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2 Author Introductions INTRODUCTION (Eric Hamilton) I took over as Assistant District Officer and District Officer Southern District in 1917 and served until 1923. ADO/S and DO/S were interchangeable. It made absolutely no change in the work of the job, as from my earliest incumbency I dealt directly with the Colonial Secretary. I took over from Arthur Dyer Ball, son of the sinologue and former interpreter in the Supreme Court. I was never much good at Cantonese, I could get on with my colloquialisms with the delightful Chinese peasants of my district. I loved them all and I think they regarded me as a queer sort of Dutch Uncle whom the curious government had put over them. My offices were three rooms on the top floor of the General Post Office building looking across Des Voeux Road to the Douglas offices next to Jardines. The end room was a sort of general office, the next the home of the enormous volumes which registered all the lots in my district, and in which the various mortgages were registered. The interest on Chinese Customary Mortgages was 2% per month. My personal office was the next and I had to walk through the two offices to get to it. There I worked and heard the many cases: land, general disputes and police court cases. I had been gazetted JP and a magistrate. I had not been functioning for three weeks when Leo D’Almada e Castro appeared for the defence in a police court case. He submitted that my office had not been gazetted as a place where police court cases could be heard. He was right. It had been going on for years. He then had the cheek to ask me to dismiss the case. I pointed out I had no jurisdiction there on his own plea and told the police to take the whole shooting match to the Central Magistracy. The office was very quickly thereafter gazetted appropriately. My principal trips were to Cheung Chau (Dumbbell Island) and Lantao, Tai O which I did by launch on alternate Wednesdays. In emergency I did of course extra trips and occasionally had to go to 8 Southern DiStrict officer reportS Silvermine Bay, Peng Chau, Tung Chung and rarely Ha Mei Wan on Lamma Island opposite Picnic Bay to avoid crossing the central ridge on foot. Of course my travelling was done in a hired launch at $6 an hour. One padded one’s estimate a bit on this vote item as it was recognised that the District Officer was entitled to a bathe. I used very often to take a small party with me, putting on board a picnic lunch from the Hong Kong Hotel, and very pleasant times we had. INTRODUCTION (S. H. Peplow) The administration of the New Territories is now wholly in the hands of the District Officers, North and South. The portion lying south of the Kowloon Hills and including all the islands around being under the District Officer South, and the area north of the hills under the District Officer North. Let us take a trip with the DO South on an official visit to the village of Tai O, on the extreme northwest of Lantao Island. Embarking on his launch at 9 a.m. we proceed through the Kap Shui Mun Pass, keeping near to the north coast of Lantao until we reach Tai O after a journey of about 2 1/2 hours. On getting ashore we are met by the Officer in charge and proceed to the Charge room of the Police Station, which is, during the DO’s visit, converted into a Police Court. Any and all cases in the Territory are dealt with by the DO. The head kaifong is generally the first man to greet us, and he is by virtue of his position asked to accept a seat near the DO. The cases are brought forward, and should some question appertaining to the welfare of the village crop up, he is consulted. After all the cases have been disposed of, various subjects relating to the village are gone into. Perhaps a road or temple requires repairing; someone has encroached on another’s property; so and so has been beating his wife and a hundred and one questions appertaining to the peace of the place are gone into. Nothing is too large or too small. Would the District Officer be good enough to make a personal visit? He will and...

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