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(Signed) G. GRINDLE
Endosure 1.
HONGKONG LEGISLATIVE COUNCIL.
29th January, 1920.
301
Suggested Removal of Military Establishments
HON. MR. H. E POLLOCK, R.C., in accordance with notice given, moved the following resolutions:-
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That, with a view to giving facili-
ties for commercial expansion, Committee of the Legislative Coun- cil be appointed, consisting of His Excellency the General Officer Cont- manding and two Official and three Unofficial Members of the Legisla- tive Council, for the purpose of considering and reporting to this Council upon the resumption by the Hongkong Government of the Mili- tary Establishments on the Queen's Road and the terms and conditions of such resumption.
HON. MR. H. E. POLLOCK—Sir, I think it will be admitted by those who are quainted with the conditions of this Colony, and I am sure it must have struck your Excellency already, that there are very limited opportunities for office and business expansion in this Colony, and that, therefore, it would be desirable if we could arrive at such an arrangeluent that the military establishments on the Queen's Road should be removed to a more distant a less central-spot, in order to give room for commercial and trade expansion in this Colony. I would ven- ture to suggest that such a committee as the resolution proposes would be a suit- able committee for bringing matters to 4 head. We should have on the Com mittee the highest military officer in the Colony, official members and also un- official members as representing the tax- payers and the general public of the Colony. I think, sir, my main reason for suggesting that the Committee should be so composed is that it is obvious that acles & Committee of this character is appointed you will have an almost inter- minable quadrilateral correspondence, between the military authorities, the War Office, the Colonial Office and the Govern ment here. You will have the War Office passing the matter on to the Colonial Office and the Colonial Office passing the matter back here, and perhaps in somo cases you will have the stream setting back the other way and you will have this Government communicating with the Colonial Office, and that office with the War Office, and so on. It seems highly desirable-aud the unofficial members of this Council are of this opinion that a Committee such as I proposu should be appointed. We think this will save much Correspondence and concrete proposals ay be evolved for submission to the Colonial Office and the War Office as being the considered opinion of the high- cat military officer here and the official and pnofficial members of the Council. I think, sir, there can be no question bat there are other sites which could be found for the military establishments of the Colony than this central situation, im- peding commercial progress and expan
io, and if such a Committee could meet think it would produce speedy and
Satisfactory results. There is a consider able shortage of offices, and unless more accommodation is found it must result in European firms having to go down to the farther parts of the Colony which are reserved for Chinese offices and shops. There can be no doubt about the pressing nature of this matter. With regard to the Colony having a right to considera- tion in this matter from the military authorities, it will be fresh in the winds of members of this Council what import ant contribution, the Colony made to the war in man power and money, and in sending home clothing for the troops at the front. So far as the war itself is concerned this Colony played a very worthy part. In the matter of our old friend. the Military Contribution, I do not think it is quite realised what this Colony is doing. I would like to refer to the papers which were laid on the Council table on April 23rd, 1914, which was intended, no doubt, to be a very convincing answer by the War Office to the complaint made in this Council by the unofficial mombers that the Military Contribution was somewhat excessive. In that paper there appears a despatch dated December 31at, 1813, from the War Office with reference to the cost of the garrison here in 1912 and 1913, and in working out the cost of the garrison for these years a number of items were put in, such items as medical services, board and lodging allowances, transport supplies, miscellaneous services and home effective charges, deferred pay and gratuities, showing that the War Office had every intention of making the bill as heary as possible. The cost of garri acing the Colony during 1912-1913 was given as £14,000 and the Colony's con- tribution in respect thereo. was £143,000 odd. That certainly made it appear that the Colony was paying less than a quar ter the cost of maintaining the garrison. Turning now to the figures for 1920, it will be seen that we are going to send bone as military contribution million dollars, and if you fix the rate of exchange forward at a favourable rate you will be sending home in round figures $700,000. Assuming the cost of the garri- son now to be not largely in excess of the cost of the garrison in 1914 there seems every probability that instead of paying less than a quarter of the cost of the garrison, we shall be paying the full cost of the garrison for the year Those are rather striking figures, and I think, sir, they should be taken into consideration by the military authorities when considering any claim which is made cu them in connection with the removal of the military establish- ments from Queen's Road to some place which will not impede or inconvenience the commercial expansion of this Colony. 1 trust, sir, the Government will agree with the unofficial members that this is very important matter and in thinking that a Committee of the sort I have men- tioned is the speediest way of arriving at a solution of this matter. I will call upon my honourable friend Mr. Dodwell to second this resolution, which, as I have stated, represents the unanimous opinion of the unofficial members of this Council.
1920.