Telephone: VICTORIA 9600.
All further communications on this subjoot should be addressed Lo—
The Secretary,
War Ofice,
London, B. W.1,
and the following number,quoted.
NATION
809
WAR OFFICE,
LONDON, S.W.1.
CO
DISABLED
Hong Kong 8/346 (MENT.D.
).
33362
REC
July, 1923.
Sir,
For
27987 For
27462
CONFIDENTI 7 JUL 23)
Very urgent.
With reference to your letter No.27987/23 of the 11th ultimo and previous correspondence on the subject of certain military lands in Hong Kong, I am commanded by the Army Council to inform you that they are unable to accept the main point made by the Governor, as reported in your letter No.12742/1923 of the 6th April, viz: that the obligation of the Colony as regards reproviding the military lands and buildings shall be limited to the value of the lands and buildings to be surrendered by the Council. The Colonial Office circulars on which the Governor relies for his contention,deal with cases where lands and buildi ngs
"are no longer required for military service" and not with a special case like the present where the lands and buildings are required by the War Office but where the Council in order to secure the general interests of the Colony are willing to give up properties if the Colony provides equivalent alternative accommodation. The circulars do not contemplate that the war Office should surrender accommodation for the benefit of the Colony while Army Funds are involved in expenditure on reprovision. While it is agreed that the procedure laid down in the circulars should be followed generally, the whole case is special and must be treated on the analogy of the circulars rather than as specifically covered by them.
On the question of valuation the Council have decided that this question is of such importance that it is in the Interests of both parties that an independent valuation should be made by a Surveyor of acknowledged eminence, and they propose to employ for this purpose Sir John Oakley, a Past President of the Surveyors Institute and a former member of the Royal Commission on University Lands and the Government Lands Commission. The Council feel sure that
The Under Secretary of State,
Colonial Office,
3.7.1.
/ Sir
}