-
Copy of Report by the Board's Local Re
dated 27th January, 1922.
452
In view of the increasing number of Colonial Service Cadets who are sent to Canton for the purpose of studying Chinese and the inability of this Department to provide accommodation for them it has been proposed by the Hongkong wovernment that a sub-lease should be granted to them by the british Government of the British Yamen at Canton. At present the accommodation is sufficient for only 5 cadets and residences are required for 6 additional students. The Hongkong Government propose, in the event of a lease being granted to them, to instruct their Public Works Department to erect a block of bungalowe, cost to be defrayed by the Hongkong and Federal Malay Straits Governments between them.
The proposal has received the approval of
H.M. Minister at Peking.
the
So far as this Department is concerned there is no objection to sub-letting the property for a term of years as it is held by H.M. Government for political
reasons only, and is of no use for Consular residential purposes.
H.M. Minister is of the opinion that it is desirable that H.M. Government should retain
Bovereign rights" over the Yamen and that a permanent transfer to the Hongkong Government is out of the question.
The political reasons alluded to also preclude any idea of letting it to any appreciable financial advantage and the rent proposed to be charged would be approximately of the same amount as the annual land tax paid to the Chinese Government.
The 11abilities at present incurred in respect of the site are:-
(1) Annual land tax of
$277.77
(2)
Annual rent of gatehouse from
private Chinese individual to secure access to the property.
20.00
Total
$297.77
т
It is proposed by H.M. Consul-General that the Hong-Kong Government should be charged an annual rent of $350.00.
The Hongkong Government at first suggested that at the termination of the lease any buildings erected by the Hongkong Government should be taken over at a valuation by the Imperial Government but H.M. Minister has, on the advice of H.M. Consul-General.and myself, demurred to any such stipulation and one of the coriitions of the lease would be that the Imperial Government would accept no liability in respect of any buildings erected by the Colonial Government of Hongkong.
The suggested terms of the lease, which are only tentative, are the following:-
(1)
F