Until 1982 the administration of land in the urban area and the New Territories was performed separately by different government departments. In the early days of ruling the New Territories, an Assistant Land Officer was appointed to administer the area along with a police officer. By 1905, after the issue of the Block Crown Leases, the Government decided to register land transactions in the New Territories. Documents were registered under the provisions of the Land Registration Ordinance and the New Territories Land Ordinance (No.3 of 1905) which was later replaced by the New Territories Regulation Ordinance (No.34 of 1910). In 1906, the eight administrative districts of the New Territories were combined in two, i.e., the North (North of Tsuen Wan) and the South (Tsuen Wan & Islands), each administered by a District Officer. One of the functions of the District Offices was registration of land transactions. The North District was further divided into Yuen Long and Tai Po in 1948. At first, registration service was free of charge. From about 1914, a Transfer Fee was charged using the mechanism of the Stamp Duty Ordinance. Transactions of land were not recorded on Deeds Registers until 1952. Searchers needed to make reference to the "Memorial Index" and then go through each and every memorial for particulars.
