Sir,
Hongkong, 15th September 1899.
29823 535
1. In accordance with the terms of a Resolution passed unanimously by the Hongkong Jubilee Committee at a meeting held on the 15th August last, I have the honour to address you on the subject of the proposed construction of a Road from Kennedy Town to Aberdeen, which was decided upon as one of this Colony's Memorials of Her Most Gracious Majesty's 60-years Reign.
2. The necessity for appealing to you in this matter has arisen principally through the action of Major General Black, C.B., who has attempted to thwart the wishes of the Colonists generally by raising objections to the construction of the road on Military grounds.
3. The Committee desire to lay before you as briefly as possible the circumstances of the case.
In the early part of 1897, the Jubilee Committee, through the medium of the Press, invited suggestions from the public, as to what form a permanent Memorial of the event referred to should take.
5. The suggestions were carefully considered and after full discussion it was resolved that the most fitting Memorials would be:
(1) The construction of a Hospital and Nursing Institute and
(2) The construction of the Road already mentioned.
The Hospital and Nursing Institute need not be referred to further than to say that, after considerable delay, caused by a transfer of the site from the lower levels to the Peak District on the representation of the Principal Civil Medical Officer, this part of the scheme is likely to be soon realized. I will therefore confine myself in what follows to the Road portion of the scheme.
7. In the first place, the Committee desire to state that the fullest publicity was given to their proceedings while the various suggestions...
The Right Honourable Joseph Chamberlain, Her Majesty's Principal Secretary of State for the Colonies.