losure No.2.
Jee 57940
of the Kai Tak reclamation near Kowloon City, on which temporary sheds (so marked on the plan which forms enclosure 2 in this despatch) were erected.
The Admiralty ordered on the 17th November that these sheds should be abandoned by the Naval Authorities and I directed that they should be taken over and maintained at the expense of the Colonial Government. The area on which the
sheds stand and the open ground in front of them constitute an important part of the complete scheme which I put forward in paragraphs 12,14,15 and 16 below.
6.
In formulating the scheme I have not overlooked the policy outlined in "Notes on proposals for Air Base at Hongkong" of which a copy was received from the General Officer Commanding the Troops, China Command, under date
4th December,1925. It runs as follows:-
M
"
H
It is not considered that any air menace "to Hongkong exists at the present time, from China, since the Chinese only possess a few aircraft which could be kept in check by our machines flown off Carriers as soon as such *vessels are stationed on the China Station.
Should, however, developments of Chinese "Air Forces occur, or the present situation in "China be materially altered, the Government "might deem it necessary, in order to safeguard "our interests in China, to establish an Air Base "in Hongkong in spite of the difficulties and "great expense involved.
There is, however, no intention of doing so "at the moment, and consequently international
questions