Cheung Chau Magazine

1900 Jan 01

Land Court , 1900

Since the issue of Chinese Notice in 1899 by the Governor, Henry Blake, informing all land owners in New Territories and Outlying Islands to claim land ownerships, Colonial Government received great amount of land claim disputes, amounting to 69,253 cases, as reported by Stewart Lockhart in his report to Government in 1902.

(參閱 : Ching Dynasty New Territories and outlying islands Land Tenure, before 1898)

Colonial Government enacted the No 18th Ordinance in Hong Kong, the Land Court Ordinance to establish Land Court to handle all theses claim disputes.

Mr. H E Pollock was appointed President, Mr. Gompertz was appointed member, and Mr. Kemp appointed as Registrar.

“ First sitting of  Land Court did not take place till 20^th February 1901 on Ma Wan Island, then frequent intervals to Cheung Chau and Ping Chau.

Mr. Pollock and me also went to Liyumoon to sit in Chinese Temple for hearing, and Cha Kwo Lang to sit in vacant shop for hearing.”  remarked by H H J Gompertz as President of Land Court in report to Colonial Government dated 15^th March 1902.

(參閱 : British Colonial Government Policy on land administration in New Territories, 1899)

In 1905, Land Court member J R Wood submitted his report to Colonial Government and listed out the chief problems for settlement :

“Many large tracts of land are now claimed by persons who have never paid Crown Rent on them, who never reported their occupation, such as it was to the authorities, and whose claims have never in any way recognised by the Chinese Government.

Very many persons have been paying under the name of tax annual sums to families who professed to be giving an account of these sum to District Treasury but who as a matter of fact very often did nothing of the kind and who in many cases had no real title to more than a very small fraction of the territory over which they collected this rent. “

J R Wood went on to comment “ The claims to large tracts have for the most part on investigation proved untenable, while the Tax-collecting families or Taxlords, as we have called them., have , where they can show documents in support of  their income of any part of  it, been provided for in ways appropriate to each case on recommendations of the Court.”

Wong Wai Tsak Tong Clan’s book land title record	Wong Wai Tsak Tong clan’s book land title record
Wong Wai Tsak Tong clan’s book land title record	Wong Wai Tsak Tong Clan’s Book