C. O P Y.. No. 49/3.
Sir,
Enclosure No. 4 to Despatch No.442of the 4th.
October, 1903,
Government House,
Hongkong, 19th. June, 1900.
12
I have the honour to acknowledge the receipt of your letter of the 9th. instant asking if the Colonial Government would grant the Admiralty a permanent tenure of the Naval Range at Kowloon.
In reply I would point out in the first place that the Range granted to the Admiralty in 1373 was only 100 yards long, and that in addition to the condition mentioned in your letter a proviso was attached to the grant by which persons desiring to crose the peninsula immediately in rear of the firing point while shooting was going on were to be allowed to do so,
In 1392 permission was given by the Colonial Govern- ment for the Range to be extended to an extreme length of 900 yards, subject to the area occupied by the Range being open to the Military Authorities for field exercises and field firing, and to the Range being used by the Hongkong Rifle Association by arrangement with the Naval Authorities,
The above facts being borne in mind, I have to inform you that the Colonial Governant has no objection to granting the Admiralty the use of the existing Naval Range and of a 200 yards Range on a portion of the Military Range, at Kowloon, on the follow- ing conditions:-
(1). That both Ranges be available for use by the Hongkong Rifle Association subject to arrangement with the Naval Authorities;·
(3).
That the Colonial Government improve the exist-
ing road across the Ranges from Hunghom to Yaumati aad form it into a Jinricksha Road, subject to the traffic on it being diverted when the Naval Range is being used for firing;·
(3). That the Colonial Government be permitted to make a footpath skirting to the South of the 900 yards firing point whereby foot-passengers may be enabled to make a detour and regain the road referred to in (3) while firing is going on;
(4).
That on the Military Range the butts for the 300 yards Range be placed as far Bast of North as possible so as to
render
Commodore
P.. Powell, R. N....... O. B..........