(
23.
#. 24 & 25.
219
wish to experiment with our soldiers. The sites suggested are not
as healthy and not as convenient for our purpose. The men while
occasionally marching for steady drill to the Happy Valley will
with great advantage be exercised as at other hill-stations over
the steep and rugged slopes of the island.
With so many sites as are indicated here, individuals
will be easily able to build houses in the cool air and building
houses one by one disturbs the ground less and is therefore less
likely to disengage malarial germs than the clearing of a wider
area.
The expenditure of the garrison including that of its
proposed increase may be well set against the loss to the Colony
of the taxes on the Hotel.
I have etc.
Sd. W.Black,
Major General.
P.S.-
My attention having been called to the fact that in my
reply there is no specific answer to paragraph 25 of the Petition
I have the honour to add that as Mount Austin is needed at as early
a date as possible to house the troops I cannot recommend any delay
in the transfer of this building to the War Department beyond the
extra month ending 30th September already granted at the request
of the residents in the Hotel.
Sd. W.Black.
Major General 1017/97.