in with the new urban surroundings. In most cases the villagers have already abandoned farming and sold their agricultural land. In all cases the policy is to respect the established social units which such villages represent and to make the transition to a new environ- ment as easy as possible.

Land revenue

The degree of reliance placed on revenue from land and the proportion of annual revenue that this has represented has fluctu- ated considerably over the years. In the early days it was a main source of revenue and it was the importance of this revenue in 1848 which finally persuaded Earl Grey to grant a free extension of 924 years to all 75 year leaseholders in the city rather than face a reduction in rent income. From the figures available it appears that up to 1847 about 50 per cent of local revenue was derived from Crown rent. By 1887 the percentage had fallen to