Gov 6631/26
MO 15819/26
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Memorandtion by the Colonial office it it x
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1. On a despatch dated the 18th February 1926, the Governor of Hong Kong, with the concurrence of the Hong Kong General Defence Committee, recommended that steps should be taken to acquire the Kai Tak reclamation area on Kowloon Bay as being the only site in the Colony suitable
for an aerodrome. It was estimated that a sum of 1 million
dollars would be sufficient to buy out the Company which was engaged in reclaiming this area and that the
reclamation could be completed by the Government at a cost of $738,000. The total expenditure involved in the Governor's proposals was thus $1,738,000 or approximately
£180,000.
2. This despatch received prolonged consideration by the Oversea Defence Committee and was finally submitted to the Committee of Imperial Defence on the 1st November,
Paph No 1926, with a covering Memorandum (C.I.282-C) containing the following conclusions:·
"l (i) That, from the defence point of view, the acquisition of the Kai Tak reclamation area is desirable, and accordingly recommend that approval in principle should be given to the proposals on the subject made by the Governor of Hong Kong in his despatch, dated the 18th February, 1926, which were recommended in the Interim Report
by the Joint Staffs (Appendix 1) and to which commendation
was given by the Chiefs of Staff Sub-Committee at their 36th Leeting.
(ii) That as, in the opinion of the Foreign Office, the proposed aerodrome might be regarded as an infringement of the Washington Treaty, America and Japan should be
Printed
Appendix II to 5,0D. Paper No 28;
2-18909
approached
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